Material Types and Shapes

Forge MRP uses a structured system to describe raw materials: every material has a type, a shape, and a set of dimensions. This structure keeps your quotes consistent, enables accurate cost calculations, and makes it easy to match inventory to job requirements.

Material Types

A material type identifies what the material is made of and its grade. Examples:

  • Aluminum 6061
  • Steel 1018
  • Stainless Steel 304
  • Brass C360

Each material type has a name (e.g., "Aluminum") and a grade (e.g., "6061"). Some types also include a machinability rating, which can help your estimators gauge how long operations will take.

Material types are managed by your company administrator in Settings. You can add, edit, or archive types as your material catalog evolves.

Tip: Be consistent with your naming. If your shop uses "AL 6061" and "Aluminum 6061" interchangeably, pick one and stick with it. This keeps inventory matching reliable.

Shapes

A shape describes the cross-sectional geometry of the material stock. Common shapes include:

  • Round Bar — solid circular cross-section (e.g., for turned parts)
  • Flat Bar — rectangular cross-section
  • Plate — wide rectangular stock, typically thicker
  • Sheet — wide rectangular stock, typically thinner
  • Tube — hollow circular cross-section
  • Square Bar — solid square cross-section
  • Hex Bar — solid hexagonal cross-section
  • Angle — L-shaped cross-section

Each shape defines which dimensions are needed to fully describe a piece of stock.

Shapes are also managed in your company settings and can be customized if your shop works with non-standard profiles.

Dimensions

Dimensions are the measurements that describe a specific piece of material. Which dimensions appear depends on the shape:

| Shape | Dimensions | |-------|-----------| | Round Bar | Diameter, Length | | Flat Bar | Width, Thickness, Length | | Plate | Width, Thickness, Length | | Tube | Outer Diameter (OD), Wall Thickness, Length | | Square Bar | Side, Length | | Hex Bar | Across Flats, Length |

Every dimension has:

  • A value (e.g., 2.5)
  • A unit (e.g., inches or millimeters)
  • A unit system (Imperial or Metric)

You can toggle between Imperial and Metric when entering dimensions. Forge converts between systems automatically when needed for calculations.

How Types and Shapes Connect to Quoting

When you add a material to a quote part, you select a material type and a shape. Forge then shows dimension fields specific to that shape. This structured data flows through the rest of the system:

  1. Quoting — the material type, shape, and dimensions determine how costs are calculated. Different sourcing modes use dimensions in different ways (e.g., standard stock mode calculates how many parts fit per bar based on part length).

  2. Inventory matching — when you choose the "Inventory" sourcing mode, Forge filters your stock to show only items that match the selected material type and shape, so you can quickly find what you already have on hand.

  3. RFQs and Purchase Orders — the material description on supplier-facing documents is built from the type, shape, and dimension data, ensuring your suppliers know exactly what you need.

  4. Job tracking — when a quote becomes a job, the material specification carries forward so your shop floor knows the exact stock required.

Shape Previews

When entering dimensions in a quote, Forge displays a visual preview of the selected shape alongside the dimension fields. This helps you confirm you're entering the right measurements for the right geometry — for example, making sure you're entering wall thickness rather than outer diameter for a tube.

Adding Materials to Inventory

When you add a material item to inventory (from the Inventory page), you follow the same type-shape-dimension pattern:

  1. Select the material type from the dropdown.
  2. Select the shape.
  3. Choose Imperial or Metric.
  4. Enter the dimensions that appear.

Forge generates a description automatically from your selections — for example, "Stainless Steel 304 - Tube 2" OD x 0.065" Wall x 48" Length."

Tip: Enter dimensions as precisely as possible. When using the Inventory sourcing mode in a quote, Forge matches on material type and shape. Accurate dimensions help you pick the right stock item from your inventory list.

Related Articles

  • Inventory Overview — navigating and managing your inventory
  • Sourcing Modes — how material type and shape data drives cost calculations across the four sourcing modes
← Inventory OverviewSourcing Modes→