This Metrc bulletin for Metrc (Guam) explains how licensees should tag and report beginning inventory so Metrc on-hand quantities match physical inventory. It covers ordering and receiving RFID tags, completing required Admin setup (strains, items, locations), importing beginning inventory using External Incoming Transfers, and (for cultivators) planting seeds or immature plants into Immature Plant Batches.
What “Beginning Inventory” Means in Metrc (Guam)
Beginning inventory is the starting point for your license in Metrc—what you physically have on hand when you begin tracking. The goal is straightforward: your Metrc electronic inventory must reconcile to your actual inventory in your facility.
Metrc tracks inventory in two primary ways: Plants and Packages. Plants enter Metrc through Immature Plant Batches, while packages are created from immature plants, harvest batches, or other packages.
The bulletin also clarifies an important limitation: the External Transfer steps described are specifically for bringing in beginning inventory and are not the same workflow you will use for normal, ongoing inventory movement once operations are live.
Order Metrc RFID Tags for Guam Licenses
After your facility is credentialed in Metrc, ordering RFID tags should be one of the first operational tasks. A sufficient stock of tags is required before you can fully enter beginning inventory.
Tag types by license: Cultivation licenses can order both Plant tags and Package tags; non-cultivation facilities will only see the option to order Package tags.
Shipping timeline: Tags are printed and shipped via USPS, typically arriving in about 7–21 days. Plan ahead so tag availability does not delay your go-live inventory work.
Where to order in Metrc: Navigate to Admin in the top toolbar and select Tag Orders, then create a New Tag Order and place the order after verifying the details.
Expedited shipping: If you need faster shipping, place the order first, then contact Metrc Support and provide your order number and payment method.
Plant tag straps: If you need straps for attaching plant tags, you can request them during ordering; note that adding straps may materially increase shipping costs.
Receive Tags Correctly (Do Not Receive Them Early)
When the tags physically arrive, you must “receive” them in Metrc so they populate as available tags for your license.
How to receive tags: Return to Admin > Tag Orders for the correct license and use the Receive action on the order.
Compliance implication: Do not receive tags in Metrc before they physically arrive. Receiving the order is an acknowledgement that the tags are in your possession.
Metrc Tag Rules: One-Time Use and Error Handling
Metrc RFID tags are one-time use only. Operationally, this means mistakes must be corrected using the proper system actions rather than “reusing” a tag.
If a plant tag is assigned incorrectly: Replace the tag using Metrc’s Replace Tag option when moving plants into the vegetative phase.
If a package tag is assigned incorrectly: Discontinue the package. When discontinued, the associated count or weight returns to the source package the product came from, and you then create a new package with a new package tag.
Admin Setup Required Before Entering Beginning Inventory
Before you can accurately record beginning inventory, the bulletin instructs licensees to configure core Admin data. These setup steps are foundational because transfers, packages, and plantings rely on standardized strain, item, and location records.
Set Up Strains in Metrc (Guam)
For beginning live plant inventory brought in via external transfer, each strain must exist in your Metrc account.
Where to add strains: Go to Admin > Strains and use Add Strains.
What to enter: Provide the strain name, testing status, THC and CBD values, and Indica/Sativa designation.
Estimations allowed: If potency or genetics are not known at setup, the bulletin indicates they can be estimated and edited later if needed.
THC reporting format: Report THC potency as a percentage of overall weight.
Set Up Items (Products) in Metrc
Items are the standardized product definitions you will select during transfers, packaging, and other inventory actions.
Where to add items: Go to Admin > Items and create item records with an item name, product category, and default unit of measure (plus any category-specific required fields).
Practical naming: Use item names that make reconciliation easy (for example, if importing seeds, an item name can include both product type and strain, such as “Seeds – [Strain Name]”).
Editing limitation: Items can be updated only if they have not been used previously.
Set Up Locations in Metrc
Locations are required so inventory can be placed in the correct physical area within the facility for traceability and auditing. Create the locations you need under the Admin area before you complete beginning inventory workflows.
