> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spherecast.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Transfer orders > How a transfer order moves stock between two of your warehouses, and how to read shipped, in-transit, and received. ## 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. ## The header fields | Field | What it means | | ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Number** | The transfer order's identifier. | | **From warehouse** | The warehouse the stock leaves. | | **To warehouse** | The warehouse the stock arrives at. | | **Placed** | The date the transfer was created. | | **ETA** | Estimated arrival at the destination. (**ETA** = Estimated Time of Arrival.) | | **Truck type** | **Reefer** (refrigerated) or **Dry**. | | **Route** | An optional shipping route, which can carry a cost. | | **Notes** | Free-text notes for your team. | | **Work order link** | An optional link to a work order this transfer feeds (for example, moving a component to where a build needs it). | ## Quantities explained Each line item's quantity tracks the stock from dock to shelf: | Term | What it means | | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | **Quantity** | The planned / shipped quantity on that line. | | **Received** | The quantity that has arrived at the destination. | | **Open** | Outstanding — not yet received. | | **Committed** | Reserved to this transfer, so it can't be used elsewhere. | | **In-transit** | Shipped but not yet received — on the truck. | | **Closed** | Set 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. ## 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.) | Status | What it means | | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Recommended** | A system proposal generated to cover a deficit. Not a real order yet. | | **Draft** | You started a transfer but haven't submitted it. Still Spherecast-only. | | **Pending Approval** | Waiting for a supervisor's sign-off. | | **Pending Fulfillment** | Approved; awaiting shipment from the source warehouse. | | **Partially Fulfilled** | Some of the quantity has shipped; the rest is still to go. | | **Pending Receipt** | Fully shipped; awaiting receipt at the destination. | | **Received** | Everything has arrived at the destination. | | **Closed** | Settled; no further activity expected. | | **Rejected** | The 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. ## 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](/guide/supply-planning/writing-to-erp). 6. Track the line: **Open** shrinks as stock ships (**In-transit** rises), then **Received** grows until the transfer is complete. ## 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](/transfers), [Available](/available), and [Locations & warehouses](/guide/network/locations-warehouses).