Batch, Wave and Cluster Picking in Odoo 19 (Step by Step)

Short answer: in Odoo 19, tick Batch, Wave & Cluster Transfers (with Storage Locations and Multi-Step Routes) in Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings. Group whole transfers into a batch with Prepare Batch or Actions ‣ Add to batch, or let the operation type build batches automatically. Build a wave from individual lines with Prepare Wave. For cluster picking, also turn on Packages and give each order its own reusable tote as you pick. All of this is in Community; scanning batches in the Barcode app is Enterprise only.

This is the setup guide. For why picking strategy matters at all, start with my explainer on warehouse management with ERP.

Applies to

• Odoo version: Odoo 19. I also checked the Odoo 20 documentation and code. In Odoo 20, batch transfers are part of the core Inventory module instead of a separate one, operation types get a Batch Creation field (Manual Only or Automatic) in place of the Automatic Batches tick box, waves can also be grouped by date, the documentation calls the batch’s Check Availability button Reserve, and Dispatch Management System is renamed Transport Management.
• Edition: Community and Enterprise for batch, wave and cluster transfers. The Barcode app is Enterprise only; in Community its setting shows an upgrade prompt.
• Apps: Inventory; Barcode if you scan; Fleet if you use dispatch management.

Before you start

1. Use multi-step delivery. Batches and waves are designed for the pick step, so set the warehouse’s Outgoing Shipments to two or three steps in Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Warehouses. Cluster batches also work with one-step delivery.
2. Name locations in walking order. A batch’s detailed lines are sorted by location name, so racks named A-01, A-02 and so on give pickers a sensible route.
3. Reservation matters. Automatic batching only picks up transfers that are Ready, so check that stock is reserved when you expect it to be.
4. Decide the method per operation type before switching on any automation.

Step by step

1. Turn on the features. In Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings, under Operations, tick Batch, Wave & Cluster Transfers (and Packages for cluster picking). Under Warehouse, tick Storage Locations and Multi-Step Routes. Click Save.
2. Create a batch by hand. On the Inventory Overview, open the vertical ellipsis on an operation card such as Pick and choose Prepare Batch. Set Responsible (leave it blank if anyone can pick), Operation Type and Scheduled Date, then use Add a line on the Transfers tab to choose transfers. Click Confirm. From any transfers list you can also select transfers and use Actions ‣ Add to batch, choosing a new or existing batch, a Responsible, a Description and, if it isn’t ready yet, Draft.
3. Let Odoo build batches. Open Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Operation Types, then Pick (or Delivery Orders). In Batch & Wave Transfers, tick Automatic Batches and choose a Batch Grouping: Contact, Destination Country, Source Location, Destination Location, or Carrier once delivery methods are installed. Set Maximum lines and/or Maximum transfers. Auto-confirm, on by default, makes new batches ready to work; untick it to keep them in draft. When a transfer becomes Ready, Odoo adds it to an open batch that matches, or starts a new one.
4. Create a wave. On the operation card’s ellipsis menu, choose Prepare Wave. The pop-up lists move lines grouped by source location; filter by product or location, tick the lines and click Add to Wave, then choose a new or existing wave and a Responsible. Odoo splits the transfers so only those lines go into the wave. A wave can only hold lines from one operation type. For automatic waves, tick Automatic Batches on the operation type and choose a Wave Grouping: Product, Product Category (pick the categories) or, in the 19.0 code though not yet in the documentation, Location.
5. Prepare totes for cluster picking. In Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Package Types, create a type such as “Picking tote” with Package Use set to Reusable Box (totes). Then create one package per tote in Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Packages, for example TOTE-01.
6. Process the batch. Open Inventory ‣ Operations ‣ Batch Transfers and the batch. The Operations tab lists products and quantities; the Moves smart button opens the detailed operations, one line per product and location. For cluster picking, set each line’s Destination Package to that order’s tote. Click Validate. If you picked less than was reserved, Odoo asks whether to Create Backorder; transfers you didn’t validate leave the batch.
7. Or scan it (Enterprise). In the Barcode app, go to Operations, choose the operation type and open the batch. Lines are grouped by location and colour-coded by order, and a tote assigned to an order shows in italics under the product. Scan the location, product and tote, then Validate.

