Catch-weight
A catch-weight product is sold by the box but priced by its actual weight. A restaurant orders "3 cases of salmon". Each case weighs something different, and the bill is the real weight times a per-pound (or per-kilo) price: 31.4 LB × $9.00/LB, not 3 × a case price. Until the supplier weighs the boxes, the line is billed at $0.00 (or shown as an estimate), and the order can't go out for delivery until every catch-weight line has a weight.
Who uses it
- Supplier staff mark products as catch-weight, weigh boxes when packing, enter the weights on the order, and record returns by weight.
- Restaurants order in boxes and see an estimated total until the supplier confirms the weights.
- Purchasing staff receive catch-weight goods from vendors and enter the received weight on the purchase order.
A catch-weight line's life at a glance
- Product setup. The product is a Catch Weight Item with a box unit (its Primary Unit, e.g. CS) and a weight unit (its Secondary Unit, e.g. LB). It can have a Standard weight per box. See Product setup.
- Ordering. The order says how many boxes. If the product has a standard weight, the weight starts out as an estimate (boxes × standard weight). Otherwise it's blank and the line is $0.00. See Ordering & weighing.
- Weighing. At packing, the supplier enters each box's weight, or the total. The line re-prices to weight × price per pound.
- Ready for Delivery. Blocked until every catch-weight line on the order has a weight.
- Invoice. The line prints its weight and its per-pound price. See Pricing & documents.
- Returns. Returned by weight, never crediting more than the line was charged. Stock moves by both boxes and weight. See Returns & stock.
- Purchase orders follow the same steps, with Delivered as the gate. See Purchase orders.
Example
Salmon Fillet: catch-weight, sold by the case (CS), priced at $9.00 / LB, standard weight 10 LB per case.
| Step | Boxes | Weight | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordered 3 cases | 3 | 30 LB (estimate: 3 × 10 LB) | $270.00 (estimate) |
| Weighed at packing: 10.4 + 9.8 + 11.2 | 3 | 31.4 LB | $282.60 |
| One case (9.8 LB) returned and reshelved | 2 kept | 21.6 LB kept | $282.60 − $88.20 = $194.40 |
In this section
| Page | Answers |
|---|---|
| Product setup | How a product becomes catch-weight, and what each field means |
| Ordering & weighing | Estimates, entering box weights, what's required before delivery |
| Pricing & documents | How a weighed line is priced and how it prints on invoices and emails |
| Returns & stock | Returning by weight, the cap, and how stock and weight on hand move |
| Purchase orders | Receiving catch-weight goods from a vendor |
Where it shows up
Product form · New order dialog · Order detail (WEIGHT column and per-box weights) · Returns dialog · Invoice PDF and packing slip (WEIGHT column, write-in grid for unweighed lines) · Invoice email · Purchase order detail and PO invoice · Restaurant app cart and checkout ("Estimated Subtotal") · Stock history.
Permissions
- Marking a product as catch-weight: anyone who can edit products (verify role list).
- Entering weights: anyone who can edit the order or purchase order.
- The rules themselves (the $0.00 until weighed, the delivery gate, the return cap) can't be switched off.
Specs
The catch-weight scenarios are on Ordering & weighing.