Can I sell fractional lengths like 12.5 feet?

Do I need a price override for cut items?

Can I price some items per metre instead of per foot?

Hardware stores

Selling by length: cut-to-length cable, rope and lumber

For Hardware store owners & cashiers · 5 min read · Last reviewed 2026-08-04

Chain, rope, electrical cable, hose and dimensional lumber are sold by the foot, not the piece. RetailPOS handles this with a length uniton the item: it carries a per-foot (or per-metre) price, and the cashier enters the measured length at the till. The maths lives in the system, not in the cashier’s head.

The Hardware pack already seeds several of these — NM-B cable and garden hose per foot, chain link, nylon and manila rope, steel cable, and 2x4 / 2x6 lumber. Here is how they work and how to add your own.

Ringing a length-priced item at the till — Length-priced items carry a per-foot price; the cashier enters the measured length.

How a length-priced item is built

A length-priced item stores its price per unit of length and a length unit — ft or m. For example, 12/2 cable is priced per foot; steel cable and nylon rope the same. Everything else about the item is normal: name, category, SKU and barcode.

Note:The seeded length items make the pattern clear — their names end in “(per ft)” so cashiers know to expect a measured quantity, not a piece count.

Add your own length item

Create the item in the Catalog as usual.
Set its length unit (foot or metre) so it prices by measure.
Enter the per-length price — what one foot (or metre) costs.
Give it a clear name, e.g. ending in “(per ft)”, so the counter knows to measure it.

Ringing it at the till

When a cashier adds a length-priced item, they enter the measured length — 12.5 for twelve and a half feet — and the line total is per-foot price × length. No manual calculation, no price override, and the receipt shows the length that was actually sold.

Frequently asked

Can I sell fractional lengths like 12.5 feet?: Yes. The cashier enters the measured length and the till computes per-foot price times length, so partial feet are fine.
Do I need a price override for cut items?: No. Length pricing is built into the item, so the cashier just enters the measurement — no override and no audit hole.
Can I price some items per metre instead of per foot?: Yes. Each length item carries its own unit, so you can mix foot-priced and metre-priced items in one catalogue.

Put it into practice.

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