Warehouse Standard Operating Procedure Template

Warehouse Standard Operating Procedure: [Site name]

A standard operating procedure (SOP) for a warehouse or distribution centre: receiving, put-away, replenishment, picking, packing and dispatch, cycle counting, returns, exceptions and the safety rules that apply to every task. It follows common warehouse practice; no single standard governs it. Safety rules must match the law where the site operates (examples with official links in section 3). Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example. This is an operating format, not legal or safety advice; check the current official texts and a qualified safety professional.

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Approvals

Revision history

Contents

1. Scope, site layout and process overview
2. Roles and responsibilities
3. Safety rules for every task
4. Receiving
5. Put-away
6. Replenishment
7. Picking
8. Packing and dispatch
9. Cycle counting
10. Returns
11. Exceptions and escalation
12. Performance measures
13. Training and competence
14. Records and retention
15. Glossary and related templates

1. Scope, site layout and process overview

2. Roles and responsibilities

Anyone may stop a task that is unsafe. Stopping work for safety is never a disciplinary matter.

3. Safety rules for every task

Site rules:

1. Wear the required protective equipment in operational areas: [safety footwear, high-visibility clothing, gloves for cutting tasks].
2. Walk only in marked pedestrian routes; cross truck aisles only at marked crossings.
3. Operate lift trucks and powered pallet trucks only with a current site authorisation for that truck type.
4. Do not stand under raised loads; never ride on forks or pallets.
5. Check racking for damage every shift; report any bent upright or missing beam lock at once and keep the bay empty until it is inspected.
6. Lift manually only within the site manual handling limits; use mechanical aids for heavier or awkward items.
7. Keep fire exits, extinguishers and sprinkler clearances free.
8. Report every incident and near miss before the end of the shift.

Examples of legal requirements to check (as of October 2026):

This list is not complete. Ask a qualified safety professional which rules apply to your site.

4. Receiving

Purpose: accept the right goods, in the right quantity and condition, and record them accurately.

Trigger: a booked delivery arrives at the gate.

Steps:

1. Check the driver in at the gate against the delivery booking: carrier, vehicle registration, booking reference, arrival time.
2. Assign a dock door and confirm the vehicle is secured (wheel chocks or dock lock) before anyone enters the trailer.
3. Check the seal number against the shipping documents before breaking the seal; record any mismatch and inform the shift lead.
4. Unload and inspect each pallet for damage, leaning, wet or crushed cartons.
5. Scan or count each pallet or carton against the advance shipping notice (ASN) or purchase order.
6. Record quantity differences, damage and missing labels as exceptions (section 11) and note them on the carrier's delivery note before the driver signs out.
7. Label each pallet with a site licence plate label, or use the supplier's GS1 Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) label if it scans.
8. Confirm the receipt in the WMS. Goods are now "received, not available" until put-away is confirmed.
9. Sign the delivery note and release the driver.

Records: delivery note, receiving exception log, WMS receipt.

5. Put-away

Purpose: store received goods safely in a known location quickly.

Trigger: a pallet is received and labelled.

Steps:

1. Scan the pallet label; the WMS proposes a location based on size, weight and item rules.
2. Check that the pallet is stable and within the height and weight limits of the racking bay (shown on the beam label).
3. Move the pallet to the proposed location.
4. Scan the location label and the pallet label to confirm.
5. If the location is blocked or unsuitable, choose another location using the WMS override and give the reason.

Target: received pallets put away within [4] hours of receipt (dock-to-stock time, section 12).

6. Replenishment

Purpose: keep pick faces stocked so pickers never wait.

Trigger: a pick face falls below its minimum level, or a wave of orders needs more than the face holds.

Steps:

1. The WMS creates a replenishment task when quantity at the pick face is below the minimum.
2. The lift truck operator takes the oldest eligible pallet from reserve (first expired, first out for dated goods, otherwise first in, first out).
3. Scan the reserve location and pallet, move the stock and scan the pick face.
4. Confirm the moved quantity; return any remainder to reserve.

Replenish urgent faces before the next pick wave starts; never pick directly from reserve racking above shoulder height.

7. Picking

Purpose: pick the right item and quantity for each order line.

Trigger: the shift lead releases a pick wave.

Steps:

1. Take the next pick task on the handheld terminal.
2. Go to the location shown; scan the location label.
3. Scan the item; pick the quantity shown; confirm.
4. If the face is short or empty, record a short pick in the WMS; do not substitute another item.
5. When the task is complete, take the tote or pallet to packing.

Accuracy rule: every pick is confirmed by scanning location and item. Manual quantity entry needs a shift lead check above [10] units.

8. Packing and dispatch

Purpose: pack orders securely, label them correctly and load the right truck.

Steps:

1. Scan the tote or pallet; the packing screen shows the order lines.
2. Check each item by scan; resolve differences with the picker before packing.
3. Pack using the specified carton or pallet pattern; add void fill; seal.
4. Print and attach the shipping label and any customer documents.
5. Stage the shipment in the lane for its carrier and route.
6. At loading, scan each handling unit into the trailer; the WMS checks it against the load plan.
7. Record the trailer seal number, close the dispatch in the WMS and give the driver the documents.

Shipments abroad need complete booking instructions and documents before the truck is loaded (logistics/shipment-booking-instructions).

9. Cycle counting

Purpose: keep inventory records accurate all year and find causes of errors early.

Count frequency by class (Example):

With [250] working days a year, this programme needs about 74 counts per day (18,400 / 250 = 73.6, rounded up).

Steps:

1. The inventory controller releases the daily count list in the WMS.
2. The counter scans the location and counts every unit without seeing the system quantity (blind count).
3. If the count differs from the system by more than the tolerance (for example [1%] or [1 unit], whichever is larger, for class A), a second person recounts.
4. If the recount confirms the difference, the inventory controller investigates the last movements before any adjustment.
5. Adjustments above [value limit] need the warehouse manager's approval and are reported to finance.

Variance analysis, approval limits and the link to the accounting close are in logistics/inventory-count-reconciliation.

10. Returns

Purpose: receive returns, decide their disposition quickly and give customers and finance accurate information.

Steps:

1. Check that the return has an authorisation number; returns without one go to quality hold and the customer service team is informed.
2. Inspect each item and grade it.
3. Record the grade and disposition in the WMS; it triggers the credit process.
4. Move the item to the location for its disposition.

11. Exceptions and escalation

Serious incidents (injury, fire, theft, a broken seal on a high-value load) follow the site emergency and incident procedures, not this table.

12. Performance measures

13. Training and competence

14. Records and retention

15. Glossary and related templates

Related templates:

• ops/sop for the general SOP format and change control.
• logistics/inventory-count-reconciliation for count variances and adjustments.
• logistics/carrier-scorecard for carrier punctuality and damage.
• logistics/supply-chain-security-plan for seals, access and cargo security.
• logistics/dangerous-goods-checklist if the site handles dangerous goods.
• business/root-cause-analysis for repeated exceptions.

Standard and licence note

Based on common warehouse operating practice; no single standard defines a warehouse SOP. Legal references are named as dated examples from the official sources linked in section 3 (US 29 CFR 1910.178 on eCFR, UK HSE L117, the EU-OSHA portal), checked in October 2026. GS1 is named for the SSCC identifier only. All wording, steps, tables and targets are original and invented for illustration; targets are not benchmarks. Check the current official texts and a qualified safety professional before use. This is an operating format, not legal or safety advice.

Template licence: MIT.