Packaging & Logistics worked example

Picking Labor Cost with lines picked of 12,500 picks: a worked example

This scenario runs the picking labor cost calculation on the strong side: lines picked of 12,500 picks, with every other input held at its documented default. Use it to budget pick labor, justify automation or slotting changes, and see cost per pick before peak season.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Lines picked: 12,500 picks (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 5,000)
  • Labor cost per pick: 0.35 $ / pick (unchanged)
  • Fixed supervision cost: 200 $ (unchanged)
  • Equipment and overhead adder: 100 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total picking labor cost = lines picked × labor cost per pick + fixed supervision cost + equipment and overhead adder) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4,675 $ for total picking labor cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.37 $ / pick for cost per pick.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4,375 $ for pick labor cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 300 $ for fixed supervision and equipment cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where lines picked sits at 5,000 picks and the headline result is 2,050 $, this scenario comes in 128% above the baseline at 4,675 $.
  • Use it to benchmark picker productivity, price a fulfillment contract, or model how a volume change moves the per-pick rate as fixed supervision spreads thinner or thicker. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total picking labor cost: 4,675 $ (headline result)
  • Cost per pick: 0.37 $ / pick
  • Pick labor cost: 4,375 $
  • Fixed supervision and equipment cost: 300 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Picking Labor Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.