What does “paleciak” mean?

It is the colloquial name for a pallet truck – a manual or electric truck used to move pallets across the floor. A forklift is used to lift pallets onto high racks.

What is the difference between a PZ and a WZ document?

A PZ (przyjęcie zewnętrzne) confirms that goods have arrived at the warehouse. A WZ (wydanie zewnętrzne) confirms that goods have left the warehouse for a customer.

How do I report in Polish that the scanner is not working?

Say: Skaner się zawiesił or Skaner się rozładował. When it does not read one code: Skaner nie czyta tego kodu, wpisać ręcznie?

How do I say that there are too few goods?

Use the verb “brakować” with the genitive: Brakuje jednego kartonu, Brakuje pięciu sztuk. You can also say: Ilość się nie zgadza.

Warehouse vocabulary in Polish – glossary and phrases for warehouse workers

Study plan: one table a day

Learn the words in groups – one table a day is a good pace, and after a week you will have gone through the whole glossary. For nouns we sometimes give the plural (l.mn.), because in a warehouse almost everything is counted in pieces, cartons and pallets. The glossary is part of our Polish courses for work and supplements the Polish course for warehouse and logistics, and general phrases, e.g. about your schedule and pay, are collected in our set of everyday phrases.

Places in the warehouse

First learn the names of places, because almost every instruction starts with them: “idź na…” (go to…), “odstaw do…” (put it back in…), “weź z…” (take it from…).

Places in the warehouse
Polish word	Meaning and situation
rampa	a raised area by a gate where a lorry pulls up; Auto stoi na rampie trzy.
brama, dok	an entrance with a ramp for one lorry, usually numbered
regał (l.mn. regały)	a metal structure with shelves for pallets and cartons
alejka	the passage between racks
lokalizacja	the exact place of the goods: aisle, rack, level, slot
poziom	height on a rack; level zero is the floor
strefa kompletacji	the part of the warehouse where goods are collected for orders
bufor	a place where goods wait for further work
strefa wysyłek	the goods ready to leave are kept here
przyjęcia	the department that receives and checks goods from suppliers
zwroty	the department where goods sent back by customers go

Goods and packaging

You hear these words at every pallet – especially when counting and checking that a delivery matches. How to combine numbers with nouns is explained in our guide to Polish numerals.

Goods and packaging
Polish word	Meaning and situation
towar	the things that a warehouse receives, stores and issues
paleta (l.mn. palety, pięć palet)	a wooden or plastic base for goods
europaleta	a pallet of a standard size, marked EUR or EPAL
karton	a cardboard box; Karton jest zgnieciony.
paczka	goods packed for one customer
sztuka (szt.)	one item; trzy sztuki, pięć sztuk
warstwa	one level of cartons on a pallet
folia stretch	transparent film that is wrapped around a pallet
etykieta	a sticker with a code and a description of the goods
kod kreskowy	the stripes on a label that the scanner reads
numer partii	the number of goods produced together, important for complaints
data ważności	the day until which a product can be sold or used
uszkodzenie	the goods are destroyed: crushed, wet, torn

Equipment and devices

It is worth knowing both the official and the colloquial names of equipment – on the shop floor you will hear “paleciak” more often than “wózek paletowy”.

Equipment in the warehouse
Polish word	Meaning and situation
wózek widłowy (colloquially: widlak)	a machine with forks for lifting and moving pallets
wózek paletowy (colloquially: paleciak)	a manual or electric truck for moving pallets across the floor
wózek wysokiego składowania	a truck that puts pallets on high rack levels
widły	the two long parts of a truck that go under a pallet
skaner, terminal	a device for reading codes; the terminal has a screen with tasks
owijarka	a machine that wraps a pallet in film
nożyk do kartonów	a knife with a retractable blade; always retract the blade after use
taśma klejąca	tape for sealing cartons
ładowarka	a device for charging a scanner or a truck battery

Work in the warehouse – activities

The verbs in this table are the basis of instructions – note that in an instruction the manager uses the imperative, e.g. skompletuj, przesuń, policz.

