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Pick Rate Calculator (Warehouse Picking Productivity)

Calculate warehouse pick rate in order lines and units per labor hour, minutes per line, and how many pickers and labor hours you need to pick a planned daily volume.

Order lines picked

Picker labor hours

Average units per line

Order lines to pick per day (plan)

Productive hours per picker per shift

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How it works

Pick rate = Order lines picked ÷ Picker labor hours · Units per hour = Pick rate × Units per line · Pickers needed = ⌈Planned lines ÷ (Pick rate × Productive hours per picker)⌉

Pick rate is the core productivity measure in warehouse order picking, usually tracked as order lines (one SKU location visited) per labor hour, because travel to the location, not the number of units, dominates picking time. Dividing a forecast daily volume by the pick rate gives the labor hours and pickers to schedule, using productive hours after breaks, meetings and indirect tasks. Typical manual piece-picking rates run from about 60 to 120 lines per hour; batch, zone and goods-to-person systems go far higher.

Worked example

Pickers completed 1,200 order lines in 16 labor hours, a pick rate of 75.0 lines per hour, or 187.5 units per hour at 2.5 units per line (0.80 minutes per line). To pick 9,000 lines a day you need 9,000 ÷ 75 = 120.0 labor hours; with 7 productive hours per picker each picker does 525 lines, so you need 9,000 ÷ 525 = 17.1, rounded up to 18 pickers.

Sources: Order picking — methods and productivity · WERC — Warehousing Education and Research Council (DC Measures benchmarks)

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate pick rate?

Divide the number of order lines (or units) picked by the labor hours spent picking. 1,200 lines in 16 hours is 75 lines per hour.

Should I measure pick rate in lines or units?

Lines per hour is the standard because each line means a trip to a location. Units per hour is useful for each-picking of small items, but it rewards orders with many units per line, so report both.

What is a good pick rate?

Manual piece picking from shelving often runs at 60–120 lines per hour, case picking around 100–200 cases per hour, and goods-to-person automation 300 lines or more. Compare against your own engineered standards rather than generic benchmarks.

How many pickers do I need?

Divide the daily lines by the pick rate to get labor hours, then by the productive hours each picker works in a shift (typically 6.5–7.5 of 8 paid hours). Round up and add cover for absence and peaks.

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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.