This is the most important thing to set up correctly on your inventory items. If the unit you count in doesn't match the unit you buy in, your inventory value will be wrong.
Here's why: Folio prices your inventory based on what you pay per unit from your supplier. If your supplier sells you a case of flour tortillas for $49, but you're counting individual packs, Folio needs to know how to convert between the two -- otherwise it will value each pack at $49 instead of $6.14.
Quick reference
You buy in | You count in | What to do |
Case | Case | Set Count UOM to Case. Enter case price. No conversion factor needed. |
Case | Each / Pack / Bag | Set Count UOM to Each. Enter per-unit price OR set Conversion Factor to the number of units per case. |
Case | Large increments (e.g. half-case) | Set Count UOM to Each and count as 0.5, or use a conversion factor that reflects the sub-case unit. |
You'll set these units in your inventory item page (Inventory > Items tab). Just click in any item in your inventory and it will open a page with these details
The three fields that work together
Count UOM (Unit of Measure) The unit your team physically counts in. For most items, this is the smallest increment that makes sense to count: individual packs, bags, boxes, or pounds. For bulk items like single-serve creamers or sugar packets, this might be the case or pack.
Price per Unit What you pay per one Count UOM. This is what Folio uses to calculate your inventory value. If your Count UOM is "each" but your supplier price is per case, you need to either enter the per-unit price manually or use the Conversion Factor to let Folio calculate it.
Conversion Factor How many of your Count UOM fit into one purchasing unit (the case or pack you order). Folio uses this to calculate the correct per-unit price automatically when your item is linked to a purchased product.
📝 Common scenarios
Scenario 1: You buy by the case, but count individual packs or units
This is the most common situation for items like tortillas, crackers, rice, or proteins.
Example: Flour tortillas
You order a case of 8 packs for $49.16
You want to count by individual pack (each)
Option A -> Enter the price manually: Divide the case price by the number of units. $49.16 ÷ 8 = $6.15 per pack. Enter $6.15 as the Price per Unit and set Count UOM to Each.
Option B -> Use the Conversion Factor: Set Count UOM to Each, leave Price per Unit at the case price for now, and enter 8 as the Conversion Factor. Once the item is linked to a purchased product in Folio, the math will be handled automatically and will update when your supplier's price changes.
Tip: If your item is linked to a product you purchase in Folio, use the Conversion Factor approach. Folio will then update the per-unit price automatically whenever your supplier changes the case price -- you won't have to recalculate manually.
Scenario 2: You buy by the case and count by the case
For items where counting by individual unit doesn't make sense, such as pallets of water, single-serve condiments, sugar packet, etc. count by the case or pack directly.
Example: Bottled water (24-pack)
You order by the pallet (100 cases at a time)
Counting individual bottles isn't practical
Set Count UOM to Case, Price per Unit to $4.99 (the case price)
No conversion factor needed
Scenario 3: Your pricing looks inflated in your count
If you see a price that looks like a full case price attached to a single item; for example, crackers showing $42 each when you're counting individual boxes, the Count UOM and price are mismatched.
Check two things:
What is your Count UOM set to? If it says Each but the price shown is your case price, either update the price manually or add a Conversion Factor.
Is the item linked to a purchased product? If not, the price won't update automatically when supplier prices change. See Linking Inventory Items to Purchased Products for how to set this up.
A note on proteins and catch-weight items
For proteins priced by the pound, like shrimp, wings, or fish, make sure your Count UOM is set to Pound (LB) and your Price per Unit reflects the per-pound price, not the case price. A 40-pound case of wings should be counted as 40 lbs, with the price set per pound.