---
title: Share one production recipe across many products
summary: >
  A production recipe lists the materials one finished unit uses. Products
  that are made the same way can share one recipe instead of each having its
  own copy. Write the recipe on one product, then use Assign to SKUs on the
  recipe page to point the others at it. Changing a shared recipe changes it
  for every product that uses it.
type: task
group: make
step: 4
permission: production.create
prerequisites: []
related:
  - /help/make/record-production-output
  - /help/make/product-types-and-stock-modes
last_updated: 2026-10-29
---

**One recipe can serve hundreds of products.** When a range of products takes
the same materials and differs only in its design, those products share one
recipe, and you keep one list up to date instead of hundreds.

A production order uses each line's recipe to work out what material to buy
and what a batch should consume. A product with no recipe has no material plan
and can't be costed from one.

This page covers:

- [Write the recipe once](#write-the-recipe-once)
- [Point the other products at it](#point-the-other-products-at-it)
- [What changing a shared recipe does](#what-changing-a-shared-recipe-does)

## Write the recipe once

1. Go to **Production → Recipes** and click **+ New recipe**.
2. Pick one product that is made the way you are describing.
3. Add each material one finished unit uses, with the quantity per unit and
   any wastage. Then save.

## Point the other products at it

1. On the recipe page, find the **Used by** card and click **Assign to SKUs**.
2. Search for the products that are made the same way:
   - **SKU starts with**: the code the range shares, for example `SKU-` for
     `SKU-001`, `SKU-002` and so on.
   - **Leave out SKUs containing**: codes that match the start but aren't
     produced this way, such as seconds or display samples. Separate several
     with commas.
   - **Type** stays on **Physical**. Assembled products are built from other
     products, so they don't take a production recipe of their own.
3. Check the list. Untick anything that is made differently.
4. Click **Assign**.

A product that already uses a different recipe starts unticked, so a product
made in another size is never moved onto the wrong recipe unless you tick it
on purpose. Each product uses one recipe at a time.

Products in different sizes usually take different quantities of material, so
give each size its own recipe.

## What changing a shared recipe does

The recipe is one list that many products point at. Open it from any of them
and you are editing the same list:

- **Saving** changes it for every product in **Used by**.
- **Deleting** it leaves every one of those products with no recipe, not only
  the one you opened it from.

Production orders that already used the recipe keep their purchase orders and
stock movements. A change only affects orders worked out after it.