Ship-on-Time Rate
Ship-on-time rate is the percentage of orders shipped by their required ship date or within the agreed handling time, measured at carrier handoff.
Why it matters for ecommerce brands
Ship-on-time rate is the most common fulfillment SLA, so it is the number you hold a 3PL to and the one marketplaces judge your own warehouse on. A miss here makes the delivery late before the carrier even has the package. Measure it at carrier handoff against the required ship date. For example, shipping 4,920 of 5,000 due orders on time is a 98.4% rate. The 80 late orders are where to look for patterns, such as one SKU, one shift, or inventory that arrived late.
Formula and calculator
Ship-on-time rate = orders shipped by required ship date ÷ orders due to ship × 100
Common questions
- What is the difference between ship-on-time rate and on-time delivery?
- Ship-on-time rate measures whether the warehouse handed the package to the carrier by the deadline. On-time delivery measures whether the customer received it by the promised date, which also depends on carrier performance.
- How do you calculate ship-on-time rate?
- Divide orders shipped by their required ship date by orders due to ship, then multiply by 100. 4,920 of 5,000 is 98.4%.
- What ship-on-time rate should a 3PL guarantee?
- Contracts commonly set targets in the high 90s for orders received before the daily cutoff. Check how the contract treats peak days, backorders, and orders with address problems.