Product lead times and preparation time
Updated 19 August 2026
Two similar-sounding actions, one important difference:
| Action | What it moves | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation time before shipping | The dispatch date. "We need N days before this can leave" | Made-to-order, engraving, baking, builds |
| Delivery lead time | The delivery date. "The customer can't have it for N days" | Simple "not before N days" promises |
Prep time then flows through transit like any dispatch: 2 days prep + 2 days transit = first delivery in 4 days. Lead time sets the delivery floor directly, regardless of transit.
Set them up
- Product & customer rules → Add rule (or the "Set a 3-day delivery lead time" template).
- When: target the products by group, collection, tag, or a product or variant metafield. A metafield suits lead times that already live on the product as data.
- Then: choose Set preparation time or Set delivery lead time and the number of days. Prep time can count business days so weekends don't count as making time.
- Save.
Behaviour worth knowing
- Cutoff-aware: prep days count from the first dispatch day that hasn't missed your cutoff. A 1-day-prep order placed after today's cutoff dispatches in 2 days, not 1.
- Mixed carts take the longest lead. A 3-day item plus an off-the-shelf item = a 3-day cart.
- Metafield-driven lead times scale: one rule reading
custom.lead_time_dayscovers your whole catalogue, managed from the product admin (or in bulk). - Per-product fixed windows, meaning earliest and latest dates on one product, also suit date-locked items such as event boxes. Use Set earliest/latest delivery date with specific products.
- Lead times show up honestly everywhere: picker, checkout, and customer rescheduling all respect them.