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Order Weight Calculation

When an order comes in, Pickpad works out how much it should weigh before the scale ever measures it. That prediction decides how many Pickpad trays the order needs, and it's what gets checked against the actual reading once the order is set down.

Step 1 — Match order items to the catalog​

For every dish and modifier in the order, Pickpad looks for a matching catalog record by External ID.

If a dish or modifier doesn't have a catalog entry, or has no weight set, it's counted as missing. Pickpad still predicts a weight for the items it did match, but it skips packaging weight unless every dish in the order was matched.

Step 2 — Sum food weight​

Each matched dish adds its catalog weight times the quantity ordered. Each modifier on that dish adds its own weight times the modifier quantity. Add it all up, and you get the total food weight.

Step 3 — Calculate the acceptable range​

For each dish and modifier, Pickpad works out an allowed deviation using the priority order described in Weight Settings — dish override first, then category, then the account default.

The deviation reported alongside the prediction is the weighted average across all items. It sets the range the scale reading is expected to land in:

acceptable range = predicted weight  ±  deviation

Step 4 — Add packaging weight​

If Pickpad knows the order type (pickup / delivery / dine-in) and every dish was matched, it checks the packaging rules on each category:

  • Figures out which packages apply to this order type
  • Works out how many packages are needed, based on dish count and items-per-package
  • Adds the package weight, multiplied by the number of packages, to the total

Packaging weight only gets added when the category has packaging configured, the package is enabled for that order type, and no dishes were missing.

Result​

Pickpad only produces a prediction when every dish and modifier in the order has a weight set in the catalog. If anything is missing a weight, the prediction is skipped and the raw scale reading is used as-is.

When it succeeds, you get the total expected weight in grams (food plus packaging) and the acceptable deviation range the scale reading should fall within.