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Understanding Labor Cost Dashboard Calculations and Metrics

This article explains how the Labor Cost Dashboard calculates costs, what each widget and metric represents, and how to export table data.

Table of Contents

Labor Cost Dashboard Cost Views

Review costs in three views, switchable using the selector in the dashboard header. Text throughout the dashboard updates to reflect the selected view.

View Shows costs per...
Shipments Each individual shipment
Line Items Each line item within shipments
Units Each individual unit
Cost View selector in the Labor Cost Dashboard header

The Warehouse Performance and Insights from yesterday widgets are not affected by the Cost View selection.

Labor Cost Dashboard Overview Widget

The Overview widget displays cost and time calculations for the selected period. All formulas below apply to the regular shipments tab.

Metric Formula
Average Cost per Shipment Picking Cost + Packing Cost + Inventory Cost + Other Cost (all per shipment)
Average Time per Shipment Total tracked job time ÷ total number of regular shipments
Picking Cost per Shipment Tracked picking time per shipment × labor costs
Packing Cost per Shipment Tracked packing time per shipment × labor costs
Inventory Cost per Shipment Tracked inventory movement time per shipment × labor costs. Inventory movements include Replenishment, Putaway, and other inventory tasks.
Other Costs per Shipment Warehouse activity costs not tracked by ShipHero, grouped into a single value.

For all labor cost calculations, ShipHero applies an adjustment to account for breaks, management costs, and similar overhead. Additional details are shown in the detailed tables by client and warehouse.

Bulk Tab Calculations

The Bulk tab displays all costs related to bulk shipments.

Metric Formula
Bulk Ship Cost per Shipment Picking/Packing Cost per shipment + Other Costs per shipment
Average Time per Shipment Bulk time per shipment (including picking/packing and inventory movements)
Picking/Packing Cost per Shipment Bulk time per shipment × labor costs
Inventory Cost per Shipment (Inventory movement time per shipment × average hourly labor cost) ÷ proportional to the number of bulk shipments
Other Costs per Shipment Warehouse activity costs not tracked by ShipHero, grouped into a single value.

Labor Cost Dashboard Graphs

Orders and Costs Per Client

Compares total shipments and cost per shipment across clients. By default shows the top 30 clients by highest total shipments. Sort options include: Lowest Total Shipments, Highest/Lowest Total Cost, Highest/Lowest Cost per Shipment.

Orders and Costs Per Client graph in the Labor Cost Dashboard

Warehouse Performance

Displays Total Orders, Average Cost per Order, and Average Time per Order across all warehouses.

Metric Definition
Total Orders The number of unique orders picked and/or packed within the selected time interval. If the same order has events in two different intervals, it is counted twice.
Average Time Per Order Sum of all event durations (picking, packing, replenishment, and other activities) within the time interval, divided by total orders. Events are grouped by hour (intervals under a week) or by day (intervals over a week).
Average Cost Per Order Average time per order × worker rate. Includes other activity costs.
Warehouse Performance graph in the Labor Cost Dashboard

Labor Cost Dashboard Insights

The Insights widget displays highlights from the previous day across all warehouses. Navigate between pages using the arrows at the bottom of the widget.

Insight Description
Top Shipping Client Client with the highest shipment volume yesterday.
Highest / Lowest Cost per Shipment Clients at the top and bottom of cost per shipment.
Highest / Lowest Picking Cost Clients at the top and bottom of picking cost.
Highest / Lowest Packing Cost Clients at the top and bottom of packing cost.
Most / Least Productive Time Hours of the day with the highest and lowest productivity.
Total Shipments Total shipments processed yesterday across all warehouses.

The Insights widget always shows data from yesterday across all warehouses, regardless of your filter selection. Clients with no shipments are excluded.

Labor Cost Dashboard Tables

Cost and Time per Job

Shows costs and times per job type. Each row represents a client, expandable by warehouse. Columns include Total Cost & Time, Picking & Packing (SIB, MIB, and totals), Inventory, Other Costs, and Bulk Ship.

Cost and Time per Shipment

Shows costs and times per shipment. Each row represents a client, expandable by warehouse. Columns include Shipment Average, Packing Average, Picking Average, Bulk Ship Average, Inventory Average, Other Costs Average, and shipment counts (Regular, Bulk, Total).

Cost and Time per Warehouse

Same columns as Cost and Time per Shipment, organized by warehouse instead of client.

Exporting Labor Cost Dashboard Data

Any table can be exported as a CSV. Use the Columns button to select which columns to include before exporting.

  1. On the right side of the table, locate the Columns and Export dropdown menus.
Columns and Export buttons on the right side of a Labor Cost Dashboard table
  1. Click Columns and select the columns you want to view or export.
  2. Click the Export dropdown and select Export CSV.

More Resources

  • ShipHero Public API

    Connect your tools and AI agents directly to ShipHero with the Public API. Build powerful integrations, automate workflows, and tap into real-time data using the AI tools you prefer, with the option for secure, read-only access for AI-driven insights without added risk.

  • ShipHero Academy

    Explore ShipHero Academy for certifications, deep-dive training, and expert-led courses on WMS and fulfillment. Build your expertise and help your team operate at a higher level.

  • Change Log

    Stay up to date with the latest improvements across ShipHero. The Change Log gives you a clear view of new features, enhancements, and fixes as they roll out—so you always know what’s new and what’s better.