Benchmarks
Inventory & procurement benchmarks by industry
What good looks like — with the formula behind each number. Compare your operation against the range for your sector.
Last updated September 2026
This page carries the full cross-industry table for every metric Maintained benchmarks: 8 measures of how much cash an inventory and procurement operation is holding, and how fast it moves. Each table gives the typical published range for a sector, what a strong result looks like, and the formula the number comes from.
Ranges are directional bands drawn from published industry sources, cited under each table. They describe where operations of that type usually sit, not a target set for any one business. Use them to decide whether your own number is worth investigating, then follow the industry link for the detail on that sector.
Days Sales of Inventory (DSI) benchmarks (2026)
Days sales of inventory (DSI) measures how many days it takes to sell the average inventory on hand. Lower is better — it means cash cycles back faster.
DSI = (Average Inventory ÷ Cost of Goods Sold) × 365 | Industry | Typical DSI | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| All industrial distribution | 61–90 days | Under 60 days is strong for wholesale distribution |
| Industrial Distribution | 60–120 days | Top quartile turns inventory in under 75 days |
| Oil & Gas Distribution | 90–150+ days | Long-lead spares push DSI high; under 90 is excellent |
| MRO Distribution | 90–180+ days | Service buffers inflate DSI; watch the slow-mover tail |
| PVF Distribution | 75–140 days | Deep SKU tails hide the worst offenders |
| Electrical Distribution | 55–100 days | Faster mix; under 55 is strong |
| Utilities & Power | 90–180+ days | Critical spares inflate DSI; find the redundant tail |
| Oilfield Services | 100–200+ days | Project cycles swing DSI; under 100 is excellent |
| Chemical & Process Manufacturing | 80–160 days | Reliability spares lift DSI; watch the obsolete tail |
Inventory Turnover Ratio (Turns) benchmarks (2026)
Inventory turnover (turns) is how many times a business sells and replaces its average inventory in a year. Higher turns mean less cash tied up per dollar of sales.
Inventory Turns = Cost of Goods Sold ÷ Average Inventory | Industry | Typical Turns | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| All industrial distribution | 3–6 turns | Best-in-class distributors exceed 6 turns |
| Industrial Distribution | 3–5 turns | Top quartile above 5 |
| Oil & Gas Distribution | 2–4 turns | Long-lead spares cap turns; above 4 is strong |
| MRO Distribution | 2–4 turns | Criticality buffers lower turns; target the dead tail |
| Electrical Distribution | 4–6 turns | Faster-moving mix; above 6 is excellent |
| PVF Distribution | 2–4 turns | Deep tails cap turns; target dead stock |
| Utilities & Power | 1.5–3 turns | Critical spares lower turns; above 3 is strong |
| Oilfield Services | 1.5–3 turns | Project demand caps turns; above 3 is strong |
| Mining | 1.5–3 turns | Remote spares lower turns; target idle equipment |
| Chemical & Process Manufacturing | 2–4 turns | Reliability spares weigh on turns |
Inventory Carrying Cost benchmarks (2026)
Inventory carrying cost is the total annual cost of holding stock — capital, storage, insurance, shrinkage, and obsolescence — expressed as a percentage of inventory value. It typically runs 20–30% per year.
Carrying Cost % = (Capital + Storage + Service + Risk costs) ÷ Average Inventory Value | Industry | Typical Inventory Carrying Cost | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| All industrial distribution | 20–30% / yr | Under 20% is well-managed |
| MRO Distribution | 25–35% / yr | Obsolescence risk pushes MRO higher |
| Oil & Gas Distribution | 25–40% / yr | High-value idle spares raise the risk component |
| Industrial Distribution | 25–40% / yr | Wholesale holding often exceeds 25% |
| Chemical & Process Manufacturing | 25–35% / yr | Reliability spares raise the obsolescence component |
| Electrical Distribution | 22–32% / yr | Faster mix eases holding cost |
| PVF Distribution | 25–38% / yr | Deep tails raise the risk component |
| Utilities & Power | 25–40% / yr | Long-held critical spares raise carrying cost |
Excess & Obsolete (E&O) Reserve (E&O reserve) benchmarks (2026)
The excess and obsolete (E&O) reserve is the share of inventory value written down because it is unlikely to sell. In industrial and MRO operations, 15–25% of stock is commonly excess or obsolete.
E&O Reserve = Σ (at-risk inventory value × age/consumption risk factor) | Industry | Typical E&O reserve | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| All industrial distribution | 5–15% of inventory | Disciplined operations hold E&O under 7% |
| MRO Distribution | 15–25% | Service buffers inflate E&O; active disposition pulls it down |
| Oil & Gas Distribution | 15–30% | Project leftovers drive high E&O in yards |
Quote Turnaround Time benchmarks (2026)
Quote turnaround time is how long it takes to respond to an RFQ with a priced quote. Manual cycles run 3–4 days; structured automation compresses this to under two hours.
Quote Turnaround = Time(quote sent) − Time(RFQ received) | Industry | Typical Quote Turnaround Time | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| All industrial distribution | 3–4 days (manual) | Best-in-class respond in under 2 hours |
| MRO Distribution | 1–3 days | Tail-spend RFQs are the biggest speed opportunity |
GMROI (GMROI) benchmarks (2026)
GMROI (gross margin return on inventory investment) is the gross profit earned per dollar invested in inventory. Above 1 means inventory earns more than it costs to hold.
GMROI = Gross Margin $ ÷ Average Inventory Cost | Industry | Typical GMROI | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| All industrial distribution | 2.0–3.5 | Above 3 is strong for distribution |
| Industrial Distribution | 1.8–3.0 | Top quartile above 3 |
| MRO Distribution | 1.5–2.5 | Service buffers weigh on GMROI |
| Electrical Distribution | 2.0–3.2 | Faster mix lifts GMROI |
| PVF Distribution | 1.6–2.6 | Deep tails drag the ratio down |
| Oil & Gas Distribution | 1.4–2.4 | High-value spares cap GMROI; above 2.4 is strong |
Fill Rate benchmarks (2026)
Fill rate is the percentage of demand met from stock on hand without backorder. It's the service metric excess-reduction efforts must protect.
Fill Rate = Units Shipped from Stock ÷ Units Ordered | Industry | Typical Fill Rate | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| All industrial distribution | 92–98% | 95%+ is the common target for distribution |
| MRO Distribution | 90–97% | Critical-spare fill rates run higher by design |
| Industrial Distribution | 93–98% | Counter and project fill both matter |
| Electrical Distribution | 94–99% | Counter sales demand high availability |
| Utilities & Power | 95–99%+ | Critical spares target near-100% availability |
Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) benchmarks (2026)
The cash conversion cycle (CCC) is the days between paying for inventory and collecting cash from its sale. Inventory days are usually its largest component.
CCC = DSI + Days Sales Outstanding − Days Payable Outstanding | Industry | Typical CCC | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| All industrial distribution | 50–90 days | Under 50 days is strong for distribution |
| Industrial Distribution | 55–95 days | Inventory days dominate; attack DSI first |
| MRO Distribution | 70–120 days | Long inventory days stretch the cycle |
| Oil & Gas Distribution | 80–140 days | Long-lead spares extend CCC |
| PVF Distribution | 65–115 days | Deep SKU tails lengthen the cycle |
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