Shelves
Table of Contents
1. Use Cases
Quick links: Set up a new rack ｜ Find empty spots before put-away ｜ Clear out retired empty spots
Scenario 1: A new rack arrives — turn physical spots into system shelves
Situation: The warehouse just installed a new rack. The physical spots exist, but the system has no shelves for them yet. Without shelves, receiving has nowhere to put away to, and picking cannot point operators to the right cell.
Use this feature: Add shelves from the top right to generate the whole rack at once by a row-column-layer numbering rule (see Batch Add Shelves). Then select those spots and generate shelf barcodes to print and stick onto the rack.
Result: The physical rack now has matching system shelves and barcodes, so receiving, put-away and picking can scan a barcode to land on the exact cell — no more relying on memory or hand-written notes.
Scenario 2: A refrigerated batch arrives — find empty cold spots first
Situation: A batch of refrigerated goods has arrived and is waiting to be put away. You need to know which Refrigerated spots are still empty, so the goods go into the correct temperature zone — not spoiled in the wrong zone, and not crammed into a cell that already holds other goods.
Use this feature: In Search & Filter, apply both "Temperature" = Refrigerated and "Inventory Status" = No Inventory, and the list shows only the empty cold spots.
Result: You get a ready list of available cold spots and route the arrival into the correct temperature zone, avoiding spoilage from a wrong-temperature placement.
Scenario 3: Re-zoning the warehouse — remove cleared-out spots from the system
Situation: After re-zoning, a batch of old spots has been emptied and will no longer be used. Leaving them in the system makes the shelf list increasingly cluttered, and dilutes the picking path and stock-count scope with unused spots.
Use this feature: Filter the spots to retire by "Shelf Location", confirm "Capacity" shows "-" (meaning the spot holds no goods), select them and batch delete in one go.
Result: The old empty spots leave the system, the shelf list keeps only spots actually in use, and the count and picking scope stay clean. Any spot that still holds goods is automatically skipped even if accidentally selected, so it won't be deleted.
2. Features
A shelf is every physical spot in the warehouse where goods are stored. Finding empty spots for put-away, knowing which cell holds the goods for picking, and verifying the quantity in each cell during a stock count — these daily tasks all start from this list. This page shows every shelf in your warehouse with its location, role, type, temperature and how much it currently holds. You can also batch-create new shelves, print shelf barcodes, and retire unused empty spots here.
Quick jump: Search & Filter ｜ List Columns ｜ Actions
2.1 Search & Filter
The search box at the top does a prefix match on "Shelf Location" (type the first few characters). Expanding the filters lets you stack multiple conditions; the common ones are:
| Filter | How to use |
|---|---|
| SKU | Enter a product SKU to list every shelf holding that product — the most direct way to find "which cells still hold this product" |
| Inventory status | Choose "Has inventory" to see only occupied spots, or "No inventory" to find empty spots |
| Shelf role | Switch between Storage, Staging and Carrier; when left unset the list shows only storage shelves |
Other conditions such as "Shelf Location", "Shelf Type" and "Temperature" are entered or picked from the list by name, and all support multiple values.
2.2 List Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Location | The shelf's identifying code; click to open Shelf Detail and see what this cell holds; sortable |
| Shelf role | Distinguishes the spot's purpose (see below), shown as a colored tag |
| Shelf type | A classification your organization defines (e.g. pallet rack, bin rack), maintained under "Shelf Type Management" |
| Temperature | The storage temperature condition of the spot, shown as a colored tag |
| Capacity | How much the spot currently holds (sum of all inventory quantities), updated live with put-away and picking; "-" means empty. It is not the spot's upper limit |
| Created at | When the shelf was created; sortable |
| Updated at | When the shelf was last updated; sortable |
Click the settings icon at the top right to customize which columns are shown.
