Phantom BOMs in Odoo Manufacturing#
A phantom BOM (sometimes called a phantom sub-assembly) is a BOM where the components are "exploded" directly into the parent manufacturing order rather than being manufactured as a separate item. This simplifies planning for products that have logical groupings without requiring a separate stock of the sub-assembly.
When to Use Phantom BOMs#
Use phantom when:
- The sub-assembly is never stocked independently
- It's just a logical grouping of components (e.g., "Wire Harness Kit" - always assembled inline with the parent)
- You want to simplify the production plan by avoiding separate MOs for the sub-assembly
Use standard Manufacture BOM when:
- The sub-assembly is also sold separately
- The sub-assembly is pre-built and stocked (used in multiple parent products)
- You need QC inspection of the sub-assembly as a discrete unit
Configuring a Phantom BOM#
Manufacturing → Bills of Materials → New:
- Product: Wire Harness Kit
- BOM Type: Subcontracting (in older versions) OR set BOM Type: Manufacture and mark it as phantom via the line in the parent BOM
In the parent BOM:
- Add the sub-assembly product as a component line
- BOM Line → Phantom checkbox: tick it
When the parent MO is created, Odoo automatically replaces the phantom sub-assembly line with all its underlying components - the sub-assembly itself never appears in the MO.
Effect on MO Components Tab#
Parent product: "Control Panel"
- Parent BOM has: Wire Harness Kit (phantom) + PCB Board + Enclosure
- Wire Harness Kit BOM has: Red Wire, Blue Wire, 10x Connector
After phantom explosion in the MO:
- Red Wire (from Wire Harness Kit explosion)
- Blue Wire (from Wire Harness Kit explosion)
- 10x Connector (from Wire Harness Kit explosion)
- PCB Board
- Enclosure
The Wire Harness Kit itself does not appear - its components are listed directly.
Phantom BOMs and Stock#
- No stock is maintained for the phantom product
- The product can exist in Odoo but is never received or shipped independently
- Its on-hand quantity is always zero
Reporting#
Manufacturing → Reporting → Bill of Materials Structure → view the full exploded BOM tree, including phantom sub-assemblies, to verify the explosion is correct before production.