stock on hand

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablebusiness

   The goods a business currently has available to sell or use, counted at a particular moment.

   Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun: our stock on hand is low, not 'stocks on hand' for goods.

   Patterns

   • check the stock on hand
   • stock on hand of something

   We checked the stock on hand before placing a new order.

   The shop reduced its stock on hand before the annual count.

   Our stock on hand of winter coats ran out by December.

2. 2noununcountablebusinessspecialist

   In accounting, the quantity or value of inventory recorded as owned and available at the end of a period.

   Grammar: Usually appears in reports and spreadsheets.

   Patterns

   • stock on hand at the end of the month

   The balance sheet shows stock on hand worth fifty thousand dollars.

   Finance compares stock on hand with sales each quarter.

   Errors in the stock on hand figure distorted the profit report.

Common combinations

check stock on hand

Please check stock on hand before you promise delivery.

low stock on hand

The warehouse has low stock on hand for printer ink.

count stock on hand

Staff count stock on hand every Friday.

adequate stock on hand

The pharmacy keeps adequate stock on hand for flu season.

stock on hand report

The manager asked for a stock on hand report.

Synonyms and how they differ

inventory

It is a broader word for all goods held and also names the list of them.

available stock

It is more neutral and does not suggest a count taken at a given moment.

supplies

It refers to materials needed for use, rather than goods for sale.

Opposites

Word family

stock noun

goods kept for sale

stock verb

to keep goods available

stocktake noun

a count of goods in a store

stockroom noun

a room where goods are kept

Commonly confused: stock on hand or in stock?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “stock on hand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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