How to write material descriptions in the material master: a guide

To write a material description, start with the item name in the singular, add the modifier that states its type, then list the attributes in the order defined for that family, with units always written the same way. Brand, part number and application go in their own fields, not in the name. And the rule applies to everyone who creates materials, not only to whoever wrote the standard.

"I need that valve for the water line, same as last week." That is how the request reaches the master data team. The analyst searches for "valve" and gets a long list. Searches for "vlv" and gets another one. Searches for "cock" and finds a few more. Unable to find it, the analyst creates a new item, pasting the text from the supplier's quote.

This happens in a lot of companies. Nobody did anything wrong on purpose: each person wrote the description the way they thought was right. The result is a catalog where the same item has three names and nobody trusts the search. Finding those repeats is covered in another article on how to identify duplicate materials. This one is about the source of the problem: how to write the description so it comes out the same, no matter who creates the record.

What is a standardized material description?

It is a description always built with the same structure, based on a template for the item's family. The template says what information that type of material needs, in what order it appears and how each piece is written.

The idea is not new. ECCMA (Electronic Commerce Code Management Association) maintains a repository of cataloging templates, also called identification guides, and explains that these templates define the characteristics needed to describe a class of products, materials, items or services, and can state which properties are mandatory or optional.

That set of rules, with one template per family, is what we call a material description standard, or material PDM. The description is its visible result.

What does a good material description look like?

The structure I recommend has four parts, always in the same order. It is not an official standard; it is the cataloging practice we use at 4MDG, and it makes searching, reading and comparing easier.

Step 1: the noun, in the singular

The first word says what the item is: valve, bolt, glove, filter. Always singular, because each code represents one unit of the item, not a batch. Pick one term for each thing. If the company chose "valve", then "cock" is no longer an item name.

Step 2: the modifier, which states the type

Right after the noun comes the word that separates this item from others with the same noun. In this structure the noun stays first, so a ball valve is written "valve, ball", a gate valve "valve, gate", a hex bolt "bolt, hex" and a nitrile glove "glove, nitrile". Noun and modifier together form the name that defines the family.

Step 3: the attributes, in the family template order

Material, size, connection, standard, finish. The family template decides which attributes go in and in what order, not the analyst. A fixed order puts two descriptions of the same kind of item side by side in a list, so they can be compared at a glance.

Step 4: units, always written the same way

Measurements use the same symbol across the whole catalog: if the standard says "mm", then "MM", "mil" or "millim" are not allowed. The same goes for inches and for the unit of issue, when the standard requires it in the description.

Description element	What goes in	Common mistake
Noun	The item name, singular, one term per thing	Plural, synonyms ("cock" and "valve" for the same item) or improvised abbreviations
Modifier	The type that separates the item from others with the same noun	Placed at the end of the text, or left out
Attributes	The characteristics in the family template, in the defined order	A different order in every record, mandatory attribute missing
Units	Standard symbol for measurements and, if the standard asks, the unit of issue	The same measurement written three different ways
Outside the name	Brand, part number and application, in their own fields	Supplier quote text pasted into the description

Which writing rules stop the same item from getting different descriptions?

The structure takes care of the order. Writing rules take care of the rest. A good public reference comes from Brazil: the "Manual de Boas Práticas" (a best practices manual) for the electronic catalog of materials and services of the State of Paraná, known as e-CAT, published by the state government's Department of Logistics for Public Procurement. It is a public procurement manual for one Brazilian state, not a mandatory standard for companies, but its writing rules work for any catalog:

• Avoid plural descriptions.
• Use lowercase, with uppercase only for acronyms.
• Include the unit of measure in the description.
• Avoid foreign words, except in specific cases.
• Avoid slang and regional terms (the manual's example is a regional nickname used for a tractor).
• Do not copy the supplier's or the quote's description; start from a similar item that already exists in the catalog.

From day-to-day master data work, I add two more:

• Abbreviations only from a controlled list. If "SS" is the approved form for stainless steel, nobody writes "stnls" or spells it out in another item.
• One letter case convention for the whole catalog. The Paraná manual prefers lowercase. Some companies use all caps because of their ERP. What does not work is mixing both.

Where do brand, part number and application go?

Outside the name. The Paraná manual does not allow a brand to be specified in the description, except in justified cases such as specific spare parts. For private companies the logic is similar: the description says what the item is; who makes it is a separate piece of information.

