Weighted Receiving¶
Overview¶
Weighted Receiving is the full-featured system for receiving plastics, metals, recyclables, and other bulk materials by weight. Each item is tracked with material attributes -- type, color, form, and grade -- and follows a defined inventory lifecycle from receiving through sale and shipment.
Items are identified by barcodes in the format WGT-YYYYMMDD-XXXXX and move through the statuses: Received, Available, Reserved, In Sales, Sold, and Shipped.
Last Updated: February 2026 Target Audience: Warehouse Leads, Sales Staff, Managers
Navigation¶
Weighted Receiving appears in the main Odoo menu. The top menu bar contains:
| Menu | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Operations | Quick Receive wizard and All Inventory list |
| Configuration | Material Types, Colors, Forms, Grades, Container Types, Auto-Assignment Rules |
| Export | CSV/Excel export wizard with filtering options |
Quick Receive¶
The Quick Receive wizard is the fastest way to enter new weighted materials into inventory.
Navigation: Weighted Receiving → Operations → Quick Receive
Fields¶
| Field | Description | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Material Type | Category of material (e.g., Plastic, Aluminum, Copper, Steel) | Yes |
| Color | Material color attribute | No |
| Form | Physical form (e.g., Baled, Loose, Granulated, Shredded) | No |
| Grade | Quality grade of the material | No |
| Container | Container used for weighing -- auto-fills the tare weight | Yes |
| Gross Weight | Total weight including the container (entered manually from scale) | Yes |
| Net Weight | Automatically computed: Gross Weight minus Tare Weight | Auto |
| Location | Warehouse storage location | No |
| Serial/Lot Number | Optional tracking number for the batch | No |
How It Works¶
- Select the Material Type from the dropdown
- Optionally set Color, Form, and Grade attributes
- Choose the Container -- the tare weight fills in automatically
- Enter the Gross Weight from the scale reading
- The Net Weight is computed automatically (Gross minus Tare)
- Set the storage Location if applicable
- Click Receive to create the inventory item
The system generates a barcode in WGT-YYYYMMDD-XXXXX format and sets the initial status to Received.
All Inventory¶
The All Inventory list shows every weighted item in the system across all statuses.
Navigation: Weighted Receiving → Operations → All Inventory
Columns¶
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Item barcode identifier (WGT-YYYYMMDD-XXXXX) |
| Receive Date | Date the material was received |
| Material Type | Category (Plastic, Aluminum, Copper, etc.) |
| Form | Physical form (Baled, Loose, etc.) |
| Material Description | Combined description from attributes |
| Serial # | Serial or lot number if assigned |
| Net Weight | Weight of the material (excluding container) |
| Unit Price | Price per unit of weight |
| Total Value | Computed: Net Weight x Unit Price |
| Location | Current warehouse location |
| Status | Current lifecycle status |
| Customer | Assigned customer (when reserved or sold) |
Filtering and Searching¶
Use the filter bar to narrow the list:
- By Status -- Show only Available, Reserved, Sold, etc.
- By Material Type -- Filter to a specific material category
- By Date Range -- Show items received within a date range
- By Customer -- Show items assigned to a specific customer
- By Location -- Filter by warehouse location
Item Detail¶
Click any row in the All Inventory list to open the item detail form.
Status Workflow Buttons¶
The item detail form displays action buttons based on the current status:
| Button | From Status | To Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Available | Received | Available | Item is ready for sale |
| Reserve | Available | Reserved | Hold for a specific customer |
| Send to Sales | Reserved | In Sales | Add to an active sales list |
| Mark as Sold | In Sales | Sold | Confirm the sale |
A Sale Order stat button appears when the item is linked to a sales order. Click it to navigate directly to the associated order.
Item Barcode¶
Each item receives a unique barcode in the format WGT-YYYYMMDD-XXXXX:
- WGT -- Prefix identifying this as a weighted item
- YYYYMMDD -- Date the item was received
- XXXXX -- Sequential number for that day
Auto-Assignment Rules¶
Auto-Assignment Rules provide priority-based routing that automatically assigns received items to customers or locations based on configurable criteria.
Navigation: Weighted Receiving → Configuration → Auto-Assignment Rules
Rule Fields¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Descriptive name for the rule |
| Priority | Numeric priority -- lower numbers are evaluated first |
| Item Name Pattern | Text pattern to match against the item name |
| Customer | Customer to assign when the rule matches |
| Min Weight | Minimum weight for the rule to apply |
| Max Weight | Maximum weight for the rule to apply |
| Active | Toggle to enable or disable the rule |
Rules are evaluated in priority order. The first matching rule is applied. If no rules match, the item remains unassigned.
Configuration (Managers Only)¶
Access configuration options from the Configuration menu to manage the attribute dropdowns used throughout the system.
Navigation: Weighted Receiving → Configuration
| Setting | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| Material Types | Categories of material (Plastic, Aluminum, Copper, Steel, etc.) |
| Colors | Material color options |
| Forms | Physical form options (Baled, Loose, Granulated, Shredded, etc.) |
| Grades | Quality grade definitions |
| Container Types | Container options with pre-set tare weights |
| Auto-Assignment Rules | Priority-based routing rules for incoming items |
Container Types and Tare Weights¶
Each container type has a configured tare weight that is automatically subtracted from the gross weight during receiving. Keep tare weights accurate to ensure correct net weight calculations.
Export Wizard¶
The Export wizard lets you export weighted inventory data to CSV or Excel format with filtering options.
