Work out the buffer stock that keeps you selling when demand spikes or a delivery runs late. Enter your numbers — nothing is stored.
Safety stock
146
Hold 146 units as a buffer
This uses the max-minus-average method: your worst-case demand during the longest lead time (216) minus your normal demand during a normal lead time (70). The difference is the cushion that stops a busy spell plus a slow delivery from stocking you out.
Safety stock is the cushion that absorbs the difference between your normal case and your worst case. Demand is never perfectly steady and suppliers are never perfectly punctual — safety stock is what stops those two normal facts of trading from turning into a stockout, a cancelled order and a damaged marketplace rating.
The full method and the trade-offs are in our safety stock guide. Once you have a figure, use it in the reorder point calculator to know exactly when to reorder.
Not every product deserves the same buffer. Your A-class items — the small number that drive most of your revenue — should never stock out, so they warrant a generous safety stock. The slow-moving tail needs little or none. Salync classifies your catalogue automatically and tracks live demand across every channel, so buffers stay right as sales shift. Free for up to 50 SKUs.
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A widely used method is (maximum daily sales × maximum lead time) − (average daily sales × average lead time). It sizes the buffer to cover a busy spell coinciding with a slow delivery — the two things that cause most stockouts.
Enough to cover the gap between your worst case and your normal case, no more. Too little and you stock out; too much and you tie up cash and shelf space. Higher-value or fast-selling products justify a larger buffer; slow, low-value items need little or none.
Yes. As your sales rate and supplier reliability change, so should your safety stock. Recalculate at least each season, and whenever you change supplier.
Safety stock is one component of the reorder point: reorder point = (average daily sales × lead time) + safety stock. Work out safety stock here, then feed it into the reorder point calculator.
Salync tracks live demand across your channels and flags low stock before it becomes a stockout.
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