> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spherecast.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Raw-material planning

> Plan components and raw materials by exploding the bill of materials from finished goods.

## What this page is for

Raw materials and components are not planned against sales — they are planned against the **production** that will consume them. Spherecast does this by **BOM explosion** from your finished goods.

A **BOM (Bill of Materials)** is the recipe of components that make a finished good. If you build 100 finished units and each needs 2 of a component, you need 200 of that component. This page shows how the supply grid works that math for you.

## What you see

A finished-good row that has a BOM shows a **chevron** on the left. Expand it and a **Components** sub-section appears beneath the parent. **Each component becomes its own supply-plan row**, with the full set of metrics — [DOS](/dos), [Available](/available), [Demand](/demand), [Supply](/supply), [Shortage](/shortage) — just like a finished good.

## Key terms

| Term              | What it means                                                          |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| BOM               | Bill of Materials — the recipe of components in a finished good.       |
| Component         | A raw material or part consumed to build a finished good.              |
| Production demand | Component demand driven by the parent's production plan, not by sales. |
| BOM explosion     | Turning finished-good production into component-level demand.          |

## How it works

A component's **Demand** row is its **Production demand** — the quantity pulled by the parent finished good's production plan. When the parent's production goes up, the component's demand goes up with it. That is why you plan components here rather than guessing from sales.

BOMs **explode recursively**. If a component itself has a BOM (a sub-assembly built from smaller parts), it shows its own chevron and expands further, so you can plan several levels deep from one finished good.

Supply for **manufactured** items — both finished goods you build and components you make in-house — is created as **Work Orders**, which support the same **recommend**, **expedite**, and **defer** actions you use elsewhere in the grid.

## Step by step: plan a component from its finished good

1. Find the finished good in the grid and click its **chevron** to expand.
2. In the **Components** sub-section, locate the component you want to plan.
3. Read the component's **Demand** row — this is the **Production demand** from the parent.
4. Check the component's **DOS** and **Shortage** rows for the periods where production runs.
5. Work the component's **Supply** row: create a purchase order for a bought part, or a **Work Order** for one you make in-house.
6. If the component has its own chevron, expand it and repeat one level down.

## Example

Finished good **Trail Mix 12oz** is scheduled for **10,000 units** of production in month 2. Its BOM uses **0.75 lb of roasted almonds** per unit. Expand the row and the **Almonds** component shows a **Production demand** of **7,500 lb** in month 2. Its **DOS** turns red, so you create a purchase order on the component's Supply row to cover the run.

## Where to go next

* [Batching orders per supplier](/guide/supply-planning/batching-orders-per-supplier) — set a supplier order cycle to group components into one recommended order (and earn bulk pricing).
* [Work orders](/guide/supply-planning/work-orders) — how manufactured supply is planned and built.
* [Products, SKUs & BOMs](/guide/network/products-skus-boms) — how BOMs are set up.

> **Note:** A component's numbers only make sense next to the **production** that consumes it. If a parent finished good's production plan changes, expand it again — the component demand will have moved with it.