{
  "slug": "sell-through-rate",
  "title": "Sell-Through Rate Calculator",
  "heading": "Sell-Through Rate Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sell-through-rate",
  "summary": "What percentage of received inventory has actually sold in a period.",
  "description": "Sell-through rate measures how much of the inventory you received actually sold within a given period, and it's the clearest early signal of whether a SKU is a winner worth reordering or a slow mover headed for a markdown. A healthy sell-through rate for most retail categories runs 40-80% per month depending on category and how frequently you restock; consistently low sell-through means overbuying or weak demand, while very high sell-through (over 90%) may mean you're leaving sales on the table by understocking. This calculator takes units sold in a period and units received (beginning inventory plus any restocks) to compute the sell-through percentage. Enter units sold during the period and total units available (on-hand at period start plus anything received during the period), and you'll get sell-through rate plus a rough read on whether that rate suggests reordering, holding steady, or marking down. Track this by SKU monthly to catch slow movers before they turn into aged inventory taking up warehouse space and tying up cash.",
  "formula": "Sell-through rate = units sold ÷ units available (beginning inventory + received) × 100.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=sell-through-rate",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "unitsSold",
      "label": "Units sold in period",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 320,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "unitsAvailable",
      "label": "Units available (beginning + received)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 500,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Sell-through rate",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "remaining",
      "label": "Units remaining",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "read",
      "label": "Read",
      "format": "raw",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Units sold in period: 320",
      "Units available (beginning + received): 500"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Sell-through rate: 64.0%",
      "Units remaining: 180",
      "Read: Healthy range"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter units sold in period.",
      "Enter units available (beginning + received).",
      "Read your sell-through rate on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "unitsSold": 190,
        "unitsAvailable": 300
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "unitsSold": 320,
        "unitsAvailable": 500
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "unitsSold": 510,
        "unitsAvailable": 800
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What's a good sell-through rate?",
      "a": "Most retail categories target 40-80% sell-through per month as healthy. Fast fashion and trend-driven categories often aim higher (60-80%) given short shelf life, while durable goods or evergreen basics can run lower (30-50%) and still be considered fine since they don't go stale."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does a very high sell-through rate mean?",
      "a": "Above roughly 90% often signals you're leaving money on the table — demand outpaced supply and you likely lost sales to stockouts. Pair sell-through rate with stockout tracking to distinguish 'great product-market fit' from 'we should have ordered more.'"
    },
    {
      "q": "How often should I check sell-through rate?",
      "a": "Weekly for fast-moving or seasonal SKUs, monthly for stable evergreen products. Checking too infrequently means you catch a slow mover only after several reorder cycles have already piled up excess stock."
    },
    {
      "q": "How is this different from inventory turnover?",
      "a": "Sell-through rate looks at a single period's received inventory against what sold; inventory turnover measures how many times you cycle through your average inventory value over a year. They're related but turnover is a broader annualized efficiency metric while sell-through is a tactical per-SKU, per-period check."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/gmroi-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ecommerce-reorder-point",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/markdown-margin-impact"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Sell-Through Rate Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sell-through-rate)"
}