How to Cycle Count LPNs Using ShipHero Mobile

Cycle counting with LPNs lets your team audit inventory in batches without shutting down the warehouse. An LPN (License Plate Number) is a barcode ShipHero assigns to a container, such as a pallet or carton, so everything inside it can be tracked as a unit. Locations holding LPNs were previously excluded from cycle counts. A location can now be counted end to end, whether it holds LPNs, loose items, or both.

Before You Begin

• Feature Activation Required: The ShipHero Support team must enable the LPN feature for your account.
• Required User Role Permissions: Your user role must have the Cycle Count Mobile: Create permission enabled to cycle count in ShipHero Mobile.
• A Cycle Count task must already be created and assigned.

Table of Contents

• Create a Cycle Count Task with LPNs in the ShipHero Dashboard
• Start a Cycle Count Task with LPNs in ShipHero Mobile
• Count Loose Items in a Location During a Cycle Count
• Count Items Inside an LPN During a Cycle Count
• Count Nested LPNs During a Cycle Count
• Finish an LPN Cycle Count for a Location

Create a Cycle Count Task with LPNs in the ShipHero Dashboard

Before counting begins, the cycle count task must be created in the ShipHero web dashboard. The task detail breaks each location down by SKU and by where the units live, either loose in the location or inside a specific LPN, including nested LPNs. To create a task, see How to Create Cycle Counts in ShipHero.

Example task detail view for a Count by Locations cycle count task.

Start a Cycle Count Task with LPNs in ShipHero Mobile

1. In ShipHero Mobile, open Inventory > Cycle Count.
2. Select a Cycle Count task.
3. Read or dismiss the step-by-step guide. When a task starts, ShipHero shows a dismissible guide explaining how to cycle count with LPNs. You can start counting from any step of the guide.
4. Go to the assigned location and scan the location barcode.

This works the same on a Location task or an Item task. On an Item task, each location only requires counting the LPNs that contain the SKUs on the task. If an LPN holds more than one SKU, count only the SKUs included in the task, not the LPN's full contents.

Guide screen 1	Guide screen 2	Guide screen 3	Guide screen 4

After scanning the location, ShipHero opens the location count screen and shows the instruction Scan everything you see. Scan every loose item and LPN you find, even items not shown in the expected list.

When ShipHero expects LPNs in that location, each LPN appears as a card. The cards appear even when Blind Count is enabled, because a card identifies the container without revealing the expected quantity inside it. Blind Count is a task setting that hides expected quantities from the counter.

Scan Location	Blind Count enabled: LPNs listed, loose inventory not shown

Count Loose Items in a Location During a Cycle Count

Loose items are units stored directly in a location or inside an LPN rather than in their own container. To count them, scan each SKU barcode and confirm the quantity.

What the counter sees depends on the Blind Count setting for the task:

• When Blind Count is disabled, the expected quantity is visible and ShipHero flags a mismatch immediately, so the counter can recount on the spot.
• When Blind Count is enabled, the expected quantity is hidden. ShipHero reports any discrepancy when the location count ends, without showing the expected value.

For more on the Blind Count setting, see How to Cycle Count Using ShipHero Mobile.

Blind Count off: count summary	Blind Count off: discrepancy notice	Blind Count on: count summary	Blind Count on: discrepancy notice

Count Items Inside an LPN During a Cycle Count

To count an LPN listed in the location:

1. Scan the LPN barcode. ShipHero opens the LPN count screen.
2. Scan each item physically inside the LPN and confirm the quantity.
3. Continue scanning until every item inside the LPN is counted.
4. Tap Finish LPN count.

When you scan an LPN, you are counting inside that LPN, not directly at the location level. The breadcrumb at the top of the screen shows the current context.

As items are scanned, ShipHero updates the counted SKU and unit totals for that LPN.

Scan the LPN barcode	Scan items inside the LPN	Finish LPN count

Count Nested LPNs During a Cycle Count

A nested LPN is an LPN stored inside another LPN, such as a carton on a pallet. How many levels an LPN can nest depends on the container type:

• Pallet LPNs can nest more than two levels, for example pallet, then carton, then inner carton.
• Box LPNs support two levels only, carton then inner carton.

If an LPN contains other LPNs, scan the parent LPN first.

1. From the location count screen, scan the parent LPN. ShipHero opens the parent LPN count screen.
2. Scan the nested LPN barcode. ShipHero opens the nested LPN count screen.
3. Scan the items inside the nested LPN and confirm the quantity.
4. Tap Finish LPN count.
5. Return to the parent LPN level.
6. Tap Finish LPN count for the parent LPN when all nested contents have been counted.

For example, if a pallet contains a carton, scan the pallet first. Then, from inside the pallet count screen, scan the carton and count the items inside it.

Parent LPN page: scan nested LPN	Scan items and LPNs in nested LPN	Finish LPN count	Continue through remaining nested LPNs

Finish an LPN Cycle Count for a Location

After all LPNs and loose items in the location are counted:

1. Return to the location-level count screen.
2. Review the counted LPNs and totals.
3. Tap Finish location count.

If any LPN card in the location is still uncounted when you tap Finish location count, ShipHero shows a confirmation message before saving the count with discrepancies.

The location count summary lists every item counted in the location, the counted quantities, and any flagged discrepancies.

Tap Save progress if you need to pause and come back later.

Save progress does not keep a partial count inside an LPN. If you save before every item in an LPN is counted, ShipHero records the uncounted items as a quantity discrepancy. Another user can resume the task and continue counting the LPN.

ShipHero only shows Finish location count at the location level. When you are inside an LPN, finish the LPN count or go back until you return to the location screen.

Location count screen: Save progress or Finish location count	Count saved confirmation	Location count summary

When every loose item and every LPN in all assigned locations has been counted, ShipHero shows a completion summary for the whole task.