Why do people say "off" referring to quantity?

[Glade]

I work in Manufacturing and when ordering components, subcontract fabrications etc we always order "3 off" when we want 3 parts.

It has always been this way in every company that I've worked in, but it just occurred to me I don't understand why.

Over to the grammar police

[Famous Graham]

Err...it's "of", not off.

As in "3 of part x"

It's a relatively common way to read out an order list as the supplier will be looking up the inventory first (whether by name or SKU/number). So it makes sense for the quantity to follow, rather than precede.

"Part X. Number 123456. 2 of.
Part Y. Number 490559. 6 of."

[shirt]

3off or 3no. i always us 'off'

no idea tbh, though someone who was around when isambard was a lad will probably know.

[ChandlerBing]

Famous Graham said:

Err...it's of.

As in "3 of part x"

It's a relatively common way to read out an order list

"Part X. Number 123456. 2 of.
Part Y. Number 490559. 6 of."

He did hand it over to the grammar police Off instead of of, we've all been there surely.

[750turbo]

ChandlerBing said:

Famous Graham said:

Err...it's of.

As in "3 of part x"

It's a relatively common way to read out an order list

"Part X. Number 123456. 2 of.
Part Y. Number 490559. 6 of."

He did hand it over to the grammar police Off instead of of, we've all been there surely.

Many many times.

I am now of/off to the pub.

You decide

[DomBertone]

We get 'off' sometimes and at a guess it is because we hold stock for them, so say we hold 100 of an item they would want 10 sent to them and knocked off the total stock amount....10 off...

or not, I am very much thinking out loud.

[750turbo]

750turbo said:

ChandlerBing said:

Famous Graham said:

Err...it's of.

As in "3 of part x"

It's a relatively common way to read out an order list

"Part X. Number 123456. 2 of.
Part Y. Number 490559. 6 of."

He did hand it over to the grammar police Off instead of of, we've all been there surely.

Many many times.

I am now of/off to the pub.

You decide

For some of/off their/there finest Ales.

<awaits abuse >

[scdan4]

i thought it was 'of', as would make sense when i was a young, keen new worker in one of my first jobs. I said as much out of confusion

I was corrected rather forthrightly by an old, died int he wool engineering dinosaur type (who if i remember rightly threatened to feed me into a lathe when I asked him if he was sure)

It is, industry wide, '3 off' It makes no sense. I've never seen 'of' used, and never been brave enough to challange, or use it since!

[AndyAudi]

Pioneer said:

Yeah but as the OP says a lot of people say 'off', I think it should be 'of'

agreed, it makes more sense to be "of" but I've come across the use of "off" more often (always wondered but never asked)

[GeraldSmith]

In UK manufacturing, particularly if it is defence orientated, it is 'off' not 'of'.

A theory is that it comes from the stores taking a number off their stock, but it could be an abbreviation for Material Take Off or Quantity Take Off, but wherever it comes from, it's definitely 'off'.

[Glade]

Pioneer said:

Famous Graham said:

Err...it's "of", not off.

As in "3 of part x"

It's a relatively common way to read out an order list as the supplier will be looking up the inventory first (whether by name or SKU/number). So it makes sense for the quantity to follow, rather than precede.

"Part X. Number 123456. 2 of.
Part Y. Number 490559. 6 of."

Yeah but as the OP says a lot of people say 'off', I think it should be 'of'

No misunderstanding - written quotes using "off".
(I find it difficult, I want to use "of" instead)

[eldar]

scdan4 said:

i thought it was 'of', as would make sense when i was a young, keen new worker in one of my first jobs. I said as much out of confusion

I was corrected rather forthrightly by an old, died int he wool engineering dinosaur type (who if i remember rightly threatened to feed me into a lathe when I asked him if he was sure)

It is, industry wide, '3 off' It makes no sense. I've never seen 'of' used, and never been brave enough to challange, or use it since!

1 off makes sense in manufacturing, as in a '1 off' rather than '1 of', meaning bespoke. Beyond that, no idea.

[Famous Graham]

Well, in that case, I reckon it was a cockup years ago by some halfwit who misheard and it then spread

[V8mate]

The technique of measuring quantities from drawings, sketches and specifications prepared by designers, principally architects and engineers, in order to prepare tender/contract documents, is known in the industry as taking off. The quantities of work taken off typically are used to prepare bills of quantities (BoQ), which usually are prepared in accordance with a published Standard Method of Measurement(SMM) as agreed to by the QS profession and representatives of the construction industry.




Source: Wikipedia

[miniman]

Famous Graham said:

Err...it's "of", not off.

As in "3 of part x"

It's a relatively common way to read out an order list as the supplier will be looking up the inventory first (whether by name or SKU/number). So it makes sense for the quantity to follow, rather than precede.

"Part X. Number 123456. 2 of.
Part Y. Number 490559. 6 of."

It's "off". Some discussion here:

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=179067

I was taught that it refers to stores / stock control - 2 off the total number on the shelf.

[paul.deitch]

I was taught that it refers to stores / stock control - 2 off the total number on the shelf.
^^^ exactly right.

Edited by paul.deitch on Sunday 25th September 20:55

[paul.deitch]

I was taught that it refers to stores / stock control - 2 off the total number on the shelf.
^^^ exactly right.

Edited by paul.deitch on Sunday 25th September 21:02

[Leptons]

Pesty said:

Because people are idiots

the same people 'brought' 3 off from the shop

You're an idiot.

HTH

I've been in Engineering 10 years. It's off, as in 'I need 3 finished parts to come off that machine'.

[miniman]

Pesty said:

Because people are idiots

the same people 'brought' 3 off from the shop

Yes of course, the engineers that built Concorde were idiots.

[scdan4]

miniman said:

I was taught that it refers to stores / stock control - 2 off the total number on the shelf.

A long lodged penny has just dropped. Makes perfect sense now.