Throughput
Throughput is the amount of work a warehouse, process, or machine completes in a period of time, such as orders shipped per day or units picked per hour.
Why it matters for ecommerce brands
Throughput sets how many orders a site can handle during peak and whether cutoff times can be met. The slowest step, such as packing or loading, limits throughput for the whole operation.
Formula and calculator
Throughput = Units completed / Time
Common questions
- How do you calculate warehouse throughput?
- Divide the units, orders, or lines completed by the time it took. For example, 4,800 units picked in an 8-hour shift equals 600 units per hour.
Cite this entry
"Throughput." Fulfillment Lexicon, last reviewed October 16, 2026. https://fulfillment.wiki/glossary/throughput/