Costing
What a part costs you, and which rule Partix uses to work it out when different batches cost different amounts.
Open the part and go to the Costing tab.
Why there is a choice at all
If every unit cost the same, cost would be one number. In practice you buy the same part repeatedly at different prices, so the question "what does this part cost" has more than one defensible answer. The costing option is you choosing which answer to use.
The options
| Option | How it values stock |
|---|---|
| FIFO | First in, first out. The oldest stock is used first, so cost follows your earliest batches. |
| LIFO | Last in, first out. The newest stock is used first, so cost follows your most recent batches. |
| Weighted | An average across what you hold, weighted by quantity. |
| Moving | An average that is recalculated as stock moves. |
| Custom | A figure you set yourself. |
What the tab shows
- Selected cost option, the rule in force
- Calculated cost, what that rule produces right now
- Active lot, the batch the rule is currently drawing from
The active lot is the useful one to watch under FIFO and LIFO, because it tells you which batch the current cost comes from and therefore when the figure is likely to move.
Where the cost is used
The calculated cost flows into the BOM. Rolled up cost in a bill of materials is built from part costs, so changing the costing rule here changes the cost of every product using this part.
Changing the rule changes your product costs
This is not a display preference. Switching between FIFO and LIFO with a volatile price will move the figure that appears in every BOM containing this part. Agree the rule with whoever owns costing rather than changing it per part on instinct.