Composite items

A composite item consists of a list of different loose items, which allows you to calculate the cost price of the composite item.
That is the only purpose of the list of loose items. Beyond that they play NO part: they will not be ordered, they do not come out of stock, and they are not included in the calculation or the recalculation.

Using a composite item

Composite items are only used if your organisation keeps assembled items in stock and you want to calculate the cost price of that assembled item easily, on the basis of the cost price of the loose items.
Only existing items can be added as a loose item, so make sure you create them first.

Example: you sell a pre-wired fuse box. You buy in all the loose parts, assemble the box and put it in stock ready assembled. The cost price of that fuse box is the cost price of the underlying items + half an hour of work:

Building up a composite item

1. give your composite item a name, and fill in the unit as well
2. choose cost type 'material'
3. on the right, under 'Composite item', list the loose items the composite item consists of, together with the quantity.
4. choose the cost price strategy 'Composite items cost price'
5. choose the selling price strategy 'Margin on cost price' and determine your margin (or choose 'fixed price' and determine your price)

Difference between a composite item and a post

A composite item is often confused with a post.

A post is likewise built up out of different loose items. But unlike a composite item, the substructure of a post plays a major role. The loose items from the post are visible in the substructure of a calculated quotation, you can edit them separately, they will be ordered separately, they come out of stock, they appear in the recalculation, and so on.

A post can be set up very simply (a list of loose items), but can also become more complex through the use of parameters and formulas.

Settings

Is the 'Composite item' box not on the item file?
In settings > items > settings, tick the 'Use composite items' option.

Updated on: 04/09/2026