# SAP Purchasing Document Types, Item Categories and Account Assignment Reference > Source: https://netray.co/tools/sap-purchasing-document-types-reference > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Searchable list of SAP purchasing document categories, standard document types, item categories and account assignment categories. ## Category sap ## Erp SAP S/4HANA ## Audience - SAP MM consultant - Procurement manager - Buyer ## Tool **Kind:** worksheet **Mode:** reference **Columns:** #### Group **Key:** group **Type:** text #### Code **Key:** code **Type:** text #### Meaning **Key:** name **Type:** text #### When to use it **Key:** note **Type:** text **Rows:** #### Purchase order **Group:** Document category **Code:** F **Note:** Category for all PO document types such as NB, FO, UB #### Contract **Group:** Document category **Code:** K **Note:** Outline agreement with the contract document types MK and WK #### Scheduling agreement **Group:** Document category **Code:** L **Note:** Outline agreement with delivery schedule lines, types LP and LPA #### Request for quotation **Group:** Document category **Code:** A **Note:** RFQ and quotation, standard type AN #### Purchase requisition **Group:** Document category **Code:** B **Note:** Internal request created manually or by MRP #### Standard purchase order **Group:** Document type **Code:** NB **Note:** Normal PO to an external vendor, the default for ME21N #### Framework order **Group:** Document type **Code:** FO **Note:** Order with a validity period and a limit, used for services and low value repeat buying #### Stock transport order, same company code **Group:** Document type **Code:** UB **Note:** Move stock between plants of one company code #### Quantity contract **Group:** Document type **Code:** MK **Note:** Agreed total quantity over a validity period, releases made through POs #### Value contract **Group:** Document type **Code:** WK **Note:** Agreed total value over a validity period, releases made through POs #### Scheduling agreement **Group:** Document type **Code:** LP **Note:** Long term agreement with schedule lines, common in automotive style supply #### Scheduling agreement with release documentation **Group:** Document type **Code:** LPA **Note:** Scheduling agreement that keeps a history of each release #### Request for quotation **Group:** Document type **Code:** AN **Note:** Standard RFQ document type #### Standard item (blank category) **Group:** Item category **Code:** Standard **Note:** Normal material or service purchase with goods receipt and invoice receipt #### Consignment **Group:** Item category **Code:** K **Note:** Vendor owned stock at your site, liability arises on consumption #### Subcontracting **Group:** Item category **Code:** L **Note:** Components provided to a vendor who returns an assembled product #### Stock transfer **Group:** Item category **Code:** U **Note:** Item of a stock transport order #### Third party **Group:** Item category **Code:** S **Note:** Vendor delivers directly to your customer on a sales order #### Service **Group:** Item category **Code:** D **Note:** Service entry sheets and service specifications #### Limit **Group:** Item category **Code:** B **Note:** Open ended item with a value limit and an expected value #### Material unknown **Group:** Item category **Code:** W **Note:** Item for a material with no master, only a material group #### Cost center **Group:** Account assignment **Code:** K **Note:** Consumable bought for a department, expense on invoice or goods receipt #### Asset **Group:** Account assignment **Code:** A **Note:** Capitalised purchase posted to an asset master record #### Order **Group:** Account assignment **Code:** F **Note:** Purchase charged to an internal order #### Project **Group:** Account assignment **Code:** P **Note:** Purchase charged to a WBS element #### Project make to order **Group:** Account assignment **Code:** Q **Note:** Project stock for make to order scenarios #### Sales order **Group:** Account assignment **Code:** C **Note:** Purchase for a specific sales order item #### Network **Group:** Account assignment **Code:** N **Note:** Purchase charged to a network activity #### Unknown **Group:** Account assignment **Code:** U **Note:** Account assignment is entered later, at invoice or goods receipt **Notes:** Document types are customised in OMEG (purchase orders) and OMH6 (outline agreements) and are often copied under custom names. The standard names above are the SAP delivered ones, check your own configuration before building rules. ## Content **Intro:** Every SAP purchasing document has a category, a document type and per item an item category and optionally an account assignment category. Together they decide the number range, the screen layout, the release strategy and the posting. This reference collects the standard keys so you can choose the right one before configuring or buying. **Sections:** #### How to use this reference **Body:** Filter by group to see only document categories, document types, item categories or account assignment categories. Search for a word like consignment or service to jump to the correct key. Export the list when you document your procurement design, or compare it with what you find in your own system with a SELECT on tables T161 (document types) and T163 (item categories). #### Category, type and item category explained **Body:** The document category is the broad family: PO, contract, scheduling agreement, RFQ or requisition. The document type refines the category and carries the control settings: number range, field selection, whether a release strategy applies and which partner roles are allowed. The item category sets the process on a line, for example a subcontracting item expects component provision and a consignment item posts no vendor liability at receipt. Account assignment category decides which cost object receives the cost. **Bullets:** - Document type controls numbering, field selection and release - Item category controls the process of each line - Account assignment decides the posting object - Material type and valuation class still decide the inventory account #### Worked example **Body:** A plant buys safety glasses for a department every month. A framework order FO with item account assignment K and a value limit fits better than creating an NB per purchase. For aluminium extrusions with a supplier agreed price for the year, a quantity contract MK with PO releases keeps price in one place. For a subcontract heat treatment, the PO uses item category L, so the system tracks components supplied and consumed at the vendor. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Teams often use account assignment K for stock items, which skips inventory valuation entirely. Another mistake is using NB with a service item category without service specifications, which blocks proper service entry control. A third is creating too many custom document types, each with its own release strategy, which makes the release configuration unmaintainable. Keep the set small and put variety into release characteristics instead. **Cta:** If you are cleaning up document types or release strategies in an existing SAP system, we can help analyse how they are actually used in your PO history before you change anything. **Faq:** #### What is the default PO document type in SAP? **Answer:** NB is the standard purchase order document type delivered by SAP and is the default in ME21N. FO framework order and UB stock transport order are the other common PO types. Customers often add their own types for specific number ranges or release rules. #### What is the difference between MK and WK contracts? **Answer:** MK is a quantity contract: the agreed target is a total quantity and releases consume it. WK is a value contract: the target is a total value across materials or services. Both are outline agreements with category K and both release through normal purchase orders. #### Where do I find purchasing document types in the system? **Answer:** Display table T161 in SE16N or SE16H for a full list with category and numbering. Configure them in SPRO under Materials Management, Purchasing, Purchase Order, Define Document Types, or with transaction OMEG. Outline agreement types are in OMH6. #### When should I use a scheduling agreement instead of a PO? **Answer:** Use a scheduling agreement when you receive repeat deliveries of the same material on a planned schedule, and want MRP to create schedule lines instead of new POs each time. For ad hoc or one off buys a standard PO is simpler. ## Search terms sap purchase order document types, sap po document type nb, sap document type fo framework order, sap ub stock transport order, sap item category in purchase order, sap account assignment category, sap contract mk wk, sap scheduling agreement lp --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json