Bring Beginning Inventory into Metrc Using External Incoming Transfers
The bulletin instructs Guam cultivation operators with seeds or immature plants already on hand to use External Incoming Transfers to bring that inventory into Metrc so it can be tracked. This is described as a two-step process: you register the incoming transfer, then you complete it to generate tagged packages in your on-hand inventory.
Critical concept: Registering the transfer alone does not create tagged packages. You must complete the transfer for the inventory to appear properly in Metrc and to support reconciliation expectations.
Step 1: Create (Register) a New Incoming External Transfer
Navigation: Go to Transfers > External, choose the Incoming tab, then select New Transfer.
Type: Select Beginning Inventory Transfer.
Phone number: Enter a valid phone number (often the business phone number).
Planned route: The bulletin indicates this can be documented as “Received and weighed at the Licensed Business Number #”.
Item name, quantity, packaged date: Select the applicable item(s) you set up in Admin, enter the exact quantity being received, and use a packaged date aligned to the day you are entering the items into Metrc (per the bulletin’s guidance).
After entering the required fields, select Register Transfer to create a pending incoming transfer.
Step 2: Complete the Incoming External Transfer to Create Tagged Packages
To finalize the beginning inventory import, you must complete the pending transfer so Metrc assigns package tags and creates on-hand packages.
Tag requirement: You must have Metrc package tags available to complete this step.
How to complete: In the External Transfers grid, use the Complete action on the pending incoming transfer.
Quantities and tag assignment: Confirm the auto-populated quantities are accurate and assign a unique Metrc package tag to each item line. The RFID tag assigned in Metrc should also be physically affixed to the corresponding product.
Once confirmed, complete the transfer to generate the package(s) in your inventory with the specified quantities.
Cultivation Only: Plant Seeds or Immature Plants into Immature Plant Batches
After your beginning inventory is in Metrc as packages, cultivation operators can convert seeds, clones, or immature plants into live plant tracking by planting them into Immature Plant Batches.
When to keep seeds as packages: If seeds will be stored rather than planted immediately, they can remain in packages rather than being planted as live inventory.
Create Plantings from a Seed or Immature Plant Package
Navigation: Go to Packages, open the Active tab, select the package to be planted, then choose Create Plantings.
Batch naming best practice: The bulletin recommends a consistent naming convention. Metrc best practice is to include the strain name and the planting date in the batch name so teams can quickly identify plantings during audits and daily work.
Strain, location, and planting date: Select the appropriate strain and location (which must already exist in Admin). Use the date of entry as the planting date, consistent with the bulletin’s instruction to use today’s date when entering the planting.
Day-to-Day Operational Implications for Guam Operators
Beginning inventory is not just a one-time setup step—it establishes the integrity of your inventory ledger in Metrc. If your initial counts are wrong, every downstream workflow (planting, packaging, transfers, and reconciliation) becomes harder and increases compliance risk.
Tag management discipline: Because tags are one-time use, training staff on correct tag application and correction workflows (replace tag vs. discontinue and repackage) prevents messy inventory histories and reconciliation gaps.
Admin data quality: Clear strain, item, and location setup reduces errors in transfers and plantings and supports consistent reporting across teams and shifts.
Two-step transfer completion: Operationally, teams should treat “Register” as creating the record and “Complete” as the action that actually creates tagged, on-hand inventory. Stopping after registration leaves inventory effectively untagged in Metrc, which undermines reconciliation.
Labeling and Metrc Retail ID: Where Distru Fits
Although this bulletin focuses on beginning inventory and tagging in Metrc (Guam), many operators run into downstream compliance friction when packaging and labeling begins—especially when retail labeling needs to stay consistent with Metrc package identity and Retail ID expectations.
DistruLabels: DistruLabels is a 100% free tool for creating compliant packaging and retail labels, and it can help teams keep label data aligned to Metrc package information to support Metrc Retail ID compliance.
DistruERP: For larger operations that need end-to-end supply chain management beyond basic Metrc actions, DistruERP is Distru’s comprehensive Cannabis ERP platform designed to manage inventory, sales, production, and operational workflows at scale.
