SAP KMAT

A KMAT — short for Konfigurierbares MATeriel, German for configurable material — is the SAP material type used to represent a product family whose variants are defined and selected through SAP’s Logistics – Variant Configuration (LO-VC / AVC SAP LO-VC / AVC (ˌes-ˌā-ˈpē ˈel-ō-ˌvē-ˈsē) n. abbr. SAP LO-VC (Logistics – Variant Configuration) is SAP's module for configuring complex products at order time, deriving variant BOMs from characteristics, classes, and variant rules. ) module. In variant management terms, the KMAT is the SAP representation of a configurable product: not a specific variant, but the entire product family from which specific variants are derived at order time.

Every configurable product in an SAP environment is a KMAT. Standard materials (material type FERT, HALB, ROH) represent specific, fixed product versions. A KMAT represents the generalized product family — a single master record that covers all valid variants through its configuration model.

What makes a KMAT different from a standard material

In SAP, a standard finished product (FERT) has a fixed BOM: one material master, one BOM, one production routing. When a customer orders it, the system uses that BOM directly.

A KMAT has no fixed BOM in the same sense. Instead, it has:

• A configurable BOM — the equivalent of a 150% BOM 150% BOM (ˌwən-ˌfif-tē pər-ˈsent ˌbil əv mə-ˈtir-ē-əlz) n. A 150% BOM lists all possible components across all product variants, serving as the master structure for subtractive configuration in variant management. , listing all possible components across all variants, each with a selection condition
• A configuration profile — defining which characteristics Characteristics (ˌker-ik-tə-ˈris-tiks) n. pl. In variant configuration, a characteristic is a named property with a defined set of values — the core building block used to model variation points in configurator systems. are relevant and how the configuration session is structured
• A class assignment — linking the KMAT to the characteristic classes that define its variation points
• Dependency nets — the constraint and rule logic governing valid configurations and BOM derivation

When a sales order for a KMAT is created, SAP opens a configuration session. The configured values are stored on the order line item. The order-specific BOM is derived dynamically from the configurable BOM by evaluating the selection conditions against the stored configuration.

KMAT in the order process

The KMAT enables the Configure To Order (CTO) Configure To Order (CTO) (kən-ˈfi-gyər tü ˈȯr-dər) n. In Configure To Order (CTO), a product is assembled from predefined options upon customer order — no custom engineering, fast delivery, controlled variety. process in SAP:

1. A sales order is created with the KMAT material number.
2. The configuration session opens; the salesperson selects values for each relevant characteristic (e.g., engine type, colour, market variant).
3. SAP validates the configuration against the dependency net rules.
4. The configuration is saved on the order.
5. When the order is released to production, SAP derives the manufacturing BOM by evaluating each configurable BOM item’s selection condition against the stored characteristics.
6. The derived BOM drives material requirements planning, procurement, and production scheduling.

The KMAT material number itself never appears in a delivery or invoice as a physical item — it is replaced by the specific components derived from the configuration. What gets built and shipped is the configured variant; the KMAT is the template that defines how variants are derived.

KMAT and product lifecycle

A single KMAT can remain in use across multiple product generations if the configuration model is managed well. Engineering changes — new options, revised components, updated constraints — are applied to the KMAT’s configurable BOM and dependency nets rather than creating new material masters.

Effectivity management in the configurable BOM allows engineering changes to take effect from a specific order date or production lot, so that in-flight orders continue to use the previous configuration while new orders use the updated one. This is the SAP implementation of configuration management Configuration Management (kən-ˌfi-gyə-ˈrā-shən ˈma-nij-mənt) n. Configuration management is the systematic process of tracking and controlling changes to a product or system across its lifecycle in PLM and engineering. for configurable products.

Role in variant management

The KMAT is the single point of truth for a configurable product family in SAP. Its quality as a variant management object depends on:

• Completeness of the characteristic model — Are all relevant variation points captured as characteristics?
• Completeness of the configurable BOM — Are all possible components represented, with correct selection conditions?
• Correctness of the dependency net — Does the constraint logic correctly reflect engineering and commercial rules?
• Synchronization with PLM — Is the configurable BOM in SAP consistent with the product structure in the PLM system?

A KMAT that is incomplete, inconsistent, or out of sync with engineering reality will produce incorrect derived BOMs — a direct source of production errors, material shortages, and order exceptions.

Frequently asked questions