Pick Rate Calculator
Calculate picking capacity, required pickers and completion time from your order lines, workforce and average pick rate. Enter the workload for a shift or a day, the number of pickers and their productive hours, and the calculator shows how much of the workload the current team can absorb, how many pickers the workload really needs and how long it will take.
Workload
Workforce
Total Picking Capacity
18,000 lines
90.0% of the workload can be completed with the current workforce
Required pickers
23people
Current pickers
20people
Staffing difference
3 additional pickers required
Estimated completion time
8.33hours
Required labor hours
166.67hours
Available labor hours
150.00hours
Lines per labor hour
120
Orders per labor hour
15.0
How the Pick Rate Calculator Works
Available labour hours are the number of pickers multiplied by productive hours per picker. Multiplying those hours by the average pick rate gives total picking capacity in lines. Comparing capacity with the workload shows how much can be completed, while dividing the workload by the pick rate gives the labour hours the work actually requires.
The formulas
- Pick rate = order lines ÷ productive picking hours
- Capacity = pickers × productive hours × pick rate
- Required pickers = (lines ÷ pick rate) ÷ productive hours, rounded up
- Completion time = lines ÷ (pickers × pick rate)
Worked example
A shift has 20,000 order lines, 20 pickers, 7.5 productive hours each and a measured rate of 120 lines per hour. Capacity is 20 × 7.5 × 120 = 18,000 lines, so 90% of the workload is covered. The work needs 20,000 ÷ 120 = 166.7 labour hours, which is 23 pickers at 7.5 productive hours — three more than the current team — and the current team would need about 8.3 hours to finish.
Pick rate is the critical assumption
Every result scales linearly with the pick rate, so use a rate measured in your own operation for the relevant picking method. Travel distance, order profile, slotting quality, pick face density and equipment all move it. Where zones differ sharply, calculate each zone separately instead of averaging.
Results are planning estimates. Validate against measured performance and shift patterns before using them for staffing decisions.
Related Pages
- Warehouse Labor Cost Calculator — turn picking hours into cost per line
- Throughput Calculator — pallet moves and forklift capacity
- Warehouse Picking Productivity — formulas and worked examples
- Storage Capacity Calculator
Frequently Asked Questions
- How is pick rate calculated?
- Pick rate is order lines picked divided by productive picking hours. If a team picks 3,600 lines in 30 productive hours, the pick rate is 120 lines per hour. Always use productive hours rather than paid hours, otherwise the rate looks lower than the actual picking performance.
- What is a good picking rate per hour?
- It depends entirely on the method. Manual piece picking from shelving often lands between 40 and 100 lines per hour, cart or batch picking between 100 and 200, pick-to-light or voice in a dense zone can exceed 200, and full pallet picking is measured in pallets rather than lines. Measure your own operation before planning with a number.
- What are productive hours?
- The hours an operator is actually available to pick, after breaks, briefings, training, cleaning and administration. A 8-hour shift commonly yields 7 to 7.5 productive hours.
- How many pickers do I need?
- Divide the workload in lines by the pick rate to get required labour hours, then divide by productive hours per picker and round up. The calculator does this and also shows the gap against your current headcount.
- Why does completion time exceed the shift length?
- Because the current team cannot absorb the workload at the assumed rate. Either the headcount, the productive hours or the pick rate has to increase — the calculator shows how far short the current configuration falls.
Related Warehouse Tools
Warehouse Labor Cost Calculator
Calculate fully loaded labour cost per order line, per day and per year for your picking operation.
Throughput Calculator
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Storage Capacity Calculator
Estimate pallet positions and storage capacity from warehouse floor area, storage share and levels.
Pallet Calculator
Calculate cartons per layer, number of layers, pallet utilization, total weight and pallet height.