Picking Productivity Calculator (Lines per Hour)

Picking productivity measures how many order lines or units a team picks per hour of labor. It is the standard way to see whether layout changes, batch picking or scanning are actually making the floor faster.

Enter the order lines picked, the units picked and the labor hours spent on picking in the same period. Lines are usually the better comparison, because travel to a location dominates picking time; units per hour is affected by how many items each line contains.

Keep the definition of labor hours stable from week to week. If you sometimes include packing or replenishment and sometimes not, changes in the number will reflect the definition and not the work.

How the calculation works

Lines per hour = order lines picked ÷ picking labor hours. Units per hour = units picked ÷ picking labor hours.

Example: 1,200 lines and 3,600 units in 40 hours is 30 lines per hour and 90 units per hour, with 3 units per line on average.

Compare like with like. Rates differ between single-line and multi-line orders, between zones and between picking methods, so track them separately before drawing conclusions.

See also: Order fulfillment cost calculator, Glossary: pick list, How to organize a warehouse.