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 Material Types

Use

Materials with the same basic attributes are grouped together and assigned to a material type. This allows you to manage different materials in a uniform manner in accordance with your company's requirements. Examples of material types are given in the graphic below.

Integration

When creating a material master record, you must assign the material to a material type. The material type determines certain attributes of the material and has important control functions. For example, it is a factor determining the screen sequence and field selection in a material master record.

Features

When you create a material master record, the material type you choose determines:

  • Whether the material is intended for a specific purpose, for example, as a configurable material or process material

  • Whether the material number can be assigned internally or externally

  • The number range from which the material number is taken

  • Which screens appear and in what sequence

  • Which departmental data you may enter

  • What procurement type the material has; that is, whether it is manufactured in-house or procured externally, or both

Together with the plant, the material type determines the material's inventory management requirement; that is:

  • Whether changes in quantity are updated in the material master record

  • Whether changes in value are also updated in the stock accounts in financial accounting

In addition, the accounts affected by a material entering or leaving the warehouse depend on the material type.

Activities

Material types are configured by your system administrator in Customizing for the Material Master in Define Attributes of Material Types .