3PL storage billing support: unit-days, peaks and the reports to back them
How 3PLs usually charge for storage (per pallet, per bin, per unit-day), why peak and average both matter, and the report data that makes an invoice defensible.
Stokrio Team · · 7 min read
Storage invoices are where client trust is won or lost. A client who cannot see how a number was reached will dispute it; a 3PL that cannot reproduce the number will lose the dispute. Good records make both problems go away.
Key takeaways
- Choose a billing basis that clients can understand and you can reproduce.
- Record end-of-day quantities, then compute average, peak and closing from them.
- Keep the billing data per client and per warehouse.
- Use reports to support invoicing; keep the invoice itself in your accounting system.
Common storage bases
| Basis | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Per pallet or bin per week | Count occupied positions | Mixed or partial pallets |
| Per unit per day (unit-days) | Sum of units held each day | Needs daily snapshots |
| Per cubic metre | Volume held | Needs reliable dimensions |
Unit-days are fair for goods with different sizes, because a client with few units pays little and a client with many pays more, without arguing about pallet positions.
What the data needs
Unit-days come from end-of-day stock per client and warehouse. Stokrio records those snapshots nightly and the Storage by client report shows, for each client and warehouse in a period, the average units stored, the peak, the closing units, SKUs held and the unit-days. Average and peak answer different disputes: the average is what most clients expect to be charged on, and the peak matters if you reserve space for them.
The activity side
Many 3PLs also charge for handling. The Client activity summary gives, per client for the period, orders and units shipped, receipts and units received, returns, corrections, and average and peak storage, in one row. These are counts to support invoicing, not an invoice.
Evidence for a dispute
When a client questions a number, you want to show: the daily snapshots behind the average, the receipts that raised it and the shipments that lowered it. The receipts and returns log and the stock movements view give the second and third, with references.
Units, not costs
Stokrio's 3PL views and reports are in units and do not show your clients' costs or prices, which keeps warehouse staff and account managers out of commercial data they do not need.
See all 15 3PL reports.