• Brand and manufacturer: the manufacturer field.
• Part number: the manufacturer part number field, which may hold more than one value for the same item.
• Application (where the item is used): supplementary text or an application field, never the name.

When the brand goes into the name, the same item gets one code per supplier. When the application goes in, it gets one code per piece of equipment. That is exactly the mistake many people make when registering a bearing.

Who defines and approves the standard?

The master data team writes the standard together with the people who use the item: maintenance, engineering, procurement and the warehouse. Approval sits with the area responsible for master data governance. Changes to the standard come in through a request, with a version and a date, so today's rule never contradicts yesterday's without a record.

What should you check before saving the record?

• Is the noun singular and the approved term for that thing?
• Does the modifier come right after the noun?
• Do the attributes follow the family template, in the right order?
• Are all mandatory attributes filled in?
• Do units use the standard symbol?
• Are abbreviations on the controlled list?
• Does the letter case follow the catalog convention?
• Are brand, part number and application in their own fields, not in the name?
• Is the text free of slang, regional terms and copied quote text?
• Did you search by characteristics before creating, and find no matching item?

What does a description look like before and after?

Hypothetical example, created only to illustrate the structure. Brand and code are fictitious.

Three requests ask for the same item and reach the catalog like this:

• "BALL VLV 1/2 SS BRAND X REF 4471 FOR BOILER WATER LINE"
• "Ball valves 1/2" stainless three piece"
• "ball cock stnls half inch lever"

With the structure and the rules, the item gets a single description:

valve, ball, three-piece body, SS 316, BSP thread, 1/2 in, lever operated, ea

The other information goes to its own fields: manufacturer "Brand X", part number "4471", application "boiler water line". Anyone searching for "valve, ball" finds the item. Anyone searching by part number does too.

Where should you start?

1. Pick the families that receive the most new item requests and start with them.
2. Define the accepted noun and modifiers for each family, together with the people who use the items.
3. Build each family template: attributes, order and which ones are mandatory. The material description standard page shows how this work is organized.
4. Publish the list of approved abbreviations and units.
5. Enforce the rule at entry: every new record follows the standard from today on.
6. Plan the existing records in waves, starting with what has the most use and the most risk, as explained in prioritizing master data cleansing with ABC analysis.

Frequently asked questions

Can I abbreviate words in a material description?

Yes, as long as the abbreviation is on a controlled list and used the same way across the whole catalog. Improvised abbreviations, where each analyst creates their own, are one of the most common reasons the same item ends up with different descriptions.

Does the manufacturer's brand belong in the description?

No. The brand goes in the manufacturer field and the part number in the part number field. The description says what the item is. That way the same item can have more than one approved manufacturer without getting a new code for each one.

Who can add a new noun or modifier to the standard?

Anyone can request one, but the master data team is the one that adds it, after reviewing the request with the areas that use the item. The addition goes through approval by the area responsible for master data governance and enters the standard with a version and a date.

Do I need to rewrite the whole catalog at once?

No. Start by applying the standard to every new record and handle existing records in waves, by family and by usage. Rewriting everything at once usually means spending time on items that should not even stay active.

In a multinational company, should descriptions be in English or in the local language?

Choose one reference language for the standard and keep translations as texts linked to the same item, each following the same structure. What does not work is mixing languages inside a single description.

How 4MDG can help

At 4MDG, the material PDM describes each item in a unique, structured way, with a taxonomy and family templates defined together with the people who use the catalog, descriptions built field by field, and AI deduplication with human approval. When the rule needs to reach the records you already have, that is the job of material master data cleansing. If you want to know how many descriptions in your catalog are off standard, ask for an assessment through consulting and assessment or reach us via the contact page.

Sources

• Government of the State of Paraná (Brazil), Department of Logistics for Public Procurement (DECON), "Manual de Boas Práticas, Catálogo Eletrônico de Materiais e Serviços do Estado do Paraná (e-CAT)" (best practices manual for the Paraná state electronic catalog of materials and services), https://www.administracao.pr.gov.br/sites/default/arquivos_restritos/files/documento/2023-09/manual_de_boas_praticas_-_dcat_finalizado_0.pdf, accessed on October 19, 2026.
• ECCMA, Electronic Commerce Code Management Association, "F&Q", https://eccma.org/?p=12316, accessed on October 19, 2026.