Lot & Batch Tracking
Manage lot numbers, track expiration dates, handle quarantines, and use FEFO picking.
Expiration Tracking and Alerts
Managing Product Expiration Keep track of expiring inventory to minimize waste and ensure customer safety. WareSquared monitors lot expiration dates daily and sends alerts based on configurable thresholds. Expiring Lots Dashboard The Expiring Lots widget on your dashboard shows three categories: Warning (yellow) — Lots expiring within your warning threshold Critical (red) — Lots expiring within your critical threshold Expired — Past expiration date, requires immediate action Configuring Alert Thresholds Customize when alerts trigger in Settings → Warehouse → Expiration Alerts: Setting Default Description Warning Days 30 Days before expiration to trigger a warning Critical Days 7 Days before expiration to trigger a critical alert Adjust these based on your industry: Medical supplies / healthcare: Set warning to 60+ days and critical to 14+ days to allow time for recalls or disposal procedures Food & beverage: Standard 30/7 works well for most perishables Distribution / wholesale: May only need 14/3 for non-perishable goods with long shelf lives How Daily Monitoring Works WareSquared runs an automated expiration check every day: Scans all active lots with expiration dates Marks lots past their expiration date as expired status Generates in-app notifications for lots in warning and critical windows Sends a daily email digest to admins summarizing all expiring and expired lots Expiration Statuses Status Meaning Action Active Lot is valid and available for picking Normal operations Expiring Soon Within warning threshold of expiration Plan to use or discount Expired Past expiration date Quarantine or dispose Quarantine Under investigation or hold Do not sell or ship Recalled Manufacturer recall issued Remove from all locations Automatic FEFO Picking When your company's default picking strategy is set to FEFO (First Expired, First Out), pick lists automatically prioritize lots with the soonest expiration date. Configure this in Settings → Warehouse → Default Picking Strategy. Best Practices Always enter expiration dates when receiving lot-tracked products Review the Expiring Lots widget daily Set your default picking strategy to FEFO for warehouses with perishable goods Quarantine expired lots immediately to prevent accidental shipment Adjust warning thresholds to give your team enough lead time to act See also: Warehouse Settings, FEFO Picking, Quarantine and Recall
FEFO Picking Explained
First Expired, First Out FEFO picking ensures products closest to expiration are shipped first, minimizing waste and protecting customers. How FEFO Works When generating a pick list, the system: Looks at all available lots for the requested product Sorts by expiration date (soonest first) Allocates picks from the soonest-expiring lot If that lot doesn't have enough, moves to the next soonest Example Picking 10 units of Vitamin C Serum: Lot Expiration Available Picked LOT-A March 30 3 3 LOT-B April 15 12 7 LOT-C June 1 20 0 Total 10 The system picks all 3 from LOT-A (expiring soonest) and 7 from LOT-B. Enabling FEFO Ensure Lot Tracking is enabled for the product Go to Warehouse settings Set the Picking Algorithm to FEFO All pick lists for this warehouse will now use FEFO FEFO vs FIFO FEFO uses the lot expiration date — best for perishables FIFO uses the received date — best for non-perishable goods Important: FEFO only works with products that have lot tracking enabled and lots with expiration dates set. Without expiration dates, the system falls back to FIFO.
How Do I Track Lot Expiration Dates?
How Do I Track Lot Expiration Dates? Lot tracking lets you trace inventory by batch number, expiration date, and supplier. What Is a Lot? A lot (or batch) is a group of identical items that were manufactured or received together. Each lot has: Field Description Lot Number Unique identifier (e.g., "LOT-2025-A001") Product Which product this lot belongs to Batch Number Manufacturer's batch code Expiration Date When the lot expires Manufactured Date When it was produced Received Date When you received it Status Active, Quarantine, Expired, Recalled Creating a Lot Go to Warehouse → Lots & Batches Click + New Lot Select the product Enter the lot number, batch number, and dates Click Create Receiving with Lot Tracking When receiving goods, you can assign lot numbers during the receiving process: Start a new receiving record For each item, enter or scan the lot number Enter the expiration date The lot is automatically created and linked to the inventory Expiration Alerts WareSquared monitors lot expiration dates and alerts you: Expiring Soon (within 30 days) — shown on the Expiring Lots dashboard widget Expired — lots past their expiration date are flagged and can be quarantined Important: For medical supplies, cosmetics, and food products, lot tracking with FEFO picking ensures you always ship the soonest-expiring stock first. See also: Expiration Tracking and Alerts, FEFO Picking Explained, Quarantine and Recall
Quarantine and Recall
Handling Quarantines and Recalls When a product quality issue arises, lot tracking helps you quickly isolate and manage affected inventory. Quarantining a Lot Go to Warehouse → Lots & Batches Find the affected lot Click Change Status → Quarantine The lot is immediately excluded from pick lists and sales Quarantined lots: Cannot be picked for orders Cannot be transferred Remain visible for tracking purposes Show a yellow "Quarantine" badge Processing a Recall For manufacturer recalls: Identify all lots with the recalled batch number Change each lot's status to Recalled Check orders that may have shipped recalled products Contact affected customers if necessary Coordinate return or destruction with the manufacturer Releasing from Quarantine After investigation, if the lot is cleared: Open the lot Click Change Status → Active The lot returns to available inventory Tip: Use the lot search filters to quickly find all lots by batch number, supplier, or date range when investigating a quality issue.