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What this page is for

A Transfer Order (TO) moves stock between two of your own warehouses to rebalance inventory — taking surplus or stranded stock from a location that has too much and sending it to one that is short. Nothing is bought or built; you are just relocating stock you already own. This page explains how to read a transfer: the quantities that track it from the sending dock to the receiving shelf, and the dates that tell you when the stock actually becomes usable at the destination.

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The header fields

FieldWhat it means
NumberThe transfer order’s identifier.
From warehouseThe warehouse the stock leaves.
To warehouseThe warehouse the stock arrives at.
PlacedThe date the transfer was created.
ETAEstimated arrival at the destination. (ETA = Estimated Time of Arrival.)
Truck typeReefer (refrigerated) or Dry.
RouteAn optional shipping route, which can carry a cost.
NotesFree-text notes for your team.
Work order linkAn optional link to a work order this transfer feeds (for example, moving a component to where a build needs it).

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Quantities explained

Each line item’s quantity tracks the stock from dock to shelf:
TermWhat it means
QuantityThe planned / shipped quantity on that line.
ReceivedThe quantity that has arrived at the destination.
OpenOutstanding — not yet received.
CommittedReserved to this transfer, so it can’t be used elsewhere.
In-transitShipped but not yet received — on the truck.
ClosedSet on a line when no more is expected.
Two things planners often miss:
  • ETR (Estimated Time of Release) = ETA + the destination warehouse’s handling lead time. ETA is when the truck arrives; ETR is when the stock is actually put away and becomes available to use or ship. Plan against ETR, not ETA, when timing matters.
  • The same transfer can be read from either end: it is incoming stock at the To warehouse and outgoing stock at the From warehouse.

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Statuses

Before a transfer is written to your ERP it carries a Spherecast-only status; after it is written it takes on a real status from your ERP. (An ERP is your company’s system of record. The status names below are NetSuite-style examples — the exact wording varies by company.)
StatusWhat it means
RecommendedA system proposal generated to cover a deficit. Not a real order yet.
DraftYou started a transfer but haven’t submitted it. Still Spherecast-only.
Pending ApprovalWaiting for a supervisor’s sign-off.
Pending FulfillmentApproved; awaiting shipment from the source warehouse.
Partially FulfilledSome of the quantity has shipped; the rest is still to go.
Pending ReceiptFully shipped; awaiting receipt at the destination.
ReceivedEverything has arrived at the destination.
ClosedSettled; no further activity expected.
RejectedThe approver turned the transfer down.
Every transfer also belongs to a scenario — the live plan or a what-if copy — and shows a warning if its last write to the ERP failed.

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Step by step: rebalance a short warehouse

  1. Find a warehouse projected to run short, and another holding surplus or stranded stock of the same product.
  2. Create a transfer with the surplus site as the From warehouse and the short site as the To warehouse.
  3. Set the Quantity, the Truck type (Reefer or Dry), and, if used, the Route.
  4. Check the ETR — confirm the stock becomes available at the destination early enough to cover the shortage.
  5. Route for approval, then write it to your ERP. See Writing to your ERP.
  6. Track the line: Open shrinks as stock ships (In-transit rises), then Received grows until the transfer is complete.

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Example

A central warehouse holds surplus while a satellite warehouse is heading toward a stockout. You create a transfer to move 300 units from central to satellite:
  • The full 300 ship, so at the central (sending) end the stock is outgoing and now In-transit = 300, Open = 300 at the destination.
  • 200 arrive first → Received = 200, In-transit = 100, Open = 100.
  • The last 100 land → Received = 300, In-transit = 0, Open = 0, and the transfer reads Received.
If the satellite warehouse needs two days to put stock away, the ETR is two days after the ETA — that later date is when the 300 units are truly available to ship or sell.
Tip: Transfers are the fastest way to cover a deficit without buying — recommended transfer orders are generated to do exactly that. Plan the arrival against ETR, not ETA, so you don’t count stock as available before it’s on the shelf. See Transfers metric, Available, and Locations & warehouses.