Materials are the physical items used in creating a Product or delivering a service. These tangible resources can be tracked for cost and inventory purposes and may include items such as vinyl, acrylic, aluminum sheets, banner material, ink, or paper stock. By defining Materials in your system you can support accurate job costing, inventory management, and pricing.
For information on creating Materials, please see Creating Materials.
Table of Contents
- Material Options in the System
- When to Use Material with Variants
- Materials Menu
- Materials Screen
- Material Details Tab
- Vendor Items Tab
- Custom Fields Tab
Material Options in the System
The system supports two types of Materials: standalone Materials and Materials with Variants. A standalone Material represents a single item without additional selectable options. Materials with Variants, on the other hand, allow you to manage a single Material that includes multiple predefined variations such as color, size, or thickness. Both options are available so you can choose the setup that best matches how the item is used, tracked, and priced in your workflow.
When to Use Material with Variants
Use the Material with Variants option when you have a group of similar items that should be treated as a single logical Material with multiple selectable variations.
Common cases include:
- A substrate that comes in multiple thicknesses or finishes but is otherwise configured the same way.
- Roll media available in several widths where consumption and pricing follow the same basic rules.
- Frequently used Material families where you want consistent setup but need flexibility at order entry time.
When planning to use variants you will see:
- One parent Material definition that represents the overall item.
- Individual variant options that capture the specific choices (for example, size or color) when entering jobs.
- Variant-level information used in downstream calculations, such as extended cost or material usage.
Materials Menu
The Materials menu is where you access the list of all Materials configured in CoreBridge.
Navigate to Settings / Components / Materials.
a. The Search box allows you to find a specific Material.
b. The Add Material button allows you to add a new Material.
c. The Search Settings icon allows you to choose which columns are displayed and whether inactive records are included in the display.
d. Each column header has an Order icon that allows you to sort ascending or descending.
e. Each column header has a Filter icon allowing you to customize the display by setting rules. See example below.
f. Clicking a Material row opens the Material Details page allowing you to view and edit this Material.
g. Each row includes an ellipsis that opens a menu with Clone, Set Inactive and Delete options.
Note: The Delete option is unavailable for Materials that are currently in use.
Example:
Materials Screen
1. Select a Material to open up the Material Screen.
a. Material Name - Clicking here displays the date it was most recently updated.
b. Files allow you to view, upload, or manage documents attached to the Material.
c. Comments allow you to communicate about this specific Material.
d. More actions include the options to Clone, Delete, and History.
e. Use these tabs to navigate between Material Details, Vendor Items, and Custom Fields.
Material Details Tab
With the Material Details tab selected on the top of the Materials Screen, you will be able to access basic information about this Material and edit as necessary.
Note: Any changes made will need to be saved manually.
Details
a. Upload Images of the Material, if desired.
b. Name - This is the Part name. It is recommended to begin with the Material type, followed by key attributes such as thickness, color, or size, since this name will appear in your Material list.
c. Name on Documents - This pertains to how this Material will display on Customer-facing documents such as Estimates and Invoices.
d. Internal SKU - A unique Stock Keeping Unit used for internal inventory and tracking purposes if available.
e. GTIN - A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is a universal identifier used to recognize the same Product across different brands and suppliers. Vendors may use their own item numbers, but the GTIN remains consistent.
f. Description - This is a broader description of this Material for internal purposes.
Settings
The Settings section includes options that control how a Material is organized and whether it can be selected during Order entry. These settings allow you to manage visibility in search, assign Material Categories, and designate a Default Line Item Category for consistent classification.
a. Hide in Order Entry controls whether the Material can be selected when adding Line Items during Order entry.
b. Material Categories help organize and sort Materials. After a Material is assigned to one or more categories, it can be located using category filters, and if a category is linked to an Assembly, the Material will be available during Order entry when that Assembly is added.
c. A Default Line Item Category determines which category is automatically applied when this Material is added to an Estimate or Order.
Attributes
Attributes define the physical characteristics and specifications of a Material. These properties help ensure accurate quoting, production, and inventory management. While Material Type and Quantity in Set are the only required fields, it is recommended to complete as many fields as possible.
a. The dropdown allows you to select the Material Type such as Roll, Sheet, or Other.
b. Qty in Set shows how many of this Material are sold in a set.
Example: A box of 500 business cards has a quantity of 500 in one set.
Consumption
Consumption Units and Types are further ways to classify a Material. They give information on how a Material is consumed and rounded for usage.
a. Consumption Unit Type allows you to select the Unit Type used to measure this material such as Length, Volume, and Weight.
b. Consumption Unit will automatically populate depending on the Consumption Unit Type chosen above, but can be changed manually.
c. Round Up To enables your system to automatically round up to the next unit.
d. Minimum Consumption in Each reflects the lowest amount of this Material that can be used in calculations.
Note: Best practice is to enter a 0 unless a minimum amount of this Material is used regardless of what the assembly calls for.
Example: If the Minimum Consumption is set to 1 sheet and a Customer has requested 0.5 sheets, the minimum of 1 sheet will automatically be used in all calculations.
Cost & Price
a. The Costing Method determines how the system calculates the cost of a Material.
b. Cost Per is the unit cost of a single item of this Material. This value is used in job costing and pricing whenever the Material is measured or sold per individual piece.
c. Lead Time indicates the amount of time required to complete the Order from the time the Order is created.
Accounting Details
a. COGS / Expense Account reflects the account the Material will be billed to.
b. This is the Income Account that will be credited when this Material is sold.
c. The Taxability Code for a Material is set dependent on whether the Material taxable, tax exempt, or taxable with exceptions.
Vendor Items Tab
The Vendor Items tab allows you to link a Material to one or more vendor-specific items so you can track purchasing details.
a. New Vendor Items can be added by clicking the Add Vendor Item button. See example below.
Note: You may have multiple Vendor Items for each Material.
b. The Search Settings icon allows you to choose which columns are displayed.
c. Clicking into the Vendor Item brings up more detailed information.
Note: Changes made will need to be saved manually.
Custom Fields Tab
The Custom Fields tab lets you extend Material records with additional fields tailored to your business.
Custom Fields can be managed in Settings / Components / Custom Fields / Material.
