Usage rate
Also called: depletion rate · consumption rate
Usage rate is how much of an item you consume in a period. Measured per day it's simple and breaks the moment volume changes; measured per cover it stays valid through a busy week, a slow month and a seasonal swing.
Per day
Daily usage = (Opening + Received − Closing) ÷ Days in period
Per cover — the more useful one
Usage per cover = Total usage ÷ Covers in period
Worked example · Why per-cover survives a volume change
- Butter used, 4-week period
- 168 lb
- Covers in the period
- 4,800
- Usage per cover
- 0.035 lb
- Next month's forecast covers
- 5,600
- Forecast usage
- 196 lb
The per-day rate would have told you 42 lb/week and under-ordered by 14% into a busier month.
A usage rate that drifts upward with no change in covers is worth investigating: it's the same signal as a rising variance, just visible earlier and on a single item.
| Pattern | Likely cause | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Up on one item only | Portioning drift or a recipe change nobody recorded | Weigh 20 plates of the dish that uses it |
| Up across a whole category | Spoilage — the category is perishing before it sells | Days on hand and walk-in temperature |
| Up on the days one person works | Training or process, not the ingredient | Watch the station, don't accuse it |
| Up in line with covers | Nothing — this is the rate working correctly | Switch to per-cover usage and confirm it's flat |
Run the numbers
Par level calculator
Related terms
Par level
The quantity of an item you want on hand at the start of each order cycle — enough to cover demand plus a safety buffer.
Inventory turnover
How many times you sell through your average inventory in a period — a direct measure of how much cash is sitting on shelves.
Days on hand
How many days of normal usage your current stock represents.
Prep list
The day's production plan — what to make, how much, and in what order — derived from par levels and a covers forecast.