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Par Level Calculator

Turn your average daily usage and your delivery schedule into the right par level — the amount to stock up to — plus the reorder point that tells you when to order so you never 86 or over-buy.

Working out pars by hand once is doable; redoing them as demand shifts is the chore. Let Lowboy set pars from how your kitchen actually runs — and give those hours back to cooking and your crew.

Free, no signup Par + reorder point Works in any unit

Use the same unit throughout. Lead time is how long it takes an order to arrive; it drives the reorder point.

72
suggested par level (units)
Reorder point32
Safety stock16
Usage per delivery cycle56

How to calculate a par level

A par level is the amount you build stock up to at each order — enough to cover usage until the next delivery, plus a safety buffer for busy days. The reorder point is the on-hand level that signals it's time to order again.

Safety stock = daily usage × safety days
Par level = daily usage × (days between deliveries + safety days)
Reorder point = daily usage × (lead time + safety days)

At 8 units/day, weekly deliveries, and a 2-day buffer, your par is 8 × (7 + 2) = 72. With a 2-day lead time, you reorder once you drop to 8 × (2 + 2) = 32 on hand — enough to last until the next truck arrives without dipping into safety stock.

How to read the result

Set your order to bring on-hand back up to par. Raise safety days for unpredictable or long-lead items; lower them for perishables you don't want to over-hold. Once pars are set, size tomorrow's prep against them — and check waste with the ideal food cost calculator.

L The catch with typing numbers

This uses numbers you type. Want it computed from your actual usage?

The "average daily usage" you type here is a guess — and real demand swings with your Fridays, the weather, and the season. Lowboy is the sous-chef for the back of house: snap the counts and invoices you already handle, and it computes each item's real usage from your history, sets pars that stay right, and re-tunes them as your kitchen changes — so you get fewer 86s and less cash sitting on the shelf. The same paper you already touch becomes live, actionable numbers that save you money and time, without changing your workflow.

Lowboy is $149/mo or $1,490/yr (two months free), with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The audit below is free and shows your real numbers first.

Run the free food-cost audit →~3 minutes · no account required
FAQ

Common questions

What is a par level? +
A par level is the amount of an ingredient you build stock up to at each order, so you have enough to cover usage until the next delivery plus a safety buffer. It prevents both running out and over-ordering.
How do you calculate par level? +
Multiply your average daily usage by the number of days between deliveries, then add a safety buffer (average daily usage times your safety days). Par = daily usage × (days between deliveries + safety days).
What is a reorder point? +
The reorder point is the on-hand level that signals it's time to order, so a new delivery arrives before you run out. It equals average daily usage times your delivery lead time plus your safety days.
How much safety stock should a kitchen keep? +
Enough to cover normal swings without spoilage. One to three days is common for stable items; use more for long-lead or unpredictable products and less for perishables. Base it on your real demand variability, not a guess.

Set pars from your real usage — free.

Snap your counts and a few invoices. No login, no card. About 3 minutes.

Do the math: a kitchen spending about $50,000 a month on food that trims that by just 1% saves roughly $500 a month — about 3.4× the $149 plan. One caught price hike or one re-priced dish usually clears it.

Add the hours back, too — no spreadsheet nights, no manual invoice entry, no rebuilding the prep list when the menu changes.

Less time on the back office, more time on the food, your crew, and the reason you opened.

Get your free audit →
~3 minutes · no account required