SubcontractorHub'sBOM Calculatorhelps you estimate costs for materials and services across your solar projects, including soft costs. It not only improves accuracy in planning but also streamlines procurement with built-in approval workflows. Follow the steps below to create BOM formulae and templates for use in projects.

Locate "Manage Database" and click "Database" from your SubcontractorHub menu list on the left.

Scroll down your database list, select"BOM", and click on the"BOM Formulae" option

Click "Add" on the top right corner to create a new BOM Formula

Define YourFormulaThis is the most critical step where you tell the system how to calculate the quantity of a material you want to include in your BOM. You will see two main input areas:Material: Choose the item (e.g. Inverter, Rails, Cement, etc.)Formula: Use variables (Operands) and mathematical signs (Operators) to define how much material is needed. Note:A formula is a calculation that tells the system how much quantity to use based on project-specific values. For example:If you are building a house and want to order cement, you won’t just buy a random quantity, you would calculate how many rooms are being built, the size of each, and use a formula to determine the total cement required.In solar, it’s the same. If you are ordering an inverter, you might base its quantity on the number of panels or arrays. Here’s the formula building blocks:Operands(the variables you can use):These are the project-specific values the system already knows. Here's the list:no_of_panels– Number of solar panelsno_of_arrays– Number of arraysnumber_of_rows– Number of panel rowspanel_width– Width of a panel (in mm/inches)panel_size– Total area of one panelpanels_per_row– Panels used per rowrail_length– Total length of rail per panel/rowmanual– You can enter your own fixed numberOperators(math symbols to define the formula):These allow you to calculate based on logic. Choose from:+ (Addition)- (Subtraction)* (Multiplication)/ (Division)% (Percentage)Here are a few examples explaining this further:1. Let’s say you are ordering rails, and you want1 rail per panel. Then your formula will be:2. If you are orderingjunction boxes, say one per array, your formula could be:3. If yourmaterial requirementis based on a combination (like inverter based on panels and arrays), then you can build:Once you have created the formula, theFormula Equationpreview below the input will show how it looks logically.

Click "Save" to set your new BOM Formula. Note:You can also add parentheses to the BOM formula.

Go back to thedatabase list, selectBOM, and click on the "BOM Template" option.

Click "Add" on the top right corner to create a new BOM template.

Fill up the necessary fields for your new BOM template and click "Save"

After clicking onSave, you will be directed to the "BOM Template Detail" page to add your materials.

Click "Add Material", and for each item, select:The materialQuantity type (Formula or Manual)If Formula → select the one you created earlier.

Scroll up, and click on the "Update" button to create a newBOM Template. Note:When creating aBOM template, you can now select asub supplier. The sub supplier’sbranchwill appear in the dropdown, and the project will be assigned directly to thatsub supplierinstead of the main supplier. Note:Now you can close aBOM Templateusing the clone icon. Note:BOM template formula now supportspanel height in metersas well. Related ArticlesHow to Navigate SubcontractorHub’s DatabaseManage DatabaseHow to Create a BOM Template for ABC Supply as a SupplierHow to Create a BOM for ABC SupplyHow to Generate an IronRidge Racking Bill of Materials (BOM)

💡 A solar contractor uses the create bom formulas and templates for accurate material lists feature to keep their daily operations running smoothly — saving time on every project and reducing manual errors for the whole team.