---
title: Understanding Available, Allocated and Consumed
description: What Available, Allocated, and Consumed mean for your parts — how stock moves from on-hand to reserved to used, and how to read the numbers.
---
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# Understanding Available, Allocated and Consumed
## Three numbers tell you the truth about a part's stock. Here's what each means — and how they shift as a part moves through a job.
**For:** Dispatchers, technicians, and managers · **Time:** 3-minute read
### The three numbers
- **On Hand:** The units physically at the location. This is the count you get if you walk the shelf.
- **Allocated:** Units reserved for open service orders or PM jobs. They are still on the shelf, but a job has claimed them.
- **Available:** Units free for a new job. It is On Hand minus Allocated.
> **On Hand = Available + Allocated.** If Available is 0 and On Hand is 4, all 4 units are reserved for jobs.
**Consumed** is not a column. It is the history row written when units leave the location.
### Read a worked example
Coolant (Per Gallon) on service vehicle MF-001 has 2 units On Hand. One is Allocated to an open job, so 1 is Available.
*The stock table for a location. Read across each row: Available, Allocated, then On Hand.*
### How a part moves through a job
Stock moves in three steps. The system makes each move, so you don't set allocations by hand.
1. **Allocate:** A part is added to a service order, and the system reserves units from Available. A PM job's parts are reserved when the vehicle arrives. Allocated goes up and Available goes down. If Available is short, only the free units are reserved, and the system sends the dispatcher a parts shortage alert. On Hand does not change.
2. **Deallocate:** The reservation is released, for example when the service order is canceled. Allocated goes down and the units are Available again.
3. **Consumed:** The part is used on the job when the order's repairs are finished and the invoice is finalized, not when it is paid. On Hand goes down, and the reserved units leave Allocated with it. Nothing returns to Available.
### See each move in the history
Every move is written to the location's history log. Each row shows the date, the type, the part, the quantity change, the count before and after, the user, and a note that names the service order.
1. Open **Parts & Inventory** › **Service Vehicles**, then click the items link in the vehicle's row. Clicking a row on **Inventory Locations** does not open the location.
2. Click the **History** tab.
3. Read the **Type** column. You'll see **Allocate**, **Deallocate**, or **Consumed**. The filter buttons above the table (Receive, Issue, Transfer, Adjust, Count) do not include these three types, so leave **All** selected.
> An **Allocate** or **Deallocate** row changes the reserved count, not the count on the shelf. Check the **Consumed** rows to see which units left the location.
### Cycle counts and allocated stock
On the location's **Stock** tab, click **Cycle Count** to count it. The **Expected** column leaves out units set aside for jobs. A small orange line under the number, such as **· 1 in use**, shows how many are left out. In **Actual**, enter only the units that are free on the shelf, not the ones set aside for a job. The count corrects On Hand and never changes what is allocated.
*Coolant shows Expected 1 with · 1 in use under it, so one unit on hand is set aside for a job.*
> Check the in-use line before you enter an **Actual** count. **Expected** does not include the units it names.
### Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Available is lower than On Hand | Some units are allocated to open service orders or PM jobs | Open the **History** tab and look for **Allocate** rows. Each one names the service order. |
| Available is 0, but On Hand shows stock | Every unit on hand is reserved for a job | Find the open service orders that hold the part. Complete or cancel a job to release or use its units. |
### FAQs
**Why is Available lower than On Hand?**
Some units are allocated to open jobs. Available = On Hand − Allocated.
**Do I ever allocate parts manually?**
No. The system allocates a part when you add it to a service order, or when a PM job starts. To remove stock for other reasons, use **Issue**. See [Receive, Issue & Adjust Stock](https://support.metafleet.ai/receive-issue-and-adjust-stock?hsLang=en).
**What happens to allocated parts if I cancel the job?**
The reservation is released, and the units go back to Available. Nothing is consumed. The **History** tab shows a **Deallocate** row.
**Does a cycle count include allocated stock?**
No. The **Expected** number leaves out units set aside for jobs. The in-use line shows how many. Check it before you enter an **Actual** count.
### Related articles
- [Run a Cycle Count](https://support.metafleet.ai/run-a-cycle-count?hsLang=en)
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