Shelf role explained
| Role | Description |
|---|---|
| Storage | Physical spots you create to store goods; editable and deletable |
| Staging | Holding spots used in flows such as receiving and inspection; system-managed |
| Carrier | Mobile containers such as picking carts and totes; system-managed |
The list shows only Storage shelves by default; to see Staging or Carrier, switch via the "Shelf Role" filter.
2.3 Actions
▸ Add shelves
Click "New" at the top right to open the batch-create page and generate multiple shelves at once by a row-column-layer numbering rule. For the full how-to see Batch Add Shelves.
▸ Import shelves
Click "Import" at the top right, download the template in the dialog, fill in the shelf data and upload. After it finishes, check the result in the "Background Tasks" panel; successful shelves appear in the list.
▸ Generate shelf barcodes
Select the shelves to print, click "Generate Barcodes" and configure:
- Label content: "Barcode + Location" or "Barcode + Details"
- Output mode: "Label Paper (one per sheet)" (set label width and height) or "A4 Paper (multiple per sheet)" (set columns and rows per page)
- Click "Generate Barcode PDF"
When done, download the PDF from the "Background Tasks" panel, print and stick onto the matching rack.
▸ Batch delete
Select the shelves to retire, click "Batch Delete" and confirm.
- Deletion conditions: Only Storage shelves with no inventory at all are deleted. Spots that still hold goods, plus Staging and Carrier spots, are automatically skipped and never deleted by mistake.
- Result report: Deletion runs in the background; when done, the "Background Tasks" panel shows the actual deleted and skipped counts.
- Cannot be undone: A deleted shelf cannot be restored; recreate it if needed.
3. FAQ
3.1 FAQ
▪ What does the number in the "Capacity" column mean?
It is "how much the spot currently holds" — the sum of all inventory quantities in this cell — and it updates live with put-away, picking and transfers. "-" means the cell is currently empty. It is not the spot's upper limit, so don't plan against it as a maximum capacity.
▪ Why can't I see staging areas or picking carts?
By default the list shows only the Storage shelves you use to store goods. Staging and Carrier spots are used by the system during receiving and picking; to view them, switch via the "Shelf Role" filter.
▪ Why can't some shelves be deleted, or get skipped during batch delete?
Only Storage shelves with no inventory at all can be deleted. If a spot still holds goods, transfer or pick them out first. Staging and Carrier are system spots needed by the workflow and can never be deleted, to avoid disrupting ongoing receiving and picking. See Batch delete.
▪ Where do I manage "Shelf Type"?
"Shelf Type" classifies spots by purpose (e.g. pallet rack, bin rack). The options are created under "Shelf Types" and become selectable when you create or import shelves; if a type is missing, add it there first.
▪ Can I still change a shelf's location code or temperature after it's created?
Yes. Click the "Shelf Location" to open Shelf Detail; there you can edit the code, type, temperature and more for a Storage shelf. Staging and Carrier are system-managed and cannot be edited.
▪ When filtering by SKU, why are some spots that once held the product missing?
The "SKU" filter only lists spots that "currently hold that product (quantity greater than 0)". Spots where the goods have all been picked or moved out won't appear. To trace where this product has historically moved through, go to "Shelf Movements" for the movement records.
3.2 Notes
⚠️ Important Notes
- "Capacity" is the live actual on-hand quantity, changing with receiving and shipping; it is not the spot's upper limit.
- A deleted shelf cannot be restored; only empty Storage shelves are deleted, while occupied spots and system spots are automatically skipped.
- Before put-away, always confirm goods go into a spot with the correct "Temperature" — a wrong temperature zone may spoil the goods.
💡 Tip: To find "which spots a product is spread across", use the "SKU" condition in Search & Filter — far faster than paging through manually.
4. Related Features
| Feature | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Batch Add Shelves | Create multiple shelves at once by a numbering rule | Go |
| Shelf Movements | View how goods move between shelves | Go |
| Inventory List | View live inventory and available quantity per product | Go |
| Stock Takings | Verify the actual quantity on a shelf against the system | Go |