Which method fits?

Method	Fits	Trade-off
One transfer at a time	Few orders, or big orders with many lines	The most walking
Batch	Many small orders for popular products, stable demand	A sorting step after picking
Cluster	Many small orders of items that fit a tote	Totes and carts; batches prepared in advance; urgent orders can’t jump the queue
Wave	High volume where orders share products, categories or zones	Transfers are split, then sorted

Worked example: a distributor’s morning picking

An illustrative food and drinks distributor uses two-step delivery (Pick, then Delivery Orders). By 7:00 about 60 orders are confirmed, most with four to eight lines, and four vans leave at 10:00.

Setting	Value
Pick: Automatic Batches	Ticked
Batch Grouping	Source Location
Maximum transfers	8
Auto-confirm	Ticked
Package type	Picking tote, Reusable Box (totes)
Packages	TOTE-01 to TOTE-08

• Why Source Location: every pick starts in WH/Stock, so this grouping fills the open batch with Ready picks until it holds eight, then starts the next. Sixty orders make eight batches: seven of eight and one of four.
• Cluster picking: each picker takes a cart with eight totes, opens their batch and walks the lines in location order, putting each order’s items in its own tote. That’s eight walks round the racks instead of sixty.
• A wave for the heavy items: 20-litre water jars sit in a floor bay. The supervisor uses Prepare Wave, filters by the jar product and sends every jar line to the pallet-truck driver as one wave. Odoo splits those lines out of each pick; the rest stays in its batch.
• Loading: at packing, items are already separated by order. For loading, the dispatcher can set each delivery’s carrier to its van and add each van’s deliveries to a batch, as the dispatch documentation describes.

What you should see

• The Pick card on the Inventory Overview shows a Batches button with a count, and a Waves count once waves exist.
• Inventory ‣ Operations ‣ Batch Transfers and Wave Transfers list them, with each one’s responsible person.
• Each pick in a batch has a Batch smart button.
• In the batch’s detailed operations, each line shows its tote under Destination Package.

Troubleshooting

“If the Automatic Batches feature is enabled, at least one ‘Group by’ option must be selected.” Tick at least one batch or wave grouping on the operation type.

Transfers don’t join automatic batches. Only Ready transfers are batched. Check reservation, that the grouping field matches (two picks for different contacts never share a Contact batch), and the Maximum lines and Maximum transfers limits.

A batch grows while someone is picking it. With Auto-confirm on, Odoo also adds Ready transfers to batches already in progress. Set a limit, or untick Auto-confirm so transfers only join draft batches.

Source Location or Destination Location grouping is missing. These need Storage Locations and a default source or destination location on the operation type.

Carrier grouping is missing. It appears once delivery methods are installed (Delivery Methods in the Inventory settings).

Lines are missing from the detailed operations. Only reserved quantities appear there. Check the Operations tab and click Check Availability.

No Batch & Wave Transfers section on an operation type. It only shows on receipt, delivery and internal operation types, and only with the setting enabled.

Related setup

• How to set up a warehouse and storage locations in Odoo 19
• Shipping and receiving in Odoo
• Barcode in Odoo
• Backorders in Odoo 19
• Moving stock between branches: inter-warehouse resupply in Odoo
• Removal strategies in Odoo: FIFO, LIFO and FEFO
• Redesigning picking for a busy warehouse? See Odoo implementation.

Official references

• Odoo 19 documentation: Batch picking
• Odoo 19 documentation: Wave transfers
• Odoo 19 documentation: Cluster picking
• Odoo 19 documentation: Packages
• Odoo 19 documentation: Operation types
• Odoo 19 documentation: Two-step delivery
• Odoo 19 documentation: Process batch transfers in Barcode
• Odoo 19 documentation: Dispatch management system

How this guide was checked: menu paths, field names and behaviour were checked against the Odoo 19 documentation and the batch transfer code in Odoo 19 (operation type grouping, automatic batching and waves, the batch form and the carrier grouping) in October 2026. The worked example is illustrative and wasn’t run on a live database, so there are no screenshots; labels can vary slightly with your installed apps and language.

If picking is the bottleneck in your mornings, I can help you choose the method and set it up around your warehouse. See Odoo implementation.