Shopify does not show one stock number per product. It shows several, and they often disagree with what you counted on the shelf. This guide explains each inventory state, how they add up, and which one to use for which decision.
The five numbers
Go to Products, then Inventory, and each variant has a row for each location with a column per state. Shopify's help center defines them like this.
| State | What it means |
|---|---|
| On hand | The total number of units you have at a location |
| Available | Inventory you can sell |
| Committed | Units that are set aside and cannot be sold |
| Unavailable | Units stocked at the location but not available to sell |
| Incoming | Inventory on its way to your location |
How they add up
On hand is the sum of the other three states that are physically in the building. Shopify's own example is a store with 10 committed, 6 unavailable and 4 available units, which gives 20 on hand.
- Formula: On hand = Committed + Unavailable + Available
- Not included: Incoming, because it has not arrived yet
- Linked: Changing Available changes On hand by the same amount
This is why your shelf count should match On hand, not Available.
Committed and unavailable
Committed units are spoken for. They are still in your building, but selling them again would mean promising the same unit twice.
- Unfulfilled orders: Units in an order you have not fulfilled yet
- Draft orders: Units reserved in a draft order
- Transfers: Units in a transfer that is marked as ready to ship
Unavailable units are also at your location, but held back for a reason other than an order. Shopify's examples are damaged stock, stock in quality control, safety stock, and stock an app has set aside.
If you hold a buffer this way, see how to calculate safety stock for sizing it.
Incoming
Incoming is stock that is on its way from transfers, purchase orders or apps. It cannot be sold until you receive it. When you receive inventory from a purchase order or transfer, Shopify moves it to Available automatically.
- Counts toward: Nothing on the shelf yet
- Becomes: Available, once received
- Useful for: Seeing whether a low Available number is already being dealt with
Which number to use
Each state answers a different question, so pick the one that matches the decision.
- "Can a customer buy this now?" Available
- "Does my physical count match?" On hand
- "Why is Available lower than my count?" Committed and Unavailable
- "Do I need to reorder?" Available and Incoming together
Shopify notes that at a location that does not fulfill a variant, the Available column shows a dash, because that location is not used for new orders. Definitions are on Shopify's inventory states page.
Doing this at scale
Reading these numbers tells you where stock is today, not when it will run out. StockSense forecasts per-SKU demand from your order history, recommends a reorder point, quantity and date, and ranks SKUs by revenue at risk. See StockSense.