Set and carton ratios in footwear wholesale

What a set is

A set is a fixed assortment of sizes of one article in one colour, sold together. The ratio lists how many pairs of each size it contains, in size order.

The middle sizes get more pairs because more customers wear them. A good ratio sells out evenly; a poor one leaves the end sizes behind.

Set, carton, pair

• Pair: the unit the customer buys.
• Set: the unit the retailer orders — one ratio of sizes.
• Carton: the box that travels. A carton may hold one set or several; the maker decides. Transporters and LRs count cartons.

So an order of “5 cartons” means nothing until you know the sets per carton and the ratio. Ask for both, and write them on the order.

Working out pairs and cost

Pairs = pairs in one set × number of sets. Rates in wholesale are usually quoted per pair, so:

Order value = pairs × rate per pair.

Example: ratio 1-2-2-2-1 (8 pairs), 10 sets, ₹450 a pair → 80 pairs → ₹36,000 before GST. Add freight and divide by the pairs received to get the landing cost per pair. Try it in the set ratio calculator and the landing cost calculator.

Ratios differ by category

There is no one standard ratio. Makers set them by category and by what sells in their market: men's, women's and children's ranges each have their own size spans, and some sets carry one pair of every size while others double the middle. Read the ratio on the carton label or the supplier's price list — do not assume it.

Breaking sets and cut sizes

A wholesaler sometimes opens a set to sell loose pairs to a small retailer. The pairs left over are cut sizes: usually the end sizes, no longer a complete set. Keep them as separate stock, price them at a clearance rate and sell them as an odd-size lot — otherwise they sit in the godown counted as full sets.

On the invoice

A wholesale invoice or challan reads best with sizes across: one line per article and colour, a column for each size with the quantity under it, and the pairs and cartons totalled. The retailer can check the delivery against it in a minute. Add the transporter, LR / bilty number and the number of cartons.

In Padam

Define a ratio once and enter “10 sets” in a purchase or a wholesale bill; Padam splits it per size. It scans carton barcodes, breaks a set into loose pairs, keeps cut-size stock apart at a clearance rate, and prints the size-column invoice and challan with pairs and cartons totalled.