A product's BOM (Bill of Materials) defines which packaging it ships with and in what quantity. Traede uses the BOM to record packaging usage automatically when invoices are booked. You can set packaging rules directly on each product, or share common rules across many products with BOM templates.

[VIDEO: Walkthrough of the BOM tab — adding packaging lines, attribute and variant rules, linking templates, and the effective BOM preview]

Adding packaging to a product

1. Open the finished product and go to Production → BOM.
2. In the Packaging section, click Add product line.
3. Search for the packaging product. Only products of type Packaging can be selected.
4. If the packaging product has variants, select the variant.
5. Enter the Quantity — how many units of this packaging are used per sold unit. Decimals are allowed, e.g. 0.5 if one box holds two units.
6. Leave Return on credit notes checked if the packaging comes back when goods are returned (see the packaging report guide for how this affects reporting).
7. Click Save BOMs.

[SCREENSHOT: The BOM tab on a product with a product-level packaging line added in the Packaging section]

Product-level lines apply to every variant of the product. This is all most products need.

Different packaging for different variants

When some configurations of a product need different packaging, add rules at a more specific level. More specific rules replace broader ones for the same packaging product: product rules are the default, attribute rules override them for matching variants, and variant rules override everything for a single variant.

Attribute rules

1. In the Packaging section, click New attribute filter.
2. In the Select attribute filters dialog, pick the attribute values to target (e.g. Size: XL) and click Apply filters.
3. Click Add line inside the new filter group and add the packaging as usual.
4. Click Save BOMs.

Variant rules

1. Click Add variant line.
2. In the Select variant dialog, choose the variant and click Add variant line.
3. Add the packaging line inside the variant group and click Save BOMs.

BOM templates

If many products ship with the same packaging — for example, all shoes use the same box — create a BOM template once and link it to each product. Products pick up the template's rules automatically, and changes to the template apply everywhere it is linked.

Creating a template

1. Go to Settings → Master data Settings → BOM templates.
2. Click New BOM template.
3. Enter a Name (e.g. "Shoe packaging") and optionally a Description, then click Create.
4. In the template editor, add packaging lines at the Product level (applies to every product using the template) or with an Attribute filter (applies only to matching variants).
5. Click Save template.

[SCREENSHOT: The BOM template editor with a product-level packaging line and the Save template button]

Tip: Setting a template's Status to Archived stops its rules from applying on all linked products without unlinking it. Re-activate it to restore the rules.

Linking a template to a product

1. On the product, go to Production → BOM.
2. In the Inherited templates panel, click Add template.
3. Choose the template and click Link template.
4. Click Save BOMs.

The template's lines now appear on the product. For each inherited line you can:

• Override — replace the template line with a local line, e.g. when this product needs a different quantity or a different packaging variant.
• Exclude — remove the template line from this product entirely.

Local lines that target the same packaging as an inherited line can also be marked Additional, which adds them alongside the inherited line instead of replacing it. Use Unlink on a template card to remove the template and all overrides tied to it.

Previewing the effective BOM

With template lines, product lines, and attribute or variant rules in play, use the preview to check what actually applies. Switch the toggle at the top of the BOM tab from Edit rules to Effective BOM, then pick a configuration — the default product BOM, an attribute value, or a specific variant. The table shows the final resolved packaging lines, and the Resolved from column tells you which rule each line came from.

[SCREENSHOT: The Effective BOM preview with a variant selected, showing resolved packaging lines and the Resolved from column]

After changing a BOM

BOM changes apply to invoices booked from that point on. Invoices that were already booked keep their recorded packaging usage until you recalculate them — see the packaging report guide for how to use Recalculate packaging usage.

Related articles

• Creating packaging products — setting up the packaging items used on BOM lines
• Generating the packaging report and EPR filings — reporting on recorded packaging usage