Warehouse layout in Brazil: how to organise stock and bin locations

A warehouse layout is the plan that sets where receiving, storage, picking and dispatch sit, and how goods move between them. Combined with bin addressing, which gives every position a unique code (aisle, bay, level and slot), it cuts walking distance, picking errors and the time from order to dispatch in any warehouse in Brazil.

In many warehouses, pickers walk more than they work. They cross the building to fetch the best-selling product, stored at the back because that is where space was free the day it arrived. Multiply that by a few hundred orders a day and the problem stops being about tidiness and becomes a cost.

What is a warehouse layout?

A warehouse layout is the functional floor plan: where the docks, checking areas, racking, aisles, picking zone, packing and dispatch are. A good layout follows the flow of goods, with no crossings and no backtracking.

It answers three practical questions. Where does cargo come in and go out? How much space does each zone need at peak, not on average? Which products sit closest to dispatch? If you cannot answer the third, the rest of the design loses half its effect.

To see where the warehouse fits in the wider operation, from supplier to customer, our guide to what logistics is gives the full map.

Which flow should you choose: U, I or L?

The flow sets the route between the inbound and outbound docks. The choice depends mainly on the site, on how many sides of the building trucks can reach and on how much the operation varies during the year. The table compares the three most common shapes.

The U shape is the most common in small and mid-sized warehouses because it uses docks better and keeps fast movers close to both inbound and outbound. The I shape works well when goods barely stop, but it suits long-term storage poorly.

How does bin addressing work?

Bin addressing gives each physical position a unique, readable code. The usual pattern follows the hierarchy aisle, bay (or module), level and slot. Address A-03-02-1, for example, means aisle A, bay 3, second level, first slot.

For shelving, the logic is the same at a smaller scale: the shelving unit becomes the bay, the shelf becomes the level and the divider becomes the slot. A few rules prevent confusion:

• always number levels from the bottom up, across the whole building;
• use even numbers on one side of the aisle and odd on the other, so pickers know the direction without thinking;
• fix the location label to the racking, not to the box;
• reserve codes for special areas: quarantine, damaged goods, returns.

There are two ways to use addresses. With fixed locations, each product has its own slot. With random (variable) locations, the product goes to any free slot and the system records where. Variable addressing fills slots that would stay empty under a fixed model, but it only works with a warehouse management system or another control that records every putaway.

Where should each product go under ABC analysis?

Put the fastest movers closest to dispatch, between the picker's waist and shoulder height. ABC analysis ranks products by their share of movement, and that ranking decides the location. The calculation is explained in our guide to ABC inventory analysis.

For layout purposes, one detail matters: rank by how often an item is picked, not by revenue. An expensive product that ships once a week does not need the best slot. A BRL 2 label that appears in 40% of orders does.

Review the ranking every quarter and always before peak season. A seasonal product that was a C item in August can become an A item in November.

What does NR-11 require of a warehouse layout in Brazil?

NR-11, the Brazilian Labour Ministry's standard on transporting, moving, storing and handling materials, sets rules that shape the design directly. The main ones for layout:

• stored weight must not exceed the floor's calculated load capacity (item 11.3.1);
• materials must not block doors, firefighting equipment or emergency exits (item 11.3.2);
• stacked materials must sit at least 0.50 m from the building's side structures (item 11.3.3);
• the load arrangement must not hinder traffic, lighting or access to exits (item 11.3.4).

The same standard requires forklift operators to receive specific training and to work with an ID card showing name and photo, valid for one year (Source: Ministry of Labour and Employment, NR-11, last amended by Ordinance MTPS No. 505/2016, consulted October 2026). In practice, design aisles wide enough for the equipment you actually use, not the equipment you wish you had.

Which layout mistakes cost the most time?

The costliest mistakes are the ones repeated on every order. The ones that show up most in growing warehouses:

1. Storing wherever there is space that day, with no addressing rule.
2. Placing packing far from dispatch.
3. Using the receiving dock as temporary storage that becomes permanent.
4. Aisles too narrow for the forklift, forcing long manoeuvres.
5. Heavy items on high levels, needing equipment for every pick.
6. Returns with no area of their own, mixed with good stock.

The third mistake is the sneakiest. A full dock blocks the next delivery, which becomes another pallet on the dock, and within two weeks the warehouse has an "aisle" that exists in no system.

How do you redesign a layout without stopping operations?

Redesign by zone, in waves, starting with the fastest movers. Do not try to change everything over one weekend.

1. Measure first: orders per day, lines per order and average picking time.
2. Run ABC analysis by pick frequency.
3. Draw the new plan with NR-11 and equipment constraints.
4. Move A items to the prime slots first.
5. Update addresses in the system on the same day as each move.
6. Measure again after four weeks and compare.

If goods arrive palletised from suppliers, align pallet height and weight with your racking. Our guide on how to palletise cargo helps standardise this on the outbound side too.

Frequently asked questions about warehouse layout in Brazil

Sources

• Brazil Ministry of Labour and Employment: NR-11, transport, handling and storage of materials

From the right aisle to the right destination

A well-planned layout shortens the path from order to dock. If you sell abroad, the last step is making sure the packed parcel leaves Brazil with express transport, tracking and clearance at destination.

If your dispatch area is already set up to serve overseas customers, open a DHL Express business account and schedule pickups straight from your dock.