Warehouse Cost Per Unit Calculator 2025/26

UK warehouse cost per unit stored per month: £0.30-£1.50 for standard consumer goods stored on standard racking in a 3PL. Small items in shelved areas: £0.05-£0.30/unit/month. Palletised bulk storage: £0.80-£2.50/pallet/week at 3PLs. Own-account warehouse costs vary widely by location: Midlands-based 100,000 sq ft ambient warehouse runs approximately £1.2-1.8 million/year all-in, equating to £0.50-£0.80 per unit if storing 2 million units. Refrigerated storage costs 3-5x ambient rates.

Businesses should consider 3PL when: volume is unpredictable or seasonal (3PLs flex cost with volume); warehouse lease expiry coincides with a growth or contraction decision; capital would generate better return deployed in the core business; or specialist handling (chilled, hazardous, bonded) is needed. Own-account is typically cheaper above a volume threshold that depends on location and handling complexity. Model the break-even carefully — long lease commitments in own-account warehousing create fixed cost risk.

UK 3PL pick-pack cost per order in 2025: simple single-line orders £1.50-£3.50; multi-line orders £2.50-£6.00; complex kitting £5.00-£15.00. Own-account pick-pack cost depends heavily on wage rates, pick density (units per hour) and automation level. Manual pick at NLW (£12.21/hr) with 60 units/hour pick rate gives a labour cost of approximately 20p/unit. Automated goods-to-person systems can achieve 300-500 units/hour but require significant capital investment.