Specification is the identity, SKU is optional

Every line is identified by its specification — '2x6 SPF #2 · 16′' — with a supplier's own code riding along only when a mapping exists.

What it is

The canonical description is the primary identity on the order sheet. A supplier SKU is attached only when a mapping for that specific supplier has been provided, and it is never the key. Where no SKU exists, the Ref column carries the crew's usages instead so a foreman can see what the delivery is for.

Also called: supplier SKU · part numbers · material description · no universal SKU for lumber

See it
Specification is the identity, SKU is optional
Area
Operations
Group
Purchasing
System
Material Take-off & Ordering
Solves
2 named problems
01describe(material, lengthFt, unit) builds the identity string; length is part of it for anything sold by the stick
02opts.supplierSkus maps material → that supplier's code when supplied
03The email's Ref column falls back to the first two usages when there is no SKU
An order row reading '2x6 SPF · 16′ | 48 | pcs | Girt, Cripple'. orderSheet.ts `describe` / `orderSheetEmailRows`. Sample data — no customer information appears here.
How it works
  1. 1describe(material, lengthFt, unit) builds the identity string; length is part of it for anything sold by the stick
  2. 2opts.supplierSkus maps material → that supplier's code when supplied
  3. 3The email's Ref column falls back to the first two usages when there is no SKU
  4. 4A length already inside a material name is stripped before the length is appended, so a row never reads '…, 11′ length · 11′'
Why we built it

Stated as a design position: 'There is no universal SKU for lumber, and that is not a gap — the SPECIFICATION is the standard. "2x6 SPF #2 · 16′" is unambiguous at any yard in the US or Canada; a distributor's internal code (LM32618) is meaningless outside their own network.'

The problem
  • A SKU-keyed order only works at the yard it came from
  • Duplicated length text makes a row read as a mistake
Sound familiar?
What you get
The same order can go to any yard
A supplier's own codes still ride along when you have them

See it on your own jobs

Twenty minutes, your numbers, no slide deck. We’ll build one of your real buildings in front of you and send you the estimate link at the end — yours to keep either way.

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