Skip to main content
Where to find it: Dashboard → Item Master Your product catalogue. Owlery reads it every time a load or order is created.

​
Three Ways to Add Items

  • Manually: + Add Item, one SKU at a time.
  • CSV upload: build the template, fill in one row per SKU, and re-upload. Owlery validates before saving.
  • Integration sync: items flow in from a connected WMS or ERP.

​
The Fields That Drive Everything

  • SKU: required and unique.
  • Packaging hierarchy: how each SKU packs, from a single unit up to a pallet. It powers automatic pallet counts, and any per-case and per-pallet costs on your analytics dashboards. See Packaging Hierarchy.
  • Handling, reefer & hazmat toggles tell Owlery how the item must ship.

​
Packaging Hierarchy

Each SKU has its own packaging hierarchy. It lists every packaging level the SKU ships in, from smallest to largest, and how many of each level fit into the next one up. Here’s what a SKU’s Packaging Information looks like when each case holds 6 units and each pallet holds 81 cases: Reading down the table: 6 each make a case, and 81 cases make a pallet. So 486 each fill one pallet, and an order for 972 each ships as 2 pallets. A few rules:
  • Each is always the smallest level, and Pallet is always the largest.
  • You can add any levels you use in between. See Supported Packaging Types.
  • Every level except Pallet needs a Parent Packaging (the next level up) and Units Per Parent (how many fit into it).
  • Weight and Dimensions are optional for each level, but they make pallet weights and heights more accurate.
Set up the full hierarchy, from Each all the way to Pallet, when you create a SKU. Match it to how your warehouse actually builds pallets, so the counts on your orders match what ships.

​
Supported Packaging Types

These are the units of measure you can pick as a packaging level’s Type:
  • Smallest level: Each
  • Largest level: Pallet
  • Any level in between: Bag, Bottle, Carton, Case, Drum, Kd, Pack, Pail, Poly, Roll, Skid, Tote, Tray

​
Edit a SKU’s Packaging Hierarchy

1

Open the SKU

In Dashboard → Item Master, open the SKU you want to change.
2

Add or change levels

In Packaging Information, click + Packaging Unit to add a level. For each level, set Type, Parent Packaging, and Units Per Parent.
3

Save

Click Update.
The same fields appear when you create an item with + Add Item. To change many SKUs at once, use Bulk Edit.

​
Build the CSV Template

Where to find it: Dashboard → Item Master → Upload CSV → Download Template The Quantity Unit Hierarchy dialog sets which columns your template includes.
  • Each is Level 1, and Pallet is always included as the last level.
  • Click + between two levels to add one, such as Pack between Each and Case. Drag levels to reorder them.
  • The Summary box lists the columns your template will have. There’s one Unit Conversions column for each pair of neighboring levels, such as Each per Case and Case per Pallet. These fill the same role as Units Per Parent.
  • Weights and Dimensions columns are optional.
  • Turn on Include Reefer Temperature Settings or Include Hazmat Settings to add those columns.
Click Download Template, fill in one row per SKU, and upload it.

​
How Pallet Counts Are Calculated

Owlery calculates pallet counts for purchase, sales, and transfer orders. For each SKU on the order, it converts the quantity up the packaging hierarchy one level at a time until it reaches Pallet. Then it adds the SKUs together.
  • Every step needs a number: if a SKU is missing a level, or a level has no Units Per Parent, Owlery can’t get from that SKU to Pallet.
  • One incomplete SKU blanks the whole order: if even one SKU on the order can’t reach Pallet, the order’s pallet count stays blank. Owlery doesn’t estimate the total from the other SKUs, because that count would leave out part of the freight.
  • Quotes still go out: when the pallet count is blank, quotes use the fallback values in Quoting Settings. See “Missing Item Master Data” Warning.
  • Fixes apply going forward: fixing a SKU doesn’t change orders that are already quoted or tendered. Anything you do after the fix, such as creating an order, requesting a quote, or tendering, uses the updated hierarchy.

