How to read Check Item Availability to find when a sales order quantity can ship in NetSuite

The quick answer

On the sales order line, click the Check Item Availability icon beside Expected Ship Date. The popup shows the Earliest Available Date for the quantity on the line, and below it a table of dates with Supply, Demand, Balance and Availability. The date is the first one on which the running balance covers the quantity. In the example the line asks for 200, 20 are available now, and purchase orders add 120 on 10/21/2026 and 150 on 10/28/2026, so the balance is 140 on the first date and 290 on the second, and the answer is 10/28/2026.

The example is DB-3X Drill Bit 3x Internal Coolant at the Tacoma location, ordered by Lakeshore Machine Works for 200 on 10/14/2026. There are 60 on hand, and 40 of them are committed to other orders. The company, user, customer, item and quantities are fictional and independent of any real account, and your numbers will differ.

Before you start

This is the classic Available to Promise popup. It needs the Available to Promise feature turned on (Setup > Company > Enable Features, Items & Inventory), an item with an ATP Method, and an order line with a location. If your account uses Supply Allocation, a line that allocates supply works differently: it shows Supply Required By Date with an Earliest Availability icon in that column, and its Expected Ship Date is calculated and read-only. In that mode the classic popup described here is the one for a line that does not take part in Supply Allocation, for example one set to a strategy that declines allocation, where your account shows the classic link. This was not tested here. In a production account checked on 10/14/2026 with Supply Allocation on, a default allocating sales order line had a read-only Expected Ship Date with no icon beside it, so look at your own line before you rely on this popup to promise a date.

The popup is an inquiry. Opening it does not reserve supply, commit stock or allocate anything, and this walkthrough closes it without saving the order. NetSuite's own guidance, checked with its expert answers rather than in the recording, is that the classic popup does not write the Earliest Available Date into Expected Ship Date and that the order stores no copy of the calculation. Neither of the two videos this lesson is based on saves the order, so enter the date you promise yourself and check the saved line afterwards.

01 · Start the order line

Go to Transactions > Sales > Enter Sales Orders and select Customer Lakeshore Machine Works. Location Tacoma is already set. On the Items subtab, select Item DB-3X and enter Quantity 200. The line shows On Hand 60 and Available 20, far short of 200, because 40 of the 60 on hand are committed to other orders.

Click the small Check Item Availability icon beside Expected Ship Date. Under Primary Information the popup shows Location Tacoma, Item DB-3X, Quantity 200, Quantity Remaining 200 and the Earliest Available Date, 10/28/2026. Quantity Remaining is the part of the line that has neither shipped nor been committed, which is all 200 on a new line.

03 · Read the item figures

Scroll to Item Information. ATP Method is Cumulative ATP with Look Ahead, Quantity On Hand is 60, Quantity Available is 20 and Quantity Committed is 40. Lead Time is 7 DAYS and Safety Stock Level is 0. Quantity Available is lower than Quantity On Hand because committed stock is already spoken for.

04 · Check how the date is reached

Read the table under Item Information. It lists 10/14/2026 with supply 20 and balance 20, 10/21/2026 with supply 120 and balance 140, and 10/28/2026 with supply 150 and balance 290. The first row is today, and in both source videos its Supply equals the Quantity Available shown above it, assuming no other demand or allocation affects the item at that location. Each later row adds the supply arriving that day and subtracts demand, so the balance carries forward.

The balance on 10/21/2026, 140, does not cover 200, so the first purchase order's date is not the answer. The balance on 10/28/2026, 290, does, so 10/28/2026 is the earliest date the whole quantity can ship. The Supply figure on a row that comes from an order is a link: in the primary source video it leads to the purchase order behind the number, and NetSuite's expert guidance is that it opens the supply detail for that date, from which the order number opens the order. It is not part of this walkthrough.

Click Close. Expected Ship Date is still empty and the order has not been saved. The 20 available now and the complete-order date of 10/28/2026 are what you can quote. The customer can take the 20 now and the balance later, or wait for the complete order on 10/28/2026.

Check the result

Earliest Available Date: the popup read 10/28/2026 for a quantity of 200.
Balance: 140 on 10/21/2026 did not cover 200, and 290 on 10/28/2026 did.
The line: Expected Ship Date is empty and nothing was saved.

Common questions

What does Earliest Available Date mean in Check Item Availability?

It is the first date on which the projected balance covers the quantity still to be supplied, which is the line quantity that has neither shipped nor been committed. It is a calculation for that item and location, so other demand, supply, order status and receipt dates can change it.

Why is the date later than my first purchase order?

The table is cumulative. The first purchase order brought the balance to 140, which does not cover 200, so the date waits for the second purchase order, 10/28/2026, when the balance reaches 290.

Why is Quantity Available lower than Quantity On Hand?

Committed quantity is already spoken for. In the example 40 of the 60 on hand are committed to other orders, so 20 are available.

Does opening Check Item Availability reserve stock or fill in Expected Ship Date?

Opening it reserves nothing, commits nothing and does not change the order. NetSuite's expert guidance is that the classic popup does not copy the Earliest Available Date into Expected Ship Date and that the order stores no copy of the calculation. The two videos behind this lesson never save the order, so enter the date you promise yourself and check the saved line afterwards.

Why do I see Earliest Availability instead of Check Item Availability?

When Supply Allocation controls the line, the Earliest Availability icon in the Supply Required By Date column replaces the classic popup, and Expected Ship Date is calculated and read-only. The classic popup is the one for a line that does not take part in Supply Allocation, where your account exposes the classic link. Look at your own line first.

Can I change the Quantity in the popup?

The Quantity is editable. Reported behavior is that changing it recalculates the date, that OK applies the new quantity to the line and that Close discards the change. This walkthrough uses Close and does not change the quantity.

How do lead time and safety stock change the date?

Reported behavior is that safety stock is shown as item information and is not a dated supply or demand row, and that lead time is not added to each purchase order's date: here 10/28/2026 comes from the 10/28 receipt, not from 10/28 plus 7 days. When supply never covers the quantity, the date may fall back to today plus the lead time. The example sets Safety Stock Level to 0 and none of this was tested, so test your own item settings before promising from them.

What can I tell the customer?

You can offer the 20 available now and the balance later, or the complete order on the Earliest Available Date. Confirm the supply behind the date, such as the purchase order's receipt date, before you promise it.