Every time a Shopify order ships, Fabrikatör works out which materials that shipment used and takes them from stock. This article explains how that number is calculated, so you can check any line in a material's Activity and trust what you see.
Before you start
Set up your materials and at least one usage rule — see Materials — track the packaging and supplies you use but don't sell.
Usage starts with orders placed after a rule is added. Earlier orders are never recalculated.
The three rule types
Rule | Used | Good for |
Per unit sold | For every item shipped of the products or variants you pick | Tape per mug, chain per necklace, a pouch per ring |
Per order | Once per order, on its first shipment | Thank-you card, flyer, sticker |
Per shipment | Once for every parcel | Shipping box, mailer bag, filler |
Each rule can add a waste % for what gets damaged or cut off. A bundle counts as the bundle that was sold, not its components — pick the bundle product in a Per unit sold rule.
What happens when an order ships
A customer places an order. The rules running at that moment are the ones this order will use.
Shopify marks items as fulfilled — in one parcel or several.
For each parcel, Fabrikatör adds up: units shipped × quantity for Per unit sold rules, the quantity for Per shipment rules, and — on the first parcel only — the quantity for Per order rules. Waste is added on top.
The stock of each material goes down, and its Activity gets one ⚡ Automatic row, Used by order, per parcel.
A worked example
Order #1007 has 3 mugs. They ship in two parcels: 2 mugs, then 1 mug.
Material and rule | Parcel 1 (2 mugs) | Parcel 2 (1 mug) |
Packing tape, 0.5 Meter Per unit sold of Mug, +5% waste | 2 × 0.5 × 1.05 = 1.05 Meter | 1 × 0.5 × 1.05 = 0.525 Meter |
Shipping box, 1 Piece Per shipment | 1 Piece | 1 Piece |
Thank-you card, 1 Piece Per order | 1 Piece | — |
When rules change
A change starts now. Changing a rule ends the running version and starts a new one immediately. Orders placed before keep the old values; you can see them under the rule's earlier versions.
Stopped rules use nothing from the moment you stop them. Start again brings them back for new orders.
The rule type never changes. To switch, say, from per order to per shipment, stop the rule and add a new one.
No double counting. A material can have one running Per order rule and one running Per shipment rule, and each product can be counted by only one Per unit sold rule of that material. Fabrikatör names the products that clash.
What never uses materials
Orders that are not marked fulfilled in Shopify, including orders cancelled or refunded before they ship.
Refunds after shipping — the materials really left, so nothing is given back.
Orders placed before a rule started, and orders imported when your store first connected.
Archived materials.
Purchase order receipts and anything else that isn't a Shopify fulfillment.
The same shipment twice, even if Shopify reports it again.
Rounding and stock below zero
Each rule's usage, waste included, is rounded to 4 decimals — the precision stock is kept in. Anything that rounds to 0 is skipped.
Automatic usage can take stock below zero; it is shown in red so you know to count soon. A count with New count → Count stock, or receiving a delivery, brings it back.
Frequently asked questions
Why did one order use the box twice? It shipped in two parcels, and the box has a Per shipment rule. Each parcel uses one box.
I changed my rule today but yesterday's orders still use the old amount. That's intended. An order uses the rules that were running when it was placed, even if it ships after your change.
An order was refunded. Why didn't my stock go back up? If the items had already shipped, the materials were really used. Only orders refunded or cancelled before shipping use nothing.
My bundle used the wrong materials. A bundle counts as the bundle product, not its components. Add the bundle itself to a Per unit sold rule.
Where can I see how a number was calculated? Open the material, find the ⚡ Automatic row in Activity and click How it was calculated. The order name links to the order in Shopify.