Physical Units
Physical Units¶
Support for real-world "physical" units of measure is implemented using the pint Python library. This library provides the following core functions:
- Ensures consistent use of real units for your inventory management
- Convert between compatible units of measure from suppliers
- Enforce use of compatible units when creating part parameters
- Enable custom units as required
Unit Support¶
Physical units are supported by the following InvenTree subsystems:
Part¶
The unit of measure field for the Part model uses real-world units.
Supplier Part¶
The supplier part model uses real-world units to convert between supplier part quantities and internal stock quantities. Unit conversion rules ensure that only compatible unit types can be supplied
Part Parameter¶
The part parameter template model can specify units of measure, and part parameters can be specified against these templates with compatible units
Custom Units¶
Out of the box, the Pint library provides a wide range of units for use. However, it may not be sufficient for a given application. In such cases, custom units can be easily defined to meet custom requirements.
Custom units can be defined to provide a new physical quantity, link existing units together, or simply provide an alias for an existing unit.
More Info
For further information, refer to the pint documentation regarding custom unit definition
Create Custom Units¶
To view, edit and create custom units, locate the Physical Units tab in the settings panel.