Available in: Agile-Free | Aware | Analyzer | Multi-Outlet
reciProfity uses Pack Size to calculate the cost of an ingredient in a recipe. Whether you're uploading an order guide or entering an ingredient manually, the system needs to know how the product is packaged and priced. This includes how many units come in the case, bag, or drum; whether it's purchased by weight, volume, or each; what type of container it's packed in; and the cost of that full purchasing unit. Without this information, reciProfity can’t accurately calculate recipe costs.
How To Use Pack Size
Pack Size refers to the smallest unit of a product—like a single 12 oz can from a case of 12. reciProfity uses this unit to calculate accurate costs and conversions for recipes. Once the Pack Size is set, the system can convert between weights and volumes as needed.
In reciProfity, ingredients are what you use in recipes, and products are what you buy from vendors. One ingredient can be linked to multiple vendor products. For example, you might have one ingredient called “large egg,” but several vendors supply it in different quantities or packaging. Instead of creating multiple ingredients, you can link all those vendor products to the same “large egg” ingredient. This keeps your recipes consistent and avoids extra updates when vendors change.
Each vendor product can have a different Pack Size. One might come in a carton of 15 dozen eggs, another in 30 dozen. reciProfity uses the Pack Size to calculate the cost per egg, based on how it’s packaged and priced by each vendor.
If you buy a product by weight but use it in a recipe by volume—or the other way around—reciProfity automatically converts between imperial and metric units. For example, if you buy flour in 5-pound bags but use it in grams, the system converts the cost from pounds to kilograms and then to grams.
You don’t need ingredient conversions when the purchase and recipe units match (like pounds to kilograms or gallons to liters). But if you're switching between weight and volume, you'll need to set up an ingredient conversion so reciProfity knows how to calculate the cost correctly.
Vendor Packing and Cost Fields Overview
The vendor’s Packing and Cost section has seven fields that work together to help you price recipes and track inventory correctly. These fields include:
- Template – A dropdown that suggests how to enter packing data.
- There are this many – The number of individual units in the vendor’s package (e.g., 12 cans).
- Pack Size – The size or weight of each individual unit (e.g., 12 oz).
- Unit Description – A label for the unit (e.g., can, head, each) used in inventory reports.
- All of this packed in a – The container or shipping unit (e.g., case, bag, drum).
- As Purchased Price – The total cost of the vendor’s package (e.g., $12.00 per case).
- Unit Price – The cost per smallest measurable unit, automatically calculated by reciProfity.
These fields help reciProfity figure out how your ingredients are packaged, priced, and used in recipes. Once you understand how they work together, entering your data becomes much easier.
Example #1: 12 X 12oz cans
Let’s say you’re entering a product that comes as a case of 12 cans, each 12 oz, and the case costs $12.00. Here’s how you’d fill out the fields:
- Template: A dropdown that helps guide how to enter packing data.
- There are this many: 12 — the number of cans in the case.
- Pack Size: 12 oz — the size of each can.
- Unit Description: Can — used in inventory reports like count sheets.
- All of this packed in a: Case — the vendor’s shipping unit (e.g., case, bag, drum, each).
Once the packaging info is entered, you’ll add the cost:
- As Purchased Price: $12.00 — the total cost for the case.
- Unit Price: $0.083/oz — automatically calculated by reciProfity: $12 ÷ 12 cans ÷ 12 oz.
Because the Pack Size is in ounces, the Unit Price is shown per ounce, as you can see in the image of the Packaging and Cost form, where a 12 oz can is priced out at $0.083/oz based on a $12.00 case of 12 cans.
Example #2: 12 x #10 Can
This example uses a common Pack Size: the #10 can. Let’s say you’re buying a case that contains 12 #10 cans. Here’s how you’d fill out the fields:
- There are this many: 12 — the number of cans in the case.
- Pack Size: #10 can — a standard volume-based unit.
- Unit Description: #10 can — used in inventory reports.
- All of this packed in a: Case — the vendor’s shipping unit.
- As Purchased Price: (e.g.) $48.00 — total cost for the case.
- Unit Price: reciProfity calculates this based on your Pack Size. If you use #10 can, the price is shown per can. If you use 117 oz (the weight of a #10 can), the price is shown per ounce.
Note that you can choose either #10 can or 117 oz as your Pack Size. Both work — just make sure your recipe units match, or you can set up an ingredient conversion if you're switching between volume and weight.
The Unit Description field can match the Pack Size, but it plays a specific role in inventory reporting. As you can see in the image below, this field is used in Count Sheets and other inventory reports to show the quantity of Pack Size units. For example, if 3 #10 cans are counted during a physical inventory, the report will display either 3 / #10 can or 3 / 117 oz, depending on which unit is selected in the Unit Description field.
Example #3: 1 X 50 lbs
When entering a 50 lb bag of flour into reciProfity, the best setup depends on whether you track inventory by bags or by pounds. In the image below, you’ll see three different examples of how this can be handled. All are valid—you just need to choose the one that best fits your kitchen’s workflow.
To decide which setup works best, it helps to understand how each field functions:
- “There are this many” and “Pack Size” are used for recipe costing.
- “Unit Description” and “All of this packed in a” are used for inventory counts.
If you purchase by bag (volume) but use by pound (weight), set up an ingredient conversion so reciProfity can calculate recipe costs accurately.
Example #4: 24 Apples or 24 EACH
If you purchase a case of 24 apples, the Pack Size is “each” (ea).
You can track inventory either by individual apples or by the case, depending on how your team counts stock.
If you use apples in recipes in different forms—like sliced, diced, or peeled—set up ingredient conversions. This allows reciProfity to calculate accurate costs no matter how the apples are prepared or measured in the recipe.
Example #5: 6 Heads of Lettuce
If you purchase a box containing 6 heads of lettuce, you can enter the Pack Size as either “6 heads” or “6 each.” This same approach works for other produce sold by the head, like cauliflower.
The key is consistency: as long as the unit used in your ingredient setup matches the unit used in your recipes, reciProfity will calculate costs correctly. Units like “each,” “head,” “bucket,” or “scoop” are all treated as volume-based.
However, if you purchase by head but use the ingredient in recipes by weight (e.g., ounces), you’ll need to set up an ingredient conversion to tell reciProfity how much one head weighs.
Catchweight
Catchweight refers to products like chicken, meat, fish, or cheese wheels that are sold by the box, but whose weight can vary from one shipment to the next.
For example, a vendor might list a box of fish as weighing 50 lbs, but the actual delivered weight could be slightly more or less. The invoice will reflect the exact weight received.
To ensure accurate costing, these items should be set up using their smallest weight unit, such as pounds (lbs) or kilograms (kg).
The Big Picture: How Pack Size Impacts Your Recipes
When viewing ingredients in View mode, reciProfity displays the case cost and the number of units in that case—for example, “2 × 50 lb bags.” From this, the system calculates the price per pound.
Once the unit price is established, reciProfity can automatically convert and calculate costs for any other weight-based unit used in your recipes, such as ounces (oz), grams (gm), or kilograms (kg).
If you use flour by volume (e.g., cup, scoop), you’ll need to create a weight-to-volume conversion so the system can price it accurately.
Watch this video to see how pack size is entered in an actual ingredient.
Still unsure how to enter your Pack Size? Use the built-in Template to guide you.