Glossary
Warehouse glossary
The terms of the trade with their definition, their regional equivalents and an example with the codes Chainlink WMS uses.
- Terms
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Reviewed October 29, 2026 by the Business in a Wave team
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Stock ledger
The movement history of a product: each receipt and each issue, with its origin, destination and user.
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FEFO
First expired, first out: the lot with the nearest expiration date is picked first.
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FIFO
First in, first out: the oldest stock is picked first.
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LPN
The code that identifies a pallet or container so it can be moved and picked whole with one scan.
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EPC
The identifier stored in a UHF RFID tag and reported by the reader on every read.
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GS1-128
The barcode that carries GTIN, lot, expiration date and serial number with application identifiers.
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Pick face
The location from which a product is picked, with a minimum and a maximum, filled from reserve stock.
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Loading dock
The warehouse door where vehicles are loaded and unloaded.
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Quarantine
Held stock that cannot be allocated to an order while it is inspected.
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Shrinkage
Stock written off because of damage, expiration or loss.
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Cycle count
Counting part of the inventory on a schedule, without stopping the warehouse.
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SKU
The internal code of each product and each variant the warehouse handles.
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WMS
The warehouse management system: it records and directs every movement in the warehouse.
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ABC analysis
Ranking products by value or risk in three classes to decide how often each class is counted.
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Inventory accuracy
The percentage of counted locations whose quantity matches what the system records.
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Perpetual inventory
The stock record updated with every movement, without waiting for the annual count.
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Traceability
The ability to identify where each lot or serial number came from, where it was stored and who received it.
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ZPL
The language a system uses to describe a label to a Zebra printer.
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ERP
The system that manages purchasing, sales, accounting and the company's inventory balance.
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