What is the difference between storable and consumable products?
When would I use one over the other?
How do they affect the way Odoo works?
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Hi,
In Odoo, products are categorized into
different types based on their nature and usage. Two common types are
"Storable" and "Consumable." Here's a brief overview of the differences
between these two types of products in Odoo:
1. Storable Products:
Definition:
Storable products are items that are intended to be stored in
inventory. They are typically tangible goods that have a lasting
presence and can be tracked in terms of stock levels.
Inventory Tracking:
Storable products are managed in terms of stock levels, and you can
perform activities like stock adjustments, stock movements, and
inventory valuations for these products.
Examples: Physical goods that are stored in a warehouse, such as electronics, furniture, or clothing.
2. Consumable Products:
Definition:
Consumable products are items that are intended to be consumed or used
immediately. They are typically goods that are not meant to be tracked
in inventory in the same way as storable products.
Inventory Tracking:
Consumable products are not managed in terms of stock levels like
storable products. Instead, they are considered as one-time-use items,
and their quantities are not tracked in the same detailed manner.
Examples: Office supplies, stationery, cleaning supplies, or any items that are used up in the course of business operations.
When
setting up products in Odoo, you can specify whether a product is
storable or consumable. This distinction helps Odoo handle these
products differently in terms of inventory management and other related
processes.
Hope it helps
Storable and Consumable product difference
Simply difference between storable and consumable product is Storable product maintain stock and maintain inventory (Examples include finished goods, raw materials, and components) and consumable products will be consume in short periods time and that will not need to maintain inventory (Examples include office supplies, packaging materials, or items used in production that are not individually tracked)
When to Use Each
- Use storable products when you need to track and manage inventory levels over time, such as for manufacturing or selling tangible goods.
- Use consumable products when you have items that are used in processes but don't need to be tracked in inventory on a detailed level
Effect on Odoo
- In Odoo, the choice between storable and consumable products affects how the system manages inventory, purchase orders, and manufacturing orders.
- Storable products are associated with stock operations, allowing you to track their movement in and out of inventory.
- Consumable products are often used in manufacturing orders but are not subject to detailed inventory tracking.
Understanding the nature of your products and their lifecycle helps you set up your Odoo system accordingly. It impacts how you manage stock, plan manufacturing, and handle purchase orders. Properly categorising products ensures that your inventory management aligns with your business processes.
Thanks for Good Explanation.
The answer I gave previously was deleted. It is important to know that consumables have NO VALUE in Inventory, and are normally reserved for the items you would not count in your warehouse - like janitorial supplies, break room supplies, office supplies, packaging supplies, etc. You should NOT sell consumables and if you use them in manufacturing, they won't contribute to cost of goods.
Additionally (in Anglo Saxon accounting) consumables are expensed when the corresponding vendor bill is posted, whereas storable goods are expensed when the customer invoice is posted.
Storable and consumable can be both tangible products. You can checkout the comparison in this table.
| Product type | Storable | Consumable |
| Tangible | Yes | Yes |
| Stock/inventory report | Available quantity | Considered as always available No stock visibility No possibility to use RR or to track by serial or lot number |
| Valued | Yes | No |
| Create transfer | Yes and impact the qty on hand | Yes but no impact in stock |
| Traceability lot or serial number | Yes | No |
| Replenishment | Yes | Yes but no stock impact. The purpose is more to do PO follow up |
| Can be Manufactured subcontracted | Can be manufactured/subcontracted Can be a BOM component | Can be manufactured/subcontracted Can be a BOM component |
| Can be in a Kit | Can be a kit You sell a kit but you transfer the components usually it's the consumable type for the BOM header Can be part a a kit component | Can be a kit You sell a kit but you transfer the components usually it's the consumable type for the BOM header Can be part a a kit component |
| Put in Pack | Yes | Yes but the quantity is not tracked The product won't be visible inside the package. NB: the move entire package won't take the product into account |
| Inventory reporting | Yes | No |
| Anglo Sexon Accounting | Expense when Invoiced | Expense at Bill Validation |
Great detailed answer Ray.
Careful planning needs to be undertaken when planning manufacturing BOM materials that use consumables. Also, certain consumables need to be tracked, say a specialty box that is custom ordered. In this case, it is best to configure the consumables as a storable product. This way it can be tracked for available levels and also apply reordering rules.
Exactly. "Consumables" in Odoo don't equate to "Consumables" as defined by others and/or other systems. It is best to configure everything used in manufacturing as storables.