BOM (Bill of Materials)
A BOM (bill of materials) is the complete list of every part, material, finish, fastener and quantity needed to build a configured product. It names what goes into the product, how much of it, and in what specification. For a configured product, every set of options the buyer picks has its own BOM.
What a bill of materials contains
In custom-product manufacturing, a BOM is the line-by-line ingredient list for building a configured product. It names the materials, the quantities, the specifications, and the parts. Change one option and the list changes with it.
A BOM lists every component: wood species, sheet metal gauge, fabric yardage, hardware finish, fasteners, adhesives, packaging. It names the quantities needed to build one unit or a batch. It includes the specification: walnut veneer, brass-plated steel, COM grade C, powder-coat finish. The BOM is what the factory floor reads to assemble the product.
For configured products like furniture, cabinetry, signage, and industrial equipment, the BOM changes with each configuration. A dining table in walnut at 72 inches has a different BOM than the same table in cherry at 84 inches with breadboard ends. The BOM is only known once the buyer names their options.
BOM vs cost recipe and certified quote
BOM (Bill of Materials)
The ingredient list: every part, material, finish and quantity needed to build the configured product. The BOM tells the factory what to assemble. It is generated after the buyer selects their configuration.
Cost recipe
The pricing rules that compose a quote: base cost, material multipliers, finish upcharges, size calculations. In Poly9 AI a recipe holds a priced bill of materials: materials at your rates, quantities, labor, overhead and your markup rule.
Grade matrix
The pricing table that maps fabric or finish grades to price bands. A grade matrix is one type of cost recipe, specific to graded products. The BOM names the grade; the matrix prices it.
Certified quote
The priced reply to the buyer, produced from your approved rules. The quote is the price; the BOM is the build list. The certified quote comes from your cost recipe applied to the BOM.
Why BOMs matter in custom product quoting
In stock-product industries, the BOM is fixed. In configure-to-order industries, every option combination generates a different BOM. The quoting system must know the BOM to price it, and the factory needs the BOM to build it.
Factory clarity
The BOM is what the shop floor reads. Without a clear BOM, the factory guesses which finish, which hardware, or which yardage the buyer ordered. The BOM removes ambiguity.
Accurate pricing
A cost recipe prices the BOM by applying rules to each line. If the BOM lists brass hardware, the recipe applies the brass upcharge. Pricing cannot be accurate without knowing what goes into the product.
Procurement planning
The BOM names the materials and quantities. Procurement reads it to order sheet goods, fabric yardage, or hardware stock. When the BOM is missing or vague, material orders stall.
Audit trail
The BOM ties back to what the buyer configured. When a factory question arises, the BOM shows exactly what was ordered. No memory of the sales call required.
How BOMs fit in Poly9 AI
In Poly9 AI, the priced bill of materials lives in your cost recipe. The recipe lists materials at your rates, the quantity each variant uses, labor and overhead, then applies the markup rule you set. An exporter prices a brass planter this way, from its sheet weight and an hourly rate.
When a buyer names a configuration, say walnut at 72 inches with brass pulls, the AI reads your recipe and returns the price in your currency. When a rule for an option is missing, it returns price on request instead of a guess.
The quote keeps every line and its provenance, and quotes and orders export with that detail. Your engineering BOM, with cut lists and part numbers for the shop floor, stays in your own systems. ERP integrations are scoped per customer on Showroom and Enterprise agreements.
Terms a BOM depends on
Cost recipe
The pricing rules that compose a quote from the BOM. When Poly9 AI applies a cost recipe, it prices each line of the bill of materials from your approved rules.
Grade matrix
A type of cost recipe for fabric-based products. The BOM names the grade; the matrix prices it.
Certified quote
The priced reply to the buyer, produced from your approved rules. The certified quote is the price; the BOM is the build list.
Configure-to-order
Products built from options where the buyer selects the configuration. Each configuration generates a different BOM, and the system prices it from rules.
RFQ (Request for Quote)
The buyer's request for a price on a configured product. The RFQ names the configuration, and the BOM for that configuration is what gets priced.
Questions about bills of materials
How is a BOM different from a cost recipe?
Who generates the BOM in a configure-to-order workflow?
Can a BOM be priced without a cost recipe?
Do BOMs change when the buyer changes their configuration?
Can Poly9 AI generate BOMs?
Price configured products from your rules
Poly9 AI prices every configured variant from your bill of materials and your markup rule, and returns price on request when a rule is missing. Start with 250 sales actions, valid 30 days, no card, and add your catalog or start from your industry sample.