Poly9 AI · Glossary

Cost recipe

A cost recipe is the set of certified pricing rules that compose a custom product quote: base cost, material multipliers, finish upcharges, size calculations, and option adders. When a buyer selects a configuration, the recipe produces the price.

Why it matters in quoting

Custom products in furniture, cabinetry, textiles and industrial configure-to-order do not have one fixed price. A dining table might start at $800 in walnut at 60 inches, but the buyer wants cherry at 84 inches with breadboard ends. The price depends on what they configure.

A cost recipe holds the certified rules that compose the quote: wood species multipliers, per-inch linear pricing, breadboard upcharges. When the buyer names a configuration, Poly9 AI applies your recipe and returns the certified price. The quote comes from your rules, never a guess, and the recipe stays readable in plain text so you can adjust it when costs change.

A fixed price list gives every SKU one number. Price on request appears when a rule is missing. A cost recipe sits between the two: certified rules covering the combinations buyers ask for, without a price for every permutation.

Related terms

Certified pricing

Prices produced from your approved rules. Every certified quote can be fulfilled at the number shown because it came from your recipe.

Configure-to-order

Products built from options where the buyer selects the configuration and the system prices it from rules. Cost recipes power configure-to-order quoting.

See configure-to-order →

Price on request

When a rule is missing from your recipe, Poly9 AI returns price on request rather than guessing. The buyer sees the configuration and knows the price will come from your team.

See price on request →

Grade matrix

A type of cost recipe for fabric-based products: the pricing table that maps finish grades to price bands. Used in furniture COM orders and textile quoting.

See grade matrix →

Questions about cost recipes

How is a cost recipe different from a price list?
A price list gives every SKU one fixed number. A cost recipe holds the rules that compose a price from the configuration the buyer names. When you sell custom products with finish, size and option choices, a recipe lets you quote any combination without listing every permutation.
Can I write cost recipes in plain text, or do they require code?
Plain text. Poly9 AI reads cost recipes written as rules you can adjust: wood species at 1.4×, brass hardware adds $80, per linear foot pricing. You write the recipe once, and Poly9 applies it to every inquiry. No developer required, and you keep control of every number.
What happens when a cost recipe is incomplete?
Poly9 AI returns price on request for the missing combination rather than guessing, and routes the inquiry to your team. The buyer sees the configuration they selected and knows a real number is coming. You follow up with the certified price, then add the rule so the next buyer gets it straight away.
Do cost recipes work across currencies?
Yes. The recipe holds your costs in your own currency, and quotes go out in the buyer’s currency at the exchange rate you set, with your markup rule applied on every line. A buyer in Chicago sees dollars; a buyer in London sees pounds. One recipe covers both.
Can I update a cost recipe without rebuilding old quotes?
Yes. Because the recipe is text, changing a species multiplier or a hardware adder is one line edited, not a repriced catalog. The new rule applies to the next inquiry forward. Quotes you already sent keep the numbers the buyer approved, so what you committed to stays what you committed to.

Quote from certified rules

Poly9 AI answers buyer questions, configures options and prices from your cost recipes. When a rule is missing, it returns price on request. See how manufacturers use it, or start your free account with 250 sales actions.

Start free For manufacturers