Getting started
On hand, reserved and available stock, and selling below zero
What the stock figures on each screen mean, when an item shows as low or out of stock, and the branch rule that decides whether you can sell more than you hold.
3 min readLast updated
In this article
Each warehouse holds two figures for an item: the quantity on hand and the quantity reserved. The difference is what you can actually sell or move. This article explains those figures and the rules built on them.
The three figures
On hand is the quantity physically in the warehouse, in the item's base unit.
Reserved is stock that is already promised and must not be sold again, for example goods received on consignment.
Available is on hand minus reserved. Sales, transfers and withdraw orders check this figure.
The item profile shows all three for every branch and warehouse on its Stock tab.
Stock status in the items list
The Stock status column of the items list compares the total stock with the item's reorder level:
Status | When it shows |
|---|---|
In stock | Stock is above the reorder level |
Low | Stock is at or below the reorder level |
Out of stock | Stock is zero |
If you filter the list by branch, the totals and the status cover that branch only. Set the reorder level on the item form; zero means the item never shows as low while it has stock.
Selling more than you hold
Each branch decides what happens when a sales line asks for more than the available quantity. Your administrator sets this as Selling beyond the stock on hand on the branch, also shown in the sales invoice settings:
Block: the invoice is refused and names the item that is short.
Allow: the sale goes through and the balance can go below zero.
Warn: the user is alerted and the quantity is capped at the stock.
Some rules apply whatever the setting:
Items of type Service are never checked against stock.
A transfer can never send more than the source warehouse holds.
A kit item checks every component it contains.
To change the setting, see Sales invoice settings.
Small rounding differences
Quantities pass through many unit conversions. The system ignores differences smaller than 0.001 of a base unit when it checks stock, so a balance of 4.9999 still lets you transfer or sell 5.
Common questions
Why does an item show stock that I cannot sell? Part of it is reserved. Open the item profile and compare the Reserved and Available columns.
My stock went negative. How do I correct it? Find the cause in the item's movement log first. Then record the missing purchase, or count the shelf and enter the real figure with a quantity adjustment.