Project Materials
The materials section within each project lets you track every supply, raw material, and consumable used on the job. By recording material purchases as they happen, you build an accurate cost picture that feeds directly into the project's budget and profit analysis.
Adding Materials to a Project
To add a material entry to a project:
- Open the project from the Projects list.
- Navigate to the Materials tab.
- Click the add button to open the material form.
- Fill in the material details and save.
Each material entry represents a specific purchase or consumption of supplies for that project.
Material Fields
When adding or editing a material, you provide the following information:
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The name or description of the material (e.g., "Portland Cement", "Steel Rebar 12mm") | Yes |
| Quantity | The number of units purchased or used | Yes |
| Unit | The unit of measure (e.g., bags, tons, meters, pieces) | Yes |
| Unit Cost | The cost per unit of the material | Yes |
The total cost for each material entry is calculated automatically by multiplying the quantity by the unit cost.
Use consistent unit naming across your projects. For example, always use "bags" rather than alternating between "bag", "bags", and "sack". This makes filtering and reporting more meaningful across multiple projects.
Material Cost Tracking
All material entries within a project are summed to produce the total materials cost. This figure appears in:
- The Materials tab summary within the project.
- The Budget & Profit Analysis section, where it is combined with expenses and subcontract costs to calculate the total project cost.
- Project reports exported as PDF or Excel.
As you add, edit, or remove material entries, the totals update automatically. There is no need to manually recalculate.
Editing Materials
To edit an existing material entry:
- Open the project and navigate to the Materials tab.
- Click on the material entry you want to modify.
- Update the fields as needed --- name, quantity, unit, or cost.
- Save the changes.
The project's cost totals are recalculated immediately after the edit is saved.
Removing Materials
To remove a material entry that was added by mistake or is no longer relevant:
- Open the project and navigate to the Materials tab.
- Locate the material entry to remove.
- Click the delete action and confirm the removal.
Removing a material entry permanently deletes it from the project. The project's total material cost will decrease by the removed entry's amount. If the project is already completed, consider whether removing materials will affect the accuracy of your final reports.
Material Cost Summaries
The Materials tab displays a summary of all recorded materials for the project, including:
- Individual entries --- Each material with its name, quantity, unit, cost per unit, and line total.
- Total materials cost --- The sum of all material line totals.
This summary provides a quick view of how much has been spent on materials for the project. For a full financial picture that includes expenses and subcontract costs, see the Budget & Profit Analysis section.
Material entries are project-specific. The same material can appear in multiple projects with different quantities and costs. There is no global material catalog --- each entry is independent and tied to its project.