---
title: "Understanding Materials in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts"
url: "https://help.ontraccr.com/en/article/understanding-materials-in-ontraccr-purpose-functionality-and-core-concepts"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-06-08T17:45:09.886Z"
---

# Understanding Materials in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

## 🧱 **Understanding Materials in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts**

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## **⚡️ Executive Summary:** ***Understanding Materials in Ontraccr***  
 

-   The **Materials** feature is a centralized system for managing all parts, pricing, inventory, and assemblies across your operations.
-   It powers:
    -   **Quoting & Estimating**
    -   **Inventory Tracking**
    -   **Job Costing**
    -   **Field Reporting**
    -   **Automated Workflows**
-   Materials data is structured around:
    -   **Folders** (for organizing by trade, supplier, etc.)
    -   **Parts** (individual materials)
    -   **Assemblies** (composite, install-ready groups of parts)
    -   **Inventory Logic** (locations, thresholds, allocation)
    -   **Costing & Pricing** (material and labor, with markup)
-   This system integrates into:
    -   **Forms and Boards** (select and log materials)
    -   **Cost Workflows** (auto-budget updates)
    -   **Inventory Workflows** (auto-add, subtract, transfer)
    -   **Audit Logs** (timeline history of every change)
-   A well-maintained materials database keeps field and office teams aligned, speeds up quoting, prevents overuse, and improves profitability tracking.

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## **🧭 What Is the Materials Feature?**  
 

The **Materials** feature in Ontraccr acts as the **source of truth** for all items used in your work — from raw materials to bundled install kits.

It’s built to solve fragmented workflows caused by scattered price lists, manual data entry, and inconsistent inventory records. It allows you to:

-   Store and structure parts and assemblies
-   Set accurate costs, prices, units, suppliers, labor rates
-   Track quantities across job sites, trucks, and warehouses
-   Integrate with every part of your operational system

This isn’t just a catalog — it’s a live, operational database driving your projects forward.

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## **🎯 Why Use the Materials Feature?**

The materials system is essential for:

-   **Creating consistent quotes** with live cost and pricing
-   **Tracking real-time inventory** with thresholds and alerts
-   **Feeding job costing systems** with actual usage
-   **Reducing human error** in form and report submissions
-   **Automating repetitive updates** like price changes or stock movements

Instead of working across five tools and two spreadsheets, Ontraccr centralizes materials into a single, reportable, and actionable system.

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## **🛠️ How the Materials Feature Functions Conceptually**

The materials system is composed of five main building blocks:

| Component | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| **Folders** | Organize materials by category (e.g., “Wood,” “Electrical,” “Vendor Catalogs”) |
| **Parts** | Individual materials with cost, supplier, markup, and labor fields |
| **Assemblies** | Bundled install units made from multiple parts (e.g., an HVAC Kit) |
| **Inventory Logic** | Tracks quantity, threshold alerts, locations, and allocations |
| **Pricing Engine** | Automatically calculates price based on cost + markup, for both materials and labor |

Each item can contain:

-   Supplier info
-   Division assignment
-   Cost & markup
-   Units of measure
-   Cost codes for budgeting
-   Quantity and location tracking

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## **🧩 How Materials Fit Inside the Ontraccr System**

Materials data connects across Ontraccr to power operational flows:

| Feature | How Materials Connect |
| --- | --- |
| **Forms** | Users select materials in daily logs, POs, service reports |
| **Boards** | Add parts/assemblies to cards like work orders or change requests |
| **Cost Tracking** | Materials used in a form or board can feed job cost budgets |
| **Inventory Updates** | Use Update Material blocks to add/subtract quantities automatically |
| **Audit Trail** | Each item has a timeline of edits, usage, and quantity changes |

Ontraccr ensures that whenever you interact with materials, you’re using **real-time, structured, audit-friendly data**.

* * *

## **🏗️ Types of Material Records**

| Type | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Parts** | Single material or SKU (e.g., “Tech Cable 10ft”) |
| **Assemblies** | Collection of parts acting as one installable item (e.g., “Electrical Outlet Kit”) |

Assemblies calculate total cost and labor automatically based on component items.

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## **🔁 Materials in Automation**

Once a material is selected, Ontraccr can:

-   **Push its cost into budgets** (via Update Cost or Update Budget blocks)
-   **Deduct it from inventory** (via Update Material block)
-   **Transfer it between locations**
-   **Apply markup rules for quoting**
-   **Alert admins when stock is low**

📌 All of this happens through forms and workflows — no manual tracking needed.

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## 📦 **Inventory & Cost Control**

The materials system offers full **inventory visibility**, including:

-   Quantity by location (e.g., Truck 1, Warehouse A)
-   Allocation vs. available stock
-   Threshold alerts (auto-email admins)
-   Audit trail of every inventory movement
-   Bulk updates to pricing and labor rates

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## 📈 **Why the Materials Feature Matters**

When used correctly, materials in Ontraccr drive:

-   **Faster, more accurate quotes**
-   **Clean job cost reporting**
-   **Live inventory management**
-   **Reduced data duplication**
-   **Less back-and-forth between field and office**

It bridges the gap between estimating, field usage, inventory control, and project financials — all from a single system.

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## 🧠 **Best Practices for Using the Materials Feature**

-   **Use folders** to organize by division, trade, or vendor
-   **Assign cost codes** to tie materials to budgets automatically
-   **Use assemblies** to quote bundled items like kits or install packages
-   **Add markup to cost, not price** — the system will calculate the rest
-   **Track quantity by location** if you run field stock or warehouses
-   **Use Update Material in workflows** to automate inventory management
-   **Regularly export your database** for backup or audit review
-   **Bulk edit pricing** when vendors update costs

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## 📌 **Quick Summary**

| Key Concept | Why It Matters |
| --- | --- |
| Materials are operational assets | Used in quoting, costing, and tracking |
| Assemblies simplify complex installs | One line item = multiple parts and prices |
| Real-time inventory is visible | No more manual stock sheets |
| Workflow actions are triggered automatically | Based on materials selected |
| Integrated deeply with forms, boards, and cost tracking | End-to-end visibility and automation |