Packing Weight Check
The Packing Weight Check compares the weight measured on the packing station scale to the expected weight of the package — the combined weight of its products and packaging — and stops the packer when the difference is too large. It is one of the most effective ways to catch a mispick, a miscount, or a wrong box before the package leaves your warehouse.
Accurate catalog data is the foundation of this feature: the more accurate your product weights and Packaging Feature weights are, the tighter you can set the tolerance without triggering false positives. See Products for maintaining product weights.
The Allowed Range
The allowed difference is a tolerance band centered on the expected weight:
- Start with the Weight Check Difference Percentage of the expected package weight.
- If that amount is below the Weight Check Difference Minimum, the Minimum is used instead, so light packages are not rejected over a difference of a fraction of an ounce.
- If it is above the Weight Check Difference Maximum, the Maximum is used instead, so a percentage that is reasonable for small packages cannot let an entire missing item slip through on a heavy one.
- Finally, the range is widened outward to the nearest multiple of the warehouse's Scale Precision, so a coarse scale's rounding never causes a failure by itself. For example, a range of 0.741–0.941 lb on a scale with 0.05 lb precision becomes 0.7–0.95 lb.
With the Parcel default settings (4%, 0.1 lb Minimum, 2 lb Maximum):
| Expected weight | 4% of expected | Allowed difference | Accepted range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.8 lb | 0.032 lb | 0.1 lb (Minimum) | 0.7–0.9 lb |
| 20 lb | 0.8 lb | 0.8 lb (Percentage) | 19.2–20.8 lb |
| 80 lb | 3.2 lb | 2 lb (Maximum) | 78–82 lb |
When a submitted weight falls outside the range, the error message shows the measured weight and the accepted range so the packer can immediately see how far off the package is.
Configuration
Because Parcel and Freight shipments have very different weight profiles — a mispicked case on a 2,000 lb pallet moves the scale far less, proportionally, than the same mispick on a 5 lb parcel — the tolerance band is configured separately per Shipment Type, at System -> Configuration -> Warehouse -> Scanner -> Packing (Parcel) and -> Packing (Freight):
| Field | Parcel default | Freight default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight Check Difference Percentage | 4% | 10% | The allowed difference as a percentage of the expected weight, bounded by the Minimum and Maximum. |
| Weight Check Difference Minimum | 0.1 lb | 4 lb | A difference below this amount is never considered an error. |
| Weight Check Difference Maximum | 2 lb | 25 lb | The allowed difference never exceeds this amount. The Maximum must be greater than or equal to the Minimum for the same Shipment Type. |
| Minimum Packaging Weight | 0.2 lb | 35 lb | The minimum weight assumed for the package/pallet itself when estimating expected weight, used as a floor — a Container Type with a real measured weight still takes priority. The Freight default approximates a standard wood pallet's tare weight. |
| Maximum Weight Check Failures | 5 | 3 | See When the Check Fails below. |
The wider Freight band exists because pallet tare weight — plus stretch wrap and corner-board variance — alone commonly runs 15–20 lb, well before accounting for any real picking error; a Parcel-tuned band would flag nearly every pallet. Worked examples at the Freight defaults (allowedError = max(4, min(25, expected × 10%)), before Scale Precision widening):
| Expected pallet weight | 10% of expected | Allowed difference | Effective % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 lb | 3 lb | 4 lb (Minimum) | 13.3% |
| 200 lb | 20 lb | 20 lb (Percentage) | 10.0% |
| 500 lb | 50 lb | 25 lb (Maximum) | 5.0% |
| 2,000 lb | 200 lb | 25 lb (Maximum) | 1.25% |
The scale precision is configured per Warehouse at System -> Configuration -> Warehouse -> Scanner -> General and applies to both Shipment Types:
| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scale Precision | 0.01 lb | Match to the precision of the warehouse's scales to allow additional error for imprecise scales. |
When the Check Fails
What happens after a failed weight check depends on the Maximum Weight Check Failures setting for the shipment's type:
- With overrides enabled (Max Weight Check Failures greater than zero) — the packer can re-weigh the package; after the configured number of failed attempts, a weight override request is created for a supervisor to review and approve from the Scanner's Overrides screen. While the request is pending, the packer sees "Weight discrepancy override requested. A manager will assist you shortly." each time the package is marked Full. Once approved, tap Full again with the same weight (within 2% of the approved weight) to accept it and continue. A user with the Overrides permission can approve the request directly on the packing screen instead.
- With overrides disabled (Max Weight Check Failures set to zero) — the packer is warned on the first failed attempt; submitting a weight a second time records it and allows packing to continue.
When no scale is paired, or the scale cannot be read, a weight typed into the Actual Wt. field is used instead (if Allow Weight Manual Entry is enabled and the user has the Manually Enter Package Weights permission). The typed weight stays in the field until it is accepted, including while an override request is pending.
Per-Shipment Adjustments
The Minimum, Percentage, and Maximum can be adjusted for individual Shipments using a Packing Start Script, for example to loosen the tolerance further for a specific warehouse or carrier, or to branch on Shipment Type directly. The warehouse's Scale Precision always applies as configured.