What are FBA capacity limits?

They are monthly limits on how much inventory you can store in Amazon's fulfillment centers for each storage type, measured in cubic feet. The limit includes stock on hand and shipments not yet received, and Amazon sets it from IPI, forecasts, lead time and network capacity.

When does Amazon update FBA capacity limits?

Amazon announces limits for the coming month during the third full week of each month, through the Capacity Monitor in Seller Central and by email. It also shows estimated limits for the following two months, giving you a three-month planning view.

How do I increase my FBA capacity limit?

Improve your IPI by selling through or removing excess and aged stock, fixing stranded listings and keeping best sellers in stock. You can also request extra space in Capacity Manager by offering a reservation fee, which performance credits can offset if the stock sells.

What happens if I go over my FBA capacity limit?

Amazon charges a capacity overage fee per cubic foot for on-hand inventory above your limit, and new shipments for that storage type can be held back until you are back under it. Check the current fee and your usage in the Capacity Monitor in Seller Central.

Does IPI affect FBA capacity limits?

Yes. Amazon lists the Inventory Performance Index as one of the main influences on capacity limits, alongside sales forecasts, shipment lead time and fulfillment center capacity. A higher IPI, driven by strong sell-through and little excess or stranded stock, supports higher limits.

Amazon FBA Capacity Limits: How They Work and How to Grow

What changed: Monthly FBA storage limits per storage type, measured in cubic feet
When: Monthly system since March 1, 2023; limits announced in the third full week of each month
Who it affects: All FBA sellers subject to capacity limits
What to do: Check the Capacity Monitor monthly and plan inbound shipments around it

Key takeaways

Capacity limits are monthly, per storage type and measured in cubic feet, including open shipments.
IPI, sales forecasts, lead time and network space set your limit; Capacity Manager can add more.
Keep most stock upstream and replenish FBA in small, frequent shipments.

1Week 3
Amazon sets next month's limit
2Check monitor
Usage, open shipments, estimates
3Plan inbound
Stay under the cubic feet cap
4Need more?
Bid in Capacity Manager
5Sell through
Credits offset the fee

What are Amazon FBA capacity limits?

Capacity limits are the maximum volume of inventory you can have in Amazon's network for each storage type, such as standard size, oversize, apparel, footwear or dangerous goods. Amazon replaced separate weekly restock limits and quarterly storage limits with a single monthly capacity limit per storage type on March 1, 2023.

The limit counts inventory on hand plus shipments you have created but Amazon has not yet received. Amazon still shows an estimated unit count, but the limit itself is in cubic feet, so bulky products use up capacity much faster than small ones.

How Amazon sets your capacity limit

Amazon says limits are influenced by four things:

Your Inventory Performance Index (IPI) score
Sales forecasts for your ASINs
Shipment lead time from creating a shipment to stock being received
Available fulfillment center capacity across the network
Limits are shown for next month plus estimates for the two months after

How the capacity system works

1monthly limit per storage type

3 moconfirmed plus estimated view

100%max fee offset by credits

cu ftunit of measurement

Source: Amazon, FBA capacity announcement and Seller Forums

Where to check your limits

Open the Capacity Monitor in Seller Central, in the inventory planning tools. It shows your confirmed limit for the current and next month, estimated limits for the two months after that, current usage and open shipments, by storage type. Amazon also emails new limits when they are set in the third full week of each month.

Check it before every purchase order, not just before shipping. Ordering stock you cannot send means paying for warehouse space somewhere else.

What happens if you exceed your capacity limit?

If your on-hand inventory, excluding open shipments, goes above your limit, Amazon charges a capacity limit overage fee per cubic foot of excess space. Amazon calculates it against the highest estimated or confirmed limit for the period. New shipments for that storage type can also be held back while you are at or over the limit.

The practical cost is often bigger than the fee: a blocked shipment can cause a stockout, and stockouts hurt organic rank and ad performance. Our post on Amazon stockouts and rank explains the knock-on effects.

Capacity Manager and reservation fees

Capacity Manager lets you request extra space for a month by naming a reservation fee per cubic foot. Amazon grants requests starting with the highest fee until the capacity available through the program is allocated. When extra space is granted, sales made using it earn performance credits that can offset up to 100% of the reservation fee, so you pay nothing extra if the products sell through.

Only bid for capacity you are confident will sell. Unsold stock in reserved space costs the reservation fee plus normal storage.

How to increase your FBA capacity limits

IPI is the lever you control most directly. These actions raise it and the limits that follow.

Sell through excess stock with promotions or price changes
Remove or liquidate aged and stranded inventory
Fix stranded listings so stock is sellable again
Keep best sellers in stock to protect sell-through
Shorten lead times by shipping smaller loads more often
Use Amazon Warehousing and Distribution or a 3PL as an upstream buffer

Raise your IPI and limits

Clear excess stock
Remove aged units
Fix stranded listings
Keep winners in stock
Ship smaller, more often

Planning inventory around capacity limits

Treat FBA as a forward store, not your main warehouse. Keep most stock upstream at a 3PL or in Amazon Warehousing and Distribution, and replenish FBA every few weeks based on sales velocity. This keeps you under your limit, cuts storage and aged inventory fees, and lets you react quickly if Amazon lowers next month's estimate.

For Q4, plan earlier. Storage costs far more from October to December, so bring in holiday stock in stages. Our FBA restock limits guide covers shipment-level planning, and our Amazon FBA fees guide shows the storage cost side.

Capacity limits and new sellers

Newer sellers often have limited sales history, so Amazon's forecast has less to work with. Start with fast-moving products, avoid over-ordering for the first shipment and build sell-through history. Products that sell steadily earn better limits over time than large first shipments that sit in storage. If capacity blocks you, a hybrid model with merchant fulfilment can help; see FBA vs FBM.

Where PPC Spider helps

PPC Spider's FBA inventory management service forecasts demand per ASIN and plans replenishment around capacity limits. SpiderOS monitors stock alongside bids, budgets and search terms so ads slow down before stock runs out. For a review of your IPI and capacity usage, book a free Amazon audit.

Sources

Amazon: Announcing a new streamlined FBA capacity management system (sell.amazon.com/blog/announcements/fba-capacity)
Amazon Seller Forums: Simplified FBA capacity limits announcement and Q&A (sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/3c9cef3c-530b-4846-a3b3-a855ed62f241)
Sellerboard: FBA storage fees, the silent margin killer, July 2026 (blog.sellerboard.com/2026/07/14/fba-storage-fees-the-silent-margin-killer-and-how-to-model-them-per-sku/)

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