# Stock accuracy

> Stock accuracy is how often the number on screen matches the number on the shelf, counted line by line rather than in total.

- Source: https://storestandards.com/glossary/stock-accuracy/
- Updated: 2026-08-14
- Author: Nia Chambers, Product, Store Standards

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Line by line is the important half. Totals hide everything.

## Measuring it honestly

Count a sample of lines. Divide the number that matched exactly by the number
you counted. That percentage is your accuracy.

A store with 200 units short on one line and 200 over on another is 100%
accurate by value and 0% accurate on both lines. The second number is the one
your customers experience.

## What good looks like

- Above 95% on your fast sellers is a healthy small store
- Below 90% and you are refunding orders you thought you could fill
- 100% is not a target, it is a sign somebody is rounding

Measure it as a by-product of [cycle counting](https://storestandards.com/glossary/cycle-counting/)
rather than as its own exercise.

## Where it goes wrong

Accuracy is measured once, after a [stocktake](https://storestandards.com/glossary/stocktake/), when it
is at its best by definition. The figure is true for a morning and quoted for
a year.

The other fault is treating every gap as [shrinkage](https://storestandards.com/glossary/shrinkage/).
Most drift starts at the receiving door, which is why counting a delivery
into the order beats counting it onto paper. That is the job our
[receiving app](https://storestandards.com/products/placeholder/) does.

## Related terms

- [Cycle counting](https://storestandards.com/glossary/cycle-counting/): Cycle counting is counting a few products often, on a rota, instead of counting everything once a year.
- [Shrinkage](https://storestandards.com/glossary/shrinkage/): Shrinkage is stock you paid for that is gone without being sold, through theft, damage or errors nobody recorded.
- [Stockout](https://storestandards.com/glossary/stockout/): A stockout is running out of something a customer wanted to buy. The lost sale is usually the smallest part of the cost.