Navigation: Weighted Receiving → Export
Export Options¶
- Format -- Choose CSV or Excel output
- Status Filter -- Export only items in specific statuses
- Date Range -- Limit to items received within a date range
- Material Type -- Export only specific material types
- Customer -- Export items assigned to a specific customer
Common Tasks¶
Receiving New Material (Quick Receive)¶
- Navigate to Weighted Receiving → Operations → Quick Receive
- Select the Material Type
- Set Color, Form, and Grade as needed
- Choose the Container (tare weight auto-fills)
- Enter the Gross Weight from the scale
- Verify the computed Net Weight
- Set the Location
- Click Receive
Finding Inventory¶
- Navigate to Weighted Receiving → Operations → All Inventory
- Use the search bar to type a barcode, material type, or serial number
- Press Enter to filter the list
- Click any row to open the item detail
Filtering by Status or Material¶
- Open the All Inventory list
- Click the Filters dropdown
- Select the desired Status (Available, Reserved, Sold, etc.)
- Optionally add a Material Type filter
- The list updates to show only matching items
Marking Items as Sold¶
- Open the item from the All Inventory list
- Verify the item is in In Sales status
- Click Mark as Sold
- The status changes to Sold
Exporting Data¶
- Navigate to Weighted Receiving → Export
- Select the desired Format (CSV or Excel)
- Set any filters (status, date range, material type, customer)
- Click Export
- The file downloads to your computer
Tips¶
Use Quick Receive for Speed
The Quick Receive wizard is optimized for fast data entry. Select the container first so the tare weight auto-fills, then just enter the gross weight and material type.
Check Tare Weights Regularly
Container tare weights are set in Configuration. If containers are damaged or replaced, update the tare weight to keep net weight calculations accurate.
Use Status Filters to Manage Workflow
Filter the All Inventory list by status to focus on what needs attention. For example, filter to "Received" to see items that need to be marked Available, or "Reserved" to see items ready for sales lists.
Auto-Assignment Rules Save Time
If you regularly assign certain material types to specific customers, set up auto-assignment rules. Items will be automatically routed on receiving, reducing manual work.
Troubleshooting¶
Issue: Net weight is negative or zero after entering gross weight
Symptom: You enter a gross weight in the Quick Receive wizard, but the computed net weight shows as zero, negative, or an unreasonably small number. Cause: The container's tare weight is equal to or greater than the gross weight you entered. Either you selected the wrong container type (one with a high tare weight), or the gross weight was entered incorrectly (e.g., typing 35 instead of 350). Fix: 1. Check the Container selection -- verify that the tare weight shown matches the actual container you are using 2. Check the Gross Weight you entered -- make sure you did not accidentally drop a digit or enter the weight in the wrong unit (lbs vs. kg) 3. If the container tare weight is wrong in the system, do not adjust the gross weight to compensate. Instead, contact a manager to update the tare weight in Configuration → Container Types. 4. Re-enter the correct gross weight and verify the net weight is reasonable before clicking Receive
Issue: Material type not available in the dropdown
Symptom: You need to receive a material but the material type is not listed in the Material Type dropdown. Cause: The material type has not been configured in the system yet. New material types must be added by a manager. Fix: 1. Do not select a different material type as a workaround -- this creates inaccurate inventory records that cause problems downstream in sales lists and reporting 2. Contact a manager or warehouse lead to add the material type in Configuration → Material Types 3. Once added, refresh the Quick Receive page and the new type will appear in the dropdown 4. If you need to receive the material urgently before the type is added, set it aside and label it physically with a note until the type is configured
Issue: Auto-assignment rule did not assign the received item to the expected customer
Symptom: You received a material item expecting it to be automatically assigned to a specific customer, but the item shows no customer assignment (or was assigned to the wrong customer). Cause: The auto-assignment rule's criteria did not match the received item (weight outside min/max range, material type name did not match the pattern), the rule is inactive, or a higher-priority rule matched first. Fix: 1. Open the item in All Inventory and check whether any customer was assigned 2. Navigate to Configuration → Auto-Assignment Rules and review the rules: - Is the expected rule Active? - Does the item's material type match the rule's Item Name Pattern? - Is the item's net weight within the rule's Min Weight and Max Weight range? - Is there a higher-priority rule (lower priority number) that matched first? 3. If the rule criteria need adjustment, update the rule (manager access required) 4. For the current item, manually assign the customer by opening the item detail and setting the Customer field
Issue: Duplicate WGT barcodes
Symptom: Two different physical items have the same WGT barcode identifier, or you receive an error about a duplicate barcode when trying to receive material. Cause: This should not happen under normal operation -- WGT barcodes are auto-generated with a date and sequential number. A duplicate could indicate a system clock issue, a database sequence reset, or a very rare race condition during high-volume receiving. Fix: 1. Do not proceed with the receive if you get a duplicate error -- clicking through would overwrite or corrupt the existing record 2. Note the duplicate barcode number and report it to a manager or IT 3. The existing item with that barcode can be found in All Inventory by searching for the barcode 4. IT may need to reset the barcode sequence or manually assign a unique barcode to one of the items
Issue: Scale reading seems inaccurate or inconsistent
Symptom: The gross weight you read from the scale does not seem correct -- it fluctuates, seems too high or too low, or differs significantly from what you expect for the material. Cause: The scale may need recalibration, the platform may not be level, debris may be on the scale surface, or the container may not be fully on the platform. Fix: 1. Ensure the container is fully on the scale platform with nothing hanging off the edge 2. Wait for the scale reading to stabilize before recording the weight (5-10 seconds after placing the item) 3. Check that nothing else is touching or resting on the scale (pallets, tools, feet) 4. Zero the scale before weighing (tare the empty platform) 5. If the scale consistently reads incorrectly, report it to maintenance for recalibration. Do not adjust weights manually to compensate for a known scale error.
Questions? Contact your supervisor or refer to the Getting Started guide.