THE NUMBERS, EXPLAINED
How to use this calculator.
Inventory boundary includes clean, soiled and in-laundry stock; issued and returned movements inside that boundary cancel. Negative differences indicate overcounts.
Start with your inputs
Enter opening linen inventory by type, new linen received by type, recorded discarded linen by type, closing usable count by type. Keep amounts in the units shown on each field. The example is a starting point, not a recommended value.
| Input | Example value |
|---|---|
| Opening linen inventory by type | 100,200 |
| New linen received by type | 20,10 |
| Recorded discarded linen by type | 5,10 |
| Closing usable count by type | 110,180 |
A worked example
With the example inputs above, unexplained loss by linen type is 5, 20. Change the inputs to explore your own scenario.
| Result | Example answer |
|---|---|
| Unexplained loss by linen type | 5, 20 |
| Total unexplained loss | 25 |
How this is calculated
Unexplained loss by linen type
Roll forward opening plus receipts less documented discards and closing stock.
Total unexplained loss
Aggregate signed discrepancies across linen types.
Symbols and units
- a
- Opening linen inventory by type
- b
- New linen received by type
- c
- Recorded discarded linen by type
- d
- Closing usable count by type
Use the units shown. A list keeps the order in which you enter its values. The symbol ^ means “raised to the power of”.
Assumptions and limits
Inventory boundary includes clean, soiled and in-laundry stock; issued and returned movements inside that boundary cancel. Negative differences indicate overcounts.
Calculations use the values you enter. Blank or invalid inputs show an error instead of silently substituting zero. Results are displayed to useful precision; calculations retain the underlying numeric precision.
Questions about this tool
What does the result tell me?
Unexplained loss by linen type; Total unexplained loss. The result applies to the method and inputs described above. Check the units and assumptions before using it in a decision.
Why might another calculator differ?
Differences in units, rounding, timing or model definitions can produce different answers. Compare the input definitions and the method, rather than only the final number. For this tool: Inventory boundary includes clean, soiled and in-laundry stock; issued and returned movements inside that boundary cancel. Negative differences indicate overcounts.
Are my inputs stored or sent to AI?
Calculations on this page happen in your browser. The separate AI question finder sends its submitted conversation to OpenAI; these calculator fields are not sent. Favourites and recent tool names are stored locally. A shared link contains the inputs you choose to include.
Further reading
OpenStax: Describe and Identify Cost Drivers ↗
Background reading; this does not imply endorsement or independent review of SumFizz.
Review status
Software example and browser checks are recorded in our quality report. No external expert review is claimed. Created with coding assistance; calculations run as ordinary browser code.
Read the quality report →