With this release, you can now create custom material line items directly within a Purchase Order. These items are tracked in inventory but are flagged as a special order item, perfect for one-time purchases or materials you don’t want to keep as regular stock.
➡️ Regular Catalog Material vs Special Order Item
📦 Regular Catalog Material | 📋 Special Order Item |
✅ Stays in your catalog permanently | 🔴 Created in the PO — not pre-existing in catalog |
✅ Has min/max thresholds for replenishment | 🔴 Marked with a Special Order tag throughout |
✅ Appears in stock views and reports | 🔴 Appears as inactive in catalog until received |
✅ Intended for repeat ordering | 🔴 Auto-deactivates from catalog once consumed |
The key benefit: no catalog clutter
Special Order items let you track one-time purchases through the full Ply workflow; PO, receipt, reconcile, job usage; without permanently adding the item to your catalog. Once it's used, it's gone.
➡️ How to add a special order/custom material in a PO
Go to Purchasing > Purchase Orders.
Click Create New.
Fill in the basic PO information (supplier, job, required by date, etc.).
Under Add Item, select Add Custom Material
5. Toggle Set as special order item.
6. Enter the material details (name, description, quantity, unit cost, etc.).
7. Save and send the PO as usual.
➡️ What happens after creation
The material will appear in the PO with a “Special Order” tag.
It will also show in the catalog as inactive until the PO is received and reconciled.
When the PO is reconciled, the material will appear in the stock location or job where it was received showing the “Special Order” tag.
➡️ How it behaves in inventory
Once the special order material is consumed (used in a job or marked as transferred/consumed), it will remove itself from inventory and deactivate in the catalog automatically.
This ensures that one-time items don’t clutter your catalog or inventory long-term.
If needed, you can edit the item later and remove the “special order” flag to turn it into a regular material.
➡️ Example use case
You need to order a unique replacement part that’s not in your catalog and may never be ordered again.
Add it as a special order material in the PO.
Reconcile it into your stock or directly into the job.
Once consumed, it disappears automatically from your active inventory.
This feature gives you flexibility to handle ad-hoc or one-time purchases without bloating your catalog, while still ensuring everything is properly tracked through Ply.
➡️ Best practices
✅ Only toggle "Set as special order item" when you're sure it's truly one-time.
If there's a real chance you'll reorder this item, consider adding it as a regular catalog material instead — special order items auto-deactivate once consumed, so you'd have to re-enter all the details again for a repeat order.
✅ Double-check the toggle before saving.
Since there's currently no way to filter your catalog by Special Order status (see Common issues & fixes below), an accidentally-toggled item can be hard to spot and correct later, especially in a large catalog.
✅ Know that "inactive" in the catalog doesn't mean "gone."
Between creating the PO and reconciling it, the item shows as inactive, that's expected. It becomes fully visible in stock once reconciled.
➡️ Common issues & fixes
"A Special Order item shows as 'Not available,' and I need to return it or find it in my catalog."
This is expected; Special Order materials automatically deactivate once consumed, so the "Not available" status is just how that shows up in the catalog. It doesn't mean the item is lost or can't be acted on:
If you need to return it, see How to Create and Manage a Returns PO; you can still return it whether it's already back in a location or still sitting on a job.
If you're trying to locate it in a large catalog, there's currently no self-serve filter for Special Order status, see the next issue below.
"I have hundreds (or thousands) of catalog items, and I need to find every item flagged as Special Order, there's no filter for it."
Correct, there's currently no way to filter or search specifically for items with the "Special Order Item" toggle enabled; you'd need to check items individually or scroll through your full catalog, which isn't practical at scale. This matters most when a toggle was set accidentally and needs correcting, or when auditing how many special order items you have. There's an open feature request for exactly this, you can add your vote here: Add Filter for "Special Order Item". In the meantime, if you know roughly which items or PO(s) are affected, reach out to support and we can help track them down.
"I created an item as a Special Order by mistake, can it be converted to a regular material, or vice versa?"
Yes, you can edit the item and remove the "special order" flag to turn it into a regular material. If you need help correcting several items at once or need an item's fundamental type changed (e.g., Material ↔ Tool), that requires support/data team assistance rather than a self-service toggle, see Creating Purchase Orders for Tools for more on type reclassification limitations.
➡️ FAQs
Does a Special Order item ever come back after it deactivates?
Not automatically. Once consumed, it deactivates from your active catalog. If you need the same item again later, you'll need to re-create it (either as a new special order item or, if you expect to reorder it, as a regular catalog material).
Can I still see historical records of a Special Order item after it deactivates? Yes, its purchase and usage history remains tied to the original PO and job/location records; it just won't appear as an active, orderable catalog item going forward.
Can I use Special Order items on the same PO as regular catalog materials? Yes, a single PO can include both custom Special Order items and regular materials from your catalog.
Still need help? Contact Support!
Questions about special order items or catalog management? We're happy to help.