Guide · Packing
Bag allocation by weight: decide the bag before the order reaches the packing table.
When packers decide the bag at the table, they guess. A wrong guess means a repack, and repacks back up the whole line.
In a warehouse that packs thousands of small orders a cycle, the bag size is a decision that can be made from data before packing begins: every order’s lines multiplied by each product’s weight gives the order weight, and the order weight picks the bag.
How to allocate bags by weight
- Keep a weight for every SKU in the product master.
- Join each order’s lines with those weights to get the order weight.
- Set the weight range each bag size can safely carry.
- Assign a small bag, a large bag or a split into two bags.
- Apply rules for liquids and heavy items, such as bagging them separately.
- Print the bag allocation on the pick list so the packer only packs.
Rules worth writing down
| Situation | Rule example |
|---|---|
| Order weight fits a small bag | Small bag |
| Order weight above the small bag’s range | Large bag |
| Order weight above the large bag’s range | Split into two bags |
| Order contains liquids | Bag liquids apart from dry goods |
| Single very heavy item | Its own bag, whatever the order weight |
The exact weight limits depend on your bags; set them from your own bags, not from a rule of thumb.
What changes on the floor
- Packers stop deciding; they verify items against the order and pack.
- Bags are stocked at each station in the right mix for the cycle.
- Repacks become rare exceptions that can be reviewed.
How Warehouse OS does it
Warehouse OS is built for distribution warehouses that fulfil many small orders every cycle. The cycle’s purchase list is read from the PDF, including merged columns, and each line is checked against the product master. Receipts are logged with vehicle, gate and challan; stock is put away to the zone and rack a 3D twin of the floor suggests. Member orders are joined with product weights so every order gets a small bag, a large bag or a split before packing starts. Each permanent bag tag is scanned to a durable dispatch box carrying its route, van and member, and every receipt, move and dispatch stays on one record. It runs on web and handheld.
Questions
How do I decide the bag size for an order?
Multiply each order line by the product’s weight, add them up and compare the order weight with the range each bag can carry; split heavy orders into two bags.
How can I reduce repacking in a warehouse?
Decide the bag before packing from the order weight and written rules for liquids and heavy items, so packers do not guess at the table.
See it on your own data. Warehouse OS — Purchase list to packed orders. Book a 30-minute working session with an engineer.