Guide · 5 min read · November 13, 2026
How to slot a warehouse: a practical guide
Slotting means deciding which item lives where. Done well, pickers walk less, fast movers are easy to reach, and space is used properly. Done badly, the best-selling item sits at the back of the building. Here is a straightforward way to do it.
1. Start with how orders actually ship
Pull several months of order lines, ideally a full year if you have seasonal swings. For each item, count how many times it was picked, not how many units shipped. A pallet of one item shipped in one pick is easy work. A hundred single-unit picks of another item is where your pickers spend their day.
2. Rank items by pick frequency
Sort the list from most picked to least picked and split it into three groups, often called A, B and C. A small share of your items will usually account for most of the picks. Those A items are the ones to place carefully.
3. Put the fast movers in the easy zone
The best locations are close to the packing area or dock and at a comfortable height, roughly between waist and shoulder. Give your A items those spots. Put B items next, and let slow C items take the higher shelves, the far aisles or reserve storage.
4. Then adjust for size and weight
Frequency is the first rule, not the only one. Adjust for what's physically sensible:
- Heavy and awkward items go low, close to the floor, whatever their frequency.
- Give each item a bin sized to its pick quantity, so it isn't constantly being refilled or squeezed in.
- Keep a reserve location for bulk stock and a smaller pick face for daily picking.
- Keep items that are often ordered together within a short walk of each other, if you can do it without breaking the other rules.
5. Leave room, and re-slot on a schedule
Leave some empty locations so new products don't get squeezed into the nearest gap. Then review slotting regularly. Many warehouses do it once or twice a year, and again before a busy season, because what sells changes.
6. Measure before and after
Record picks per hour, steps or travel time per order, and mis-picks before you move anything. Check again a few weeks later. If the numbers didn't improve, adjust, and don't assume the plan was right.
Common mistakes
- Slotting once and never looking at it again.
- Putting new products wherever there's an open spot.
- Ranking by units shipped instead of number of picks.
- Moving everything at once and stopping shipping to do it. Phase the work by zone.
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