Activities in the warehouse
Polish word	Meaning and situation
rozładunek / rozładować	taking goods out of a lorry
załadunek / załadować	putting goods into a lorry
przyjęcie towaru	checking that a delivery matches the document
kompletacja / kompletować zamówienie	collecting goods from locations for one order
uzupełnić lokalizację	bringing goods from stock to the picking place
przesunięcie	moving goods to another location (also in the system)
pakowanie / zapakować	putting goods into a carton and sealing it
owinąć paletę	securing a pallet with film
wysyłka	preparing and releasing goods to a customer
inwentaryzacja	counting all the goods in the warehouse
norma, wydajność	how much work has to be done in an hour or per shift
rozbieżność	the difference between the document and what actually arrived

Documents and shift organisation

Abbreviations dominate warehouse documents – the ones below you will meet in almost every warehouse.

Documents, shifts and people
Polish word	Meaning and situation
PZ (przyjęcie zewnętrzne)	the document for receiving goods from a supplier
WZ (wydanie zewnętrzne)	the document for issuing goods from the warehouse
list przewozowy	a document that travels with the goods; in international transport it is the CMR
protokół rozbieżności	a document you fill in when goods are missing or damaged
zmiana (pierwsza, druga, nocna)	the working time of one group of workers; colloquially “nocki” means night shifts
odprawa	a short meeting at the start of the shift – the manager says what has to be done
kierownik zmiany, lider, brygadzista	the people who give instructions and are responsible for the shift
grafik	a plan of who works on which days and which shift
nadgodziny	work longer than in the schedule
lista obecności	a list you sign to confirm that you were at work
L4	colloquially: sick leave certificate

How to read a location aloud

A location is read in order: aisle, rack, level, slot – you say the numbers as ordinary numerals and the letters as in the alphabet. The order and format depend on the system in a given warehouse, but the principle is similar:

C-12-03-B – alejka ce, regał dwanaście, poziom trzy, miejsce be.

Zeskanuj C, dwanaście, trzy, B. – the manager often shortens the instruction to just the symbols.

Health and safety phrases in the warehouse

You must understand health and safety phrases from the first day – a warning near a forklift gives you only a second to react.

Safety in the warehouse
Phrase	What it means and what you do
Uwaga, wózek!	a forklift is coming – stop and get out of the way
Stój!	stop immediately
Nie przechodź pod ładunkiem.	do not walk under a raised pallet
Zakaz wstępu. / Wstęp tylko dla upoważnionych.	you may not enter here without permission
Załóż kamizelkę odblaskową.	a bright-coloured vest so that the truck driver can see you
Buty ochronne obowiązkowe.	on the shop floor you walk only in safety shoes
Chodź wyznaczonym przejściem.	you walk only along the marked pedestrian lines
Nie podnoś sam, to za ciężkie.	ask a colleague or use equipment
Regał jest uszkodzony – zgłoś to.	tell the shift manager and do not put goods there
wyjście ewakuacyjne, apteczka, gaśnica	an exit in case of fire, a first-aid kit, firefighting equipment

Dialogues from the warehouse

Short dialogues show how the words from the glossary sound in a real conversation. Read them aloud and swap roles.

Odprawa (briefing)

– Dzień dobry. Dziś macie trzy auta do rozładunku, potem kompletacja.
– Na którą rampę przyjeżdża pierwsze auto?
– Na czwórkę, o siódmej.
– Dobrze. Kto sprawdza dokumenty?
– Ty. Jak coś się nie zgadza, od razu do mnie.

Brak towaru (missing goods)

– Czemu to zamówienie jeszcze stoi?
– Na lokalizacji brakuje dwóch kartonów. Skaner pokazuje dziesięć, a jest osiem.
– Sprawdź w buforze. Jak nie ma, zgłoś rozbieżność w systemie.
– Dobrze, zaraz sprawdzę.

Uszkodzona paleta (damaged pallet)

– Proszę pana, ta paleta jest uszkodzona. Folia jest rozerwana, a dwa kartony są mokre.
– Zrób zdjęcie i nie przyjmuj tego towaru.
– Spisać protokół?
– Tak, kierowca musi go podpisać.

In the trial lesson you will role-play a briefing or a report of missing goods with your teacher – just as it happens in your warehouse.

Warehouse vocabulary – understand the briefing, instructions and documents on your shift