SAP Material Type Reference: FERT, HALB, ROH, HAWA and Others
Every material master in SAP has a material type, and it controls which screens appear, whether quantities and values are updated, and how the material is procured. This reference lists the common delivered types such as FERT, HALB, ROH and HAWA, with their typical use in manufacturing.
| Material type | Standard name | What it represents | Typical use | Typical source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
FERT | Finished product | A product you manufacture and sell | Make-to-stock or make-to-order finished goods | In-house production |
HALB | Semifinished product | An intermediate you make and consume in a higher assembly | Sub-assemblies, phantom-like intermediates, process intermediates | In-house production, sometimes external |
ROH | Raw material | Material bought and processed or consumed in production | Bar stock, resin, components purchased for manufacturing | External procurement |
HAWA | Trading goods | A product bought and resold without being changed | Resale items, accessories sold alongside your products | External procurement |
KMAT | Configurable material | A material that is configured through variant configuration | Configurable products with a super BOM and characteristics | In-house production |
VERP | Packaging | Packaging material | Cartons, pallets, crates | External procurement |
LEIH | Returnable packaging | Reusable packaging managed as a returnable | Reusable containers, kegs, returnable pallets | External procurement |
ERSA | Spare parts | Parts held for maintenance and repair | Maintenance spares, wear parts | External procurement |
HIBE | Operating supplies | Consumables used in operations | Lubricants, cleaning supplies, small consumables | External procurement |
FHMI | Production resources and tools | Production resource or tool | Fixtures, gauges and tools managed as PRTs | External procurement or in-house |
DIEN | Service | A service rather than a physical item | External services, labor, subcontracted services | External or internal |
NLAG | Non-stock material | Material not held in stock | Items bought directly for consumption | External procurement |
UNBW | Non-valuated material | Material kept in quantity but without value | Items tracked by quantity only | External procurement |
Material types are defined in configuration (table T134) and can be extended with your own. The list shows common SAP-delivered types, but always check the types and settings actually active in your system.
Check material types against usage
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How to use the reference
Search by code or by keyword such as packaging or service. Use the table to choose a type when creating a material in MM01, or when reviewing migration data where the type defines what screens and views the material will have. Export it as Excel for a mapping sheet between a legacy system's item classes and SAP material types. Always confirm against your own configuration, because projects add, rename or restrict types.
- Pick the type based on how the material is used, not how it is sold
- Confirm the types allowed in your plants
- Check number ranges tied to material types
What the material type controls
The material type sits in the material master and links to configuration settings. It decides which views can be maintained, such as purchasing, MRP, work scheduling or accounting, whether the material is valuated, and which number range applies. It also influences default procurement and quantity or value updating. This is why changing the type after movements exist is usually blocked or restricted: stock and valuation history depends on it. Choose it carefully at creation.
- Allowed views for the material
- Quantity and value updating
- Internal or external number assignment
- Default procurement behaviour
FERT, HALB, ROH and HAWA in practice
FERT is what you finish and ship. HALB is made and then consumed by a parent assembly, so it normally has its own BOM and routing. ROH is bought and consumed in production. HAWA is bought and resold. In practice, some companies use FERT for purchased items they sell and HALB for bought-in subassemblies, so local conventions vary. KMAT is used for configurable products driven by variant configuration, and its sub-assemblies can use HALB. Document your convention in master data guidelines.
Common mistakes
Frequent errors include using ROH for items that are actually made, which leaves no place for a routing; using FERT for everything, which makes reporting meaningless; and creating a custom type for a minor difference that a plant-specific setting could handle. Another is migrating legacy item classes without a mapping, so the same kind of part ends up with different types. Agree the rules first, then enforce them at creation through validation or workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between FERT and HAWA?
FERT is a finished product that you manufacture. HAWA is a trading good that you buy and resell without further manufacturing. The difference affects the available views, such as work scheduling, and how the material is planned and costed.
Where are material types defined?
Material types are defined in configuration, in table T134, with settings that control views, number ranges and value updating. Your system may contain more types than the standard list, so check the configuration before relying on any list.
Can I change a material type later?
Sometimes, with restrictions. SAP allows changing the type in MM02 within limits, and generally blocks it where stock or valuation history would be inconsistent. Plan the type at creation rather than relying on a later change.
Which type should a configurable product use?
KMAT is the standard type for configurable materials in variant configuration. Many companies use FERT with the configurable indicator instead. Both work, so follow your company's master data conventions and be consistent.
If you are cleaning material masters ahead of a migration, we can discuss a read-only check of material types against usage on your own systems. The reference is free to use as is.
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