Adding a Material Item to your Inventory

How to Create a Material Item

Material items represent the physical products that you supply, install or sell as part of a job. Once created, they can be reused throughout JGID in quotes, jobs, invoices and quote templates.

Examples of material items include:

Anchor points
Fasteners
Sealants
Steel components
Timber
Paint
Roofing materials
Electrical cable
Pipework

Keeping your material inventory organised makes quoting faster, improves consistency and helps your team quickly find the products they need.

Step 1 – Open the Materials Inventory

Select Inventory from the top navigation menu.
Click Materials.
Select New Material.

Step 2 – Choose a Category

Like Services, Materials can be organised into Categories and Subcategories.

Depending on your industry, JGID may already include several default categories.

Organising your materials into logical categories makes them much easier to locate when preparing quotes and jobs.

Step 3 – Enter the Material Details

Complete the basic information for your material.

Typical fields include:

Name
Brand
Model
Product Code
Description

Providing clear and consistent product information helps your team identify the correct material quickly.

Step 4 – Choose the Unit

Unlike Service items, Material units are entered as free text, allowing you to use whatever unit best suits the product.

Examples include:

Each
Metre
Square Metre (m²)
Litre
Kilogram
Box
Roll
Tube
20 Litre Tub
Pack

Choose a unit that reflects how the material is normally purchased or sold.

Step 5 – Enter the Cost and Sale Price

Each material includes two pricing values.

Cost

The Cost is your estimated purchase price or replacement cost for the material.

Sale Price

The Sale Price is the amount you normally charge your customer.

These default prices can be adjusted later when creating individual quotes if required.

Step 6 – Save the Material

Click Save to create the material item.

Once the item has been saved, additional options become available.

Step 7 – Add Accounting Information (Optional)

If your JGID account is connected to Xero, you can assign:

Account Code – Select the appropriate income account from your Xero Chart of Accounts.
Tax Code – Choose the appropriate tax treatment, such as GST or GST Free.

These settings help ensure invoices are coded correctly when exported to Xero.

Step 8 – Attach Images and Documents (Optional)

Material items support file attachments, making them a great place to store important product information.

You can attach:

Product images
Product datasheets
Technical specifications
Installation instructions
Compliance certificates
Safety documentation
Manufacturer brochures

Having this information stored with the material item makes it easy for your office staff and technicians to access whenever they need it.

Tip: Adding a product image can make it much easier to identify similar-looking materials when building quotes.

Best Practice

To keep your material inventory organised:

Use consistent product names.
Include manufacturer product codes where possible.
Enter accurate cost prices.
Use meaningful units of measure.
Attach specifications and installation guides for commonly used products.
Keep your pricing up to date.

A well-maintained material inventory improves quoting accuracy and saves time across your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a Material and a Service?

A Material is a physical product that is supplied or installed.

A Service represents the labour or professional work performed.

Many jobs will include both.

Can I choose any unit?

Yes.

Material units are entered as free text, allowing you to use the unit that best suits the product.

Can I change the price on a quote?

Yes.

The default Sale Price is simply a starting point and can be adjusted for individual quotes whenever required.

Can I attach installation instructions or certificates?

Yes.

Material items can store images and supporting documents such as installation instructions, technical specifications, certificates and manufacturer documentation.

Can I assign Xero account codes?

Yes.

If your account is connected to Xero, you can assign both an Account Code and a Tax Code after saving the material item.

Summary

To create a material item:

Go to Inventory → Materials.
Click New Material.
Select a category and subcategory.
Enter the material details.
Choose an appropriate unit of measure.
Enter the Cost and Sale Price.
Click Save.
(Optional) Assign Xero account and tax codes.
(Optional) Add images, specifications and other supporting documents.

Your material is now ready to use in quotes, jobs, invoices, composed items and quote templates.