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How to Set Up a Bill of Materials in Odoo 19

By · · Updated · 6 min read · Odoo Odoo 19 Setup Manufacturing MRP Inventory Management Stock Control Production Planning

Short answer: in Odoo 19, go to Manufacturing ‣ Products ‣ Bills of Materials ‣ New, choose the Product, set the Quantity the BoM produces, keep BoM Type as Manufacture this Product, and list each component with its quantity on the Components tab. Enable Work Orders in Manufacturing settings if you also want to record operations and work centres.

This is the setup guide. For how manufacturing orders use the BoM from confirmation to completion, see manufacturing orders and the production workflow in Odoo.

Applies to

  • Odoo version: Odoo 19. Odoo 20 was released in September 2026; check its documentation before applying these steps to an Odoo 20 database.
  • Edition: Bills of materials, operations and work orders are in the Manufacturing app in both Community and Enterprise. Detailed step instructions (which need the Quality app), BoM versioning through PLM and the Shop Floor app are Enterprise only.
  • Apps: Manufacturing and Inventory.

Before you start

  1. Create the finished product and every component as products first, with the right units of measure. See how to set up products and units of measure.
  2. Make the finished product a tracked good if you hold it in stock, and decide whether it needs lots or serial numbers.
  3. Enable the Manufacture route on the finished product’s Inventory tab if reordering rules or make-to-order should create manufacturing orders automatically.
  4. Get the recipe from production, not from memory. Weigh or count real batches, including losses.

Step by step

1. Create the BoM

  1. Go to Manufacturing ‣ Products ‣ Bills of Materials and click New. (Or use the Bill of Materials smart button on the product form.)
  2. Product: the finished product.
  3. Quantity: how many units this BoM produces, for example 1 bag or a batch of 50.
  4. BoM Type: Manufacture this Product.

2. Add components

  1. On the Components tab, click Add a line.
  2. Choose the Component and enter the Quantity needed to produce the BoM’s quantity, in the component’s unit.
  3. Repeat for every component, including packaging such as bags, labels and boxes, if you want them consumed and costed.
  4. Optional columns, shown through the column settings icon on the Components tab:
    • Apply on Variants, when a component is used only for some variants;
    • Consumed in Operation, to tie a component to the operation that uses it;
    • Manual Consumption, to make operators confirm the quantity consumed.

3. Add operations (optional)

  1. Enable Work Orders in Manufacturing ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings (Operations section).
  2. Back on the BoM, open the Operations tab and click Add a line.
  3. Enter the Operation name, choose the Work Center, and choose how duration is tracked: computed from tracked time, or set manually with a Default Duration.
  4. Add instructions in the Work Sheet tab (text, a PDF or a link), then Save & Close or Save & New.

4. Set consumption and timing (Miscellaneous tab)

  • Manufacturing Readiness: whether an order counts as ready when the first operation’s components are available, or only when all components are.
  • Flexible Consumption: Blocked, Allowed or Allowed with Warning when operators consume a different quantity from the BoM.
  • Manuf Lead Time: days to complete a manufacturing order after confirmation.
  • Days to prepare Manufacturing Order: days needed to get components or sub-assemblies ready.

5. Add by-products (optional)

Enable By-Products in Manufacturing settings, then list residual products on the BoM’s By-products tab.

Worked example: a 250 g bag of roasted coffee

A roaster sells House Blend, roasted, 250 g bag. Roasting loses moisture, so a bag needs more green coffee than it holds. Their own test batches show about 17 percent loss.

Component Quantity per bag
Green coffee, house blend 0.300 kg
Valve bag, 250 g 1 unit
Front label 1 unit
  • Quantity on the BoM: 1 unit.
  • Operations: Roast at work centre Roaster 1, and Pack at Packing table.
  • Flexible Consumption: Allowed with Warning, because roast loss varies from batch to batch.

A manufacturing order for 40 bags therefore reserves 12 kg of green coffee, 40 bags and 40 labels. If an operator records 12.4 kg used, Odoo warns rather than blocks, and the extra consumption shows in the order’s cost.

What you should see

  • A new manufacturing order for the product (Manufacturing ‣ Operations ‣ Manufacturing Orders ‣ New) fills its components from the BoM, scaled to the quantity you produce.
  • The order’s component status shows whether everything needed is available.
  • When the order is marked done, components leave stock and finished units arrive in stock.
  • With work orders enabled, each operation becomes a work order at its work centre.

Troubleshooting

No Operations tab. Enable Work Orders in Manufacturing settings.

Reordering rules never create manufacturing orders. The product has no BoM, or the Manufacture route isn’t enabled on its Inventory tab. If it has both Buy and Manufacture routes, set the preferred route on the rule.

Component quantities look wrong on orders. Check the BoM Quantity: components are per the BoM’s quantity, not per single unit, so a BoM for a batch of 50 needs batch-level component quantities.

Operators get a consumption warning. Manual Consumption is ticked for that component, or the recorded quantity differs from the BoM under Allowed with Warning. Check the setting matches how the floor really works.

Orders show as not ready though some components are in stock. Manufacturing Readiness is set to wait for all components. Change it if work can start once the first operation’s components are available.

A product sold as a set never gets a manufacturing order. It uses a Kit BoM. Kits are delivered as their components and aren’t manufactured.

Official references

How this guide was checked: menus, fields and settings were checked against the Odoo 19 documentation in October 2026, and edition availability against Odoo 19’s open-source code. The example is illustrative and wasn’t run on a live database, so there are no screenshots; labels can vary slightly with your installed apps and language.

? Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a manufacturing BoM and a kit in Odoo?

A BoM of type Manufacture this Product is used to make the product through manufacturing orders, consuming components into a finished item. A Kit is a set of unassembled components sold together: Odoo delivers the components rather than producing the kit.

Why is there no Operations tab on my bill of materials?

The Work Orders setting is off. Enable it in Manufacturing, Configuration, Settings, in the Operations section, and the Operations tab appears on BoMs.

Should components be consumed exactly as the BoM says?

That depends on the process. The Flexible Consumption field on the BoM's Miscellaneous tab can block deviations, allow them, or allow them with a warning. Processes with natural variation, such as roasting or cutting, usually need Allowed or Allowed with Warning.

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