​
How Mixed Pallets Are Built

When a quote has partial pallets of different SKUs, Owlery can stack them together on one mixed pallet instead of counting a separate pallet for each SKU. This keeps your pallet count, and your price, down. Owlery only mixes SKUs whose full pallets have the same dimensions: length, width, and height. Dimensions are set on each SKU’s Pallet level in Packaging Information. The match has to be exact: a SKU with a 44” tall pallet and a SKU with a 45” tall pallet ship on separate pallets.
If products share pallets in your warehouse and their full pallets are really the same size, make sure the Item Master shows identical dimensions for each. Small differences, like 44” and 45”, are enough to keep them apart. Keep the dimensions accurate, though. Carriers price LTL freight on size, so quoting a pallet smaller than it really is can lead to extra charges on the invoice.

​
Keep a SKU on Its Own Pallet

Some products should never share a pallet. Turn on Dedicated Pallet Only on the SKU, and Owlery always gives it pallets of its own, even when its dimensions match other SKUs. If a facility requires dedicated pallets for every SKU, set it on the facility instead. See Dedicated Pallets Only.

​
Editing & Cleanup

  • Bulk Edit mode uses Keep / Yes / No / Clear per field. “Keep” leaves existing values alone.
  • Archive instead of deleting to keep history; restore any time.
  • Re-SKU and Variant uploads rename or map codes while preserving history.

​
How Do SKU Temperatures Affect Quoting?

From the SKUs on the quote. If the temperature ranges of every SKU that has one overlap, the range they share pre-fills the quote and the equipment type switches to Reefer automatically. For example, a SKU at 33–40°F and a SKU at 35–45°F pre-fill 35–40°F.
Owlery leaves the temperature fields blank and shows a warning so you can choose one. See Items Have No Shared Temperature Range.
No. They’re ignored and won’t block the other SKUs from pre-filling.
The item’s settings in your item catalog. Edit the item there and future quotes will use the new value.

​
When Something Looks Off

​
Pallet Count Is Blank on an Order

At least one SKU on the order can’t be converted to pallets. See How Pallet Counts Are Calculated for why.
1

List the order's SKUs

Open the order and note every SKU on it.
2

Check each SKU's packaging hierarchy

Open each SKU in Dashboard → Item Master. Make sure Packaging Information is turned on and the levels match how the product actually ships. A missing level, like a Pack between Each and Case, is a common cause.
3

Look for blank conversions

Every level except Pallet needs a Parent Packaging and a Units Per Parent.
4

Fill in what's missing

Fix one SKU at a time, use Bulk Edit, or build a new CSV template with the right levels and re-upload it. New quotes and tenders pick up the fix. Orders already quoted or tendered don’t change.

​
Wrong Pallet Count on an Order or Load

Check the Units Per Parent values on each SKU’s packaging hierarchy. A wrong number at any level, like 18 cases per pallet instead of 81, throws off the count for every order with that SKU.

​
Products Won’t Combine Onto One Pallet

Owlery puts SKUs on separate pallets when their full pallet dimensions differ, when a SKU has Dedicated Pallet Only turned on, or when the facility requires dedicated pallets. See How Mixed Pallets Are Built.
1

Check the SKUs

Open each SKU on the quote in Dashboard → Item Master. Compare the length, width, and height on its Pallet level in Packaging Information. Check whether Dedicated Pallet Only is on.
2

Match the dimensions

Choose one set of pallet dimensions for all the SKUs that can share a pallet, and set it on each one. Use Bulk Edit to change many SKUs at once.
3

Check the facility

If the SKUs already match, check whether the facility requires dedicated pallets in its Facility Profile.
4

Quote again

Run a new quote. Quotes that were already sent don’t change.

​
Items Have No Shared Temperature Range

This warning appears above Temperature settings on a quote when the SKUs’ temperature ranges don’t overlap. No single range works for all of them, so Owlery leaves the temperature fields blank. The warning lists each range with the number of items that need it, for example 35–40°F · 2 Items and -20–0°F · 2 Items. Pick one:
  • An item range: fills in that range for the quote.
  • Enter It Myself: type your own Min temp and Max temp.
Your choice applies to this quote only. If the items can’t safely ship at one temperature, split them into separate quotes.

​
”Missing Item Master Data” Warning

This means a SKU has no packaging info. Add dimensions and weight to the item. Quotes still go out in the meantime. When an item has no data of its own, Owlery falls back to the values in Quoting Settings: pallet dimensions, pallet weight, commodity description, cargo value. Those are assumptions, so the quote is only as accurate as they are.
Don’t accidentally erase data: on CSV upload, the Clear empty fields toggle erases data for any blank column when on. Leave it off unless you mean to wipe values.