> ## 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.

# Products — Safety

> Set the safety-stock buffer per warehouse-product, choose the method, and tune service levels.

## What this page is for

This page sets **safety stock** — the buffer you keep on hand to absorb swings in demand and supply so you don't run out. Safety stock is stored per warehouse-product: expand a product row to see each warehouse where it is stocked, and set the buffer for each one.

Getting safety stock right is a balancing act. More buffer means fewer stockouts but more cash tied up in inventory; less buffer frees up cash but raises the risk of running dry. This page is where you strike that balance product by product.

## What you can set

| Column                  | What it means                                                          |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Product / Warehouse** | The product, and each warehouse it is stocked in when expanded.        |
| **SKU**                 | The stock-keeping identifier.                                          |
| **Safety stock**        | The computed buffer quantity Spherecast will try to keep on hand.      |
| **Method**              | How the buffer is calculated (see below).                              |
| **Safety days**         | When the method is Safety days, the number of days of demand to cover. |
| **Status**              | Health of current stock versus the safety-stock target.                |

### Method

| Method          | What it means                                                                                                                                                       |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Safety days** | A fixed number of days of forecasted demand to cover. Simple and predictable — you name the days, Spherecast converts them to a quantity.                           |
| **ABC/XYZ**     | A statistical safety stock based on your configured **service level**, the total lead time, and forecast error. It reacts to how variable each product actually is. |

**XYZ** describes demand stability: **X** = stable, steady demand; **Y** = fluctuating demand; **Z** = very fluctuating, hard-to-predict demand.

### Status

| Status               | What it means                                                     |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Healthy** (green)  | Current stock is comfortably at or above the safety-stock target. |
| **Caution** (yellow) | Current stock is slipping toward the target.                      |
| **Warning** (orange) | Current stock is below the buffer you want.                       |

You can bulk-configure a method across several selected products at once.

## Service levels

A separate **Service levels** screen holds a 3×3 matrix. The rows are the **A / B / C** classes (value and importance) and the columns are **X / Y / Z** (demand stability). Each cell is an editable **% service level**: a higher percentage means you cover more of the demand swings, which produces more safety stock. This matrix only applies to products whose method is **ABC/XYZ** — products on Safety days ignore it.

## How it affects planning

Safety stock is the floor Spherecast defends. Reorders are timed and sized to keep stock from dropping below the buffer, so raising a service level or adding safety days pulls orders forward and increases the quantities held. It also colors coverage signals like [DOS](/dos) — a product dipping below safety stock shows up as at-risk.

## Step by step: switch a product to statistical safety stock

1. Find the product and expand it to see its warehouses.
2. Set the **Method** to **ABC/XYZ** (bulk-apply it if several products should change).
3. Open the **Service levels** screen and set the **% service level** for the relevant A/B/C × X/Y/Z cells.
4. Review the recalculated **Safety stock** quantity and the **Status** for each warehouse.

## Example

A class-**A** product with steady demand sits in the **A × X** cell at a 98% service level. Because demand is stable, the statistical buffer stays lean. A class-**A** product with erratic demand lands in **A × Z** at 98% and gets a much larger buffer — the same protection costs more inventory when demand is unpredictable.

> **Note:** Safety stock is a per-warehouse setting. Pair it with [General](/general) (lead times and order cycle) and [Sourcing](/sourcing) (supplier lead times), and watch the result on [DOS](/dos).