How to convert our fabric yard to another item like a Fat Quarter?

[FranksFabrics]

Hello!  We are a fabric and craft store.  We bring in Fabrics and they are sold by the yard.  We can put in decimal increments which works fine.  BUT we also need to take 1 yard off of the bolt, convert it to another item like a fat quarter which would be 4 items made from that 1 yard.  How do we do our inventory adjustment? It’s not a loss of the item or damage, it’s using that item to create another item we are selling.  Thank you for your help! 

[mailily]

This is super helpful! I’ve always been a bit confused about how fabric measurements work, especially when trying to figure out how many Fat Quarters I can get from a yard. Thanks for breaking it down in a way that actually makes sense—I can finally plan my projects better, maybe even some kitchen-themed ones to go with delicious food!

[MayaP]

Hey @mailily - I am so glad to hear this! 

Feel free to reach out if you need anything else! 😊

[MayaP]

Hello @FranksFabrics - Thanks for reaching out to the Square Community! 😊

I'm tagging some sellers who can assist: @SammyGrace2414 @Abigails_stl @sugarlab @Candlestore. 

Feel free to tag me if you need anything else! 

[sugarlab]

Thanks for the tag @MayaP. 

The inventory adjustment is just for your records. I just pick the closest one that makes sense to me. 

[Candlestore]

@FranksFabrics ;

Look at Convert and Sell by Units in Square,: 7237-stock-conversion-sell-by 

Here is a Thread that tells about it to : New-Retail-Feature-Sell-by-units-and-stock-conversion/td-p/350911 

I use this feature for when I buy cases of tapers at 144 per case , but sell this stock by singular, packs of 12 or by the case of 144.

I think you should be able to use this to order a roll of fabric at say 150 yards and sell by the 1 yard and by the 1/4 yard.  

[abbimays]

We also sell fabrics by the yard and cut fat quarters from each bolt.  We don't need to track individual fat quarters and have an item listing that all the fat quarters go in  Update the inventory as a recount.

[Candlestore · Accepted solution]

@abbimays ;

With Square if you buy Fabric by the Bolt but sell it by the Yard or the Fat Quarter, you would still need to inform Square how many Yards are in a Bolt and how many Fat Quarters are in the Bolt or the Yard etc.  Otherwise when you Sell a Fat Quarter that your not tracking, Square knows how much to subtract from the Bolt.   When doing inventory you may have to count the number of Bolts or the amount of yards for yourself, but Square would decrease the total yards when you sell a Fat Quarter.  So for your lets say Blue Bolts:

Inventory may look like:

Blue Bolts = 3.75 Bolts

Blue Yards = 187.5 Yards   ( 50 Yards = 1 Bolt in this example)

Fat Quarter = 750 Fat quarters     4 fat Quaters per yard 

The 3.75 Bolts, 187.5 Yards, and 750 Fat Quarters would be automatically calculated as you sold these different measurements.

You would need these sizes if you sell any of these sizes.  

I hope this makes sense to you why you would need these other sizes also inside of Square.

Which is why below I also have a Link to Convert and Sell by units here and in another post on this thread.

7237-stock-conversion-sell-by  

[abbimays]

Your math works if your assuming that all bolts of fabrics are lumping into one item. We use bar codes and keep track of each individually bolt/print and have over 2500 different fabrics.  That way when a customer wants more of something its on their checkout slip.

[Candlestore]

You would need Multiple Items for each Bolt.  Each Bolt can still have its own Barcode.  

So so since you have 2500 Different Fabrics in Bolts you would need 2500 different Items with the accompaning Conversion units.  Now since the Conversions are all the same you can use them again when creating the sell by unit for a different Fabric Bolt.  

Here are 2 examples of my Tapers:

If you notice both the 10 inch Tapers are sold by ea,ca, and pa; where ea = 1, pa = 12 and case = 288 Tapers.  I setup Pa to = 12 and Case to equal 288 so any Item I create and chose Case or Pack will reduce inventory by that amount.  

I am just trying to figure out how you are planning on selling a Fat Quarter from a Bolt without having the unit defined in Square.  In my images above each Variation (ea,ca,pa) has a SKU or GTIN assigned and then can reduce the overall inventory of that Item (Taper).   So if you use my math that worked out as you stated, you would show in inventory 3 Bolts of Fabric A and 187 Yards of Fabric A and 750 Quarters available to sell.  The only issue is you could not sell 3 bolts, 187 yards, and 750 Fat Quarters of Fabric A at this moment.  These are the amounts Most you can sell of each Variation of Fabric A.

So you would put in Square something like :

Bolt = ???? Fat Quarters

1 Yard = 4 Fat Quartes 

1 Fat Quarter = 1 Fat Quarter ( The lowest amount available to sell)

This would go in the Sell By Units screen as described in the Link in an earlier posts on this thread.

[MayaP]

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback and help! 🙏

@Candlestore @abbimays @sugarlab 

[checkermenu]

Here’s a helpful and professional reply you can use:

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Reply:

Hi there! 👋

What you’re describing is called an inventory adjustment for a unit of measure conversion rather than a loss or shrinkage. Basically, you’re taking 1 yard of fabric and converting it into a different sellable item (e.g., 4 fat quarters).

Here’s how many stores handle this:

1. Create a New Product for Fat Quarters

   • Set up “Fat Quarter” as its own item in your POS/inventory system with its own SKU and pricing.

2. Adjust Inventory Using a Build or Assembly Function (if available)

   • Some systems have a “build” or “assembly” feature where you can take raw materials (1 yard of fabric) and convert them into finished goods (4 fat quarters).

   • This way, the system automatically deducts 1 yard from the bolt and adds 4 units of Fat Quarters into inventory.

3. Manual Adjustment Option

   • If your system doesn’t have that feature, you can manually adjust:

     • Subtract 1 yard from your fabric inventory.

     • Add 4 units of Fat Quarters to inventory.

   • Keep a simple spreadsheet or log for tracking so totals stay accurate.

4. Check With Your POS/Inventory Provider

   • Many fabric/craft stores use POS systems like Shopify, Lightspeed, or Square which offer apps or built-in tools for inventory conversions or product bundles.

This process ensures your inventory remains accurate, and you’re accounting for both the raw material (fabric by the yard) and the new sellable items (fat quarters) without marking it as a loss.

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If you tell me which POS or inventory system you’re using, I can give you step-by-step instructions for your exact setup. Would you like me to do that? you can also visit to our website for more information 

[natasha12]

Your calculation makes sense if all fabric bolts are combined into one item. But in our case, we track each bolt/print separately using barcodes, with over 2500 fabrics. This way, when customers want more, it’s already on their checkout slip.