Short answer

A product does not have a base unit of its own. Its base (tracking) unit is the Base Unit of the Unit Class assigned to it. There are two ways to change it:

  • Switch the product to a different Unit Class. This affects only that product.
  • Mark a different unit as the Base Unit in the current Unit Class. This affects every product that uses that class.

Changing the base unit does not convert anything. On-hand quantities, cost layers, open PO quantities, BOM lines and conversion-rule factors all keep their stored numbers, so they would be read in the new unit without being rescaled. For example, 32 (ounces) would become 32 pounds.

Where to make the change

Option A: Change the product's Unit Class

  1. Open the product (SKU) and edit it.
  2. Choose a different Unit Class, such as a weight class whose base unit is pounds.
  3. Save.

Option B: Change which unit is the Base Unit in a class

  1. Go to Inventory > Inventory Admin > Units of Measure.
  2. Open the Units of Measure tab. The Base Unit column shows the current base unit for each class.
  3. Open the action menu on the unit you want, such as pounds, and choose Set as Base Unit.

The previous base unit in that class stops being the base unit.

Option B applies to all SKUs in that class, not just one product. If only one product needs a different base unit, use Option A.

If the product has stock or transactions

Don’t change the Unit Class or the base unit yourself. There’s no built-in way to convert existing stock and costs. Contact Luminous Support with the SKU, its current unit, the unit you want to track in, and its current on-hand quantity and cost. They’ll plan the conversion with you.