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Ecom Shipping Ratio Calculator

E-commerce throughput per sqft drives tenant rent capacity.

$
%

Packages/SF/day

6

Revenue/SF/yr

$98,550

Rent capacity (2% rev)

$1,971.00

How the math works

Packages/SF/day = daily packages ÷ sqft. Revenue/SF/yr = packages × revenue × 365 ÷ sqft.

900k / 150k = 6 pkg/SF/day. × $45 × 365 / 150k = $98,550/SF/yr revenue. 2% rent cap = $1,971/SF.

How to Use

  1. Enter warehouse sqft.
  2. Enter packages per day.
  3. Enter revenue per package.
  4. Enter gross margin %.
  5. Read ratios and rent capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this ratio important?

Tenant rent capacity is directly tied to revenue per sqft generated. High-throughput e-commerce (6-15 packages per sqft per day) generates more revenue per sqft than low-throughput warehouse (0.5-2 packages per sqft per day). Tenant can afford higher rent. Landlord can extract more rent. Building design (clear height, dock density) affects feasible throughput — design matters for tenant selection.

Ratio by operation type?

Traditional retail warehouse: 0.5-2 packages/SF/day. Regional distribution center: 3-6 packages/SF/day. E-commerce fulfillment (Amazon, FedEx): 8-15 packages/SF/day. Micro-fulfillment (robotic, dense urban): 15-30 packages/SF/day. Dark grocery: 5-10 orders/SF/day. Meal kit: 8-15 shipments/SF/day. Rent capacity scales roughly with throughput; premium operations pay 2-5x base warehouse rent.

What drives throughput?

(1) Automation (AS/RS, goods-to-person, robotic). 40-60% throughput increase. (2) Clear height (more vertical storage). 20-30% increase. (3) Dock doors (more parallel truck activity). 10-20% increase. (4) Labor density (picker per sqft). 15-30% increase. (5) WMS software (route optimization). 10-20% increase. Stack these = 2-3x throughput improvement on legacy facility.

Rent-to-revenue economics?

E-commerce target: rent at 1.5-3% of gross revenue. $300/SF gross revenue × 2% = $6/SF rent — too low for prime markets. $600/SF × 2% = $12/SF — in line with secondary markets. $1200/SF × 2% = $24/SF — primary e-commerce markets. Micro-fulfillment achieves $2000+/SF revenue — supports $40-60/SF rent. Match tenant operation type to building rent capacity.

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