How to Unbuild a Manufacturing Order in Odoo 18: Complete Guide
By Braincuber Team
Published on February 28, 2026
A furniture manufacturer we worked with had 47 defective tables sitting in their warehouse. $14,200 in finished goods inventory that couldn't be sold. But the wood, screws, and legs were perfectly reusable. Their ERP couldn't reverse the manufacturing order, so they wrote the entire $14,200 off as scrap. In Odoo 18, those 47 tables would've been unbuilt in 10 minutes—components recovered, inventory adjusted, and the bill of materials automatically recalculated. This beginner guide is the complete tutorial.
What You'll Learn:
- When and why to unbuild products in manufacturing
- Creating standalone unbuild orders from Operations menu
- Creating unbuild orders directly from manufacturing orders
- Unbuilding products tracked by unique serial numbers
- Unbuilding products tracked by lot numbers with partial quantities
- Verifying inventory adjustments through product moves
When Unbuilding Saves Real Money
Unbuilding isn't about failure—it's about resource recovery. Customer returns, quality defects, overproduction, design changes. Any of these mean you have finished products that can't be sold as-is. The components inside? Often worth 60-85% of the finished product value. Without an unbuild process, that value sits in a warehouse until someone writes it off. Odoo 18's unbuild feature reverses the manufacturing order, recovers the components back into inventory, and adjusts quantities automatically based on the bill of materials.
Reverse Manufacturing
The unbuild process is the exact reverse of manufacturing. Finished product leaves stock, components return to inventory. Quantities are calculated automatically from the bill of materials. Zero manual stock adjustments.
Full Traceability
Link unbuild orders to the original manufacturing order, lot numbers, or serial numbers. Every disassembly is auditable. You can trace which finished product was unbuilt and where each component went.
Material Recovery
Recovered components go back into usable stock. They're available for new manufacturing orders immediately. A $200 table with $170 in recoverable components means you save 85% of the material cost.
Serial & Lot Support
Unbuild products tracked by serial number (quantity = 1 per serial) or lot number (partial quantities from a lot). Inventory adjusts precisely for the specific serial or lot being disassembled.
Create and Process Unbuild Orders
Open the Unbuild Orders Interface
Go to Manufacturing > Operations > Unbuild Orders. The dashboard shows all existing unbuild orders with their reference, product, bill of materials, manufacturing order, lot/serial number, quantity, unit of measure, company, and status. Click New to create a standalone unbuild order.
Configure the Unbuild Order
Fill in the form: select the Product to unbuild, the Bill of Materials (Odoo auto-selects if only one BoM exists), the Quantity to disassemble, the Source Location (where the finished product currently sits, e.g., WH/Stock), and the Destination Location (where recovered components go, e.g., WH/Stock/Shelf 1). Optionally link the original Manufacturing Order.
Click Unbuild
Click the Unbuild button. Odoo immediately processes the disassembly: the finished product quantity decreases in the source location, and component quantities increase in the destination location. The quantities are calculated automatically from the BoM. A Product Moves smart button appears, showing every component movement.
Check Product Moves
Click the Product Moves smart button on the unbuild order. It shows every component that was recovered: product name, quantity, source location, and destination location. Verify each component quantity matches what you expected from the BoM. Then check the finished product's On Hand quantity—it should have decreased by the unbuild quantity.
Unbuild from a Manufacturing Order
Instead of Operations > Unbuild Orders, you can unbuild directly from the original manufacturing order. Open the MO, and you'll see an option to create an unbuild order. Set the Quantity, Source Location, and Destination Location. Click Unbuild. The unbuild order is automatically linked to the MO, and an Unbuild smart tab appears on the MO for tracking.
| Tracking Method | Unbuild Quantity | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| No Tracking | Any quantity | Set quantity > Click Unbuild. Components return based on BoM ratios. |
| Serial Number | Always 1 | Select the serial number > Quantity auto-set to 1 > That specific unit is removed. |
| Lot Number | Partial or full lot quantity | Select the lot > Enter quantity to unbuild from that lot > Lot quantity adjusts. |
Unbuild with Serial Number Tracking
If the product uses Unique Serial Number tracking, create an unbuild order and select the product. In the Lot/Serial Number field, choose the specific serial (e.g., T0002). The quantity auto-sets to 1 (one serial = one unit). Click Unbuild. That specific serial is removed from on-hand. Components return to stock. Check on-hand—it drops by exactly 1.
Unbuild with Lot Number Tracking
For products tracked by Lot Number, create an unbuild order, select the product and the lot (e.g., TC1 with 9 units). Set the Quantity to unbuild (e.g., 4 out of 9). Click Unbuild. The lot quantity drops from 9 to 5. Components for 4 units return to stock. Total on-hand for the product decreases by 4.
Verify Inventory Adjustments
After unbuilding, check the on-hand quantities for both the finished product and its components. The finished product quantity should have decreased. Components should have increased by the BoM ratio × unbuild quantity. If your BoM says 1 table = 4 legs + 1 top + 12 screws, unbuilding 3 tables should add 12 legs, 3 tops, and 36 screws to stock.
Track Unbuild History on the MO
Open the original manufacturing order. If any unbuild orders were created from it, an Unbuild smart tab appears. Click it to see all unbuild orders linked to this MO: reference, product, BoM, lot/serial, quantity, source location, company, and status. This gives full reverse traceability from production to disassembly.
Build a Returns-to-Unbuild Workflow
For returned products, create a workflow: Receipt (return) → Quality Inspection → Unbuild Order → Component Restock. This ensures returned items don't sit in a "returns" shelf forever. The moment a return passes inspection, it's disassembled and the components are available for new production. We've seen this workflow recover $4,700/month in component value for a $3M D2C brand.
Unbuild Only What You Can Actually Disassemble
The unbuild feature adjusts inventory based on the BoM. But if a product was assembled with glue or welding, you can't physically recover all components. Only unbuild when the components are actually recoverable. Otherwise, your inventory shows components "in stock" that are actually part of a glued-together pile in the scrap bin.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I unbuild a manufacturing order in Odoo 18?
Go to Manufacturing > Operations > Unbuild Orders, click New, select the product and BoM, set the quantity and locations, then click Unbuild. You can also create unbuild orders directly from the manufacturing order.
Does unbuilding recover components to inventory in Odoo 18?
Yes. The unbuild process removes the finished product from stock and returns its components to the destination location. Component quantities are calculated from the bill of materials automatically.
Can I unbuild a product with a serial number in Odoo 18?
Yes. Select the product and choose the specific serial number in the Lot/Serial Number field. The quantity auto-sets to 1 since each serial represents one unit. Click Unbuild to disassemble that specific unit.
Can I unbuild partial quantities from a lot in Odoo 18?
Yes. When a product is tracked by lot number, select the lot and enter the quantity you want to unbuild. You don't need to unbuild the entire lot. For example, unbuild 4 out of 9 units in a lot.
Where can I track unbuild history in Odoo 18?
All unbuild orders are listed under Manufacturing > Operations > Unbuild Orders. If an unbuild was created from a manufacturing order, the MO shows an Unbuild smart tab linking to all related unbuild orders for complete traceability.
Need Help Setting Up Unbuild Workflows in Odoo 18?
Our team configures unbuild operations, returns-to-disassembly workflows, serial/lot tracking, and component recovery processes—so your defective products become recoverable assets instead of write-offs.