Use this free online 5S audit checklist to score any work area against the five steps of 5S: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. Rate each of the 35 items from 0 to 5 and the tool adds up a subtotal for every step and a grand total out of 175.

Plan on roughly 15 minutes for each area you audit. Score conditions as you find them, then let the lowest numbers set your priorities. If you would rather audit on paper, get the free 5S Audit Scorecard PDF.

How to read your 5S audit results

The overall total is a quick health check for the area you audited. The step subtotals are more useful, because they point to the part of 5S that needs attention. The steps are not weighted equally, so convert each subtotal to a percentage before comparing. For example, 24 out of 30 in Sort (80%) beats 27 out of 45 in Shine (60%).

Total score	Percent	Level	Recommended focus
140 to 175	80% and up	Sustaining	The area runs on 5S habits. Stay on your audit schedule and work on whichever single items still score lowest.
105 to 139	60% to 79%	Established	The foundation is there, but conditions change depending on who is working. Standardize and Sustain tend to be the weak steps at this level. Post the standards, give everyone a weekly 5S task, and finish the open items from your last audit.
70 to 104	40% to 59%	Developing	Parts of the area are in good shape, mostly because of a few careful people. Put your effort into Set in Order: mark and label a home for every item, and mark aisles and walkways.
0 to 69	Below 40%	Getting started	Begin with Sort. Hold a red tag event to remove whatever the area does not use, then take the remaining steps one at a time.

One audit is a snapshot. Score the same area at regular intervals and watch the direction of the total.

How to audit a work area with this checklist

Choose a single area. Audit one cell, department, or zone at a time. Averaging a whole facility into one number buries the trouble spots.
Go and look. Do the audit on the floor during a normal shift. Score the conditions in front of you, not the way the area looks right after a cleanup or the way the procedure says it should look.
Rate every item from 0 to 5. Give a 0 when nothing has been done and a 5 when the item is completely in place. Apply the scale the same way each time, or the numbers will not be comparable.
Write down the results. Keep the subtotal for each step along with the total, and display them in the area so the team can see where things stand.
Choose two or three fixes. Give each one an owner and a due date. A short list gets finished. A long one usually does not.
Audit again on a schedule. New 5S programs benefit from an audit every week or two. Once scores level off, monthly is enough.

The five 5S steps and what the checklist looks for

Sort (6 items, 30 points)

The Sort section asks whether anything is in the area that the work does not need. You rate equipment, tools, furniture, spare parts, and paperwork, and confirm that tripping hazards are gone. When Sort scores low, clutter is using up floor space and making real problems harder to spot. A red tag event is the standard remedy. Attach 5S red tags to anything questionable, relocate those items to a holding area, and then decide what stays.

Set in Order (10 items, 50 points)

Once the extras are gone, Set in Order asks whether each remaining item has an obvious, marked home. This is the largest section of the checklist. Beyond equipment, tools, containers, and paperwork, it covers PPE-required areas, stop switches and breakers, fire suppression equipment, emergency exits, and the marking of aisles, forklift lanes, and pedestrian walkways. Visual cues do most of the work here. Use floor marking tape to outline aisles and storage spots, 5S labels to identify bins and shelves, floor signs to call out hazards and traffic routes, and foam tool organizers or pegboards to give every tool a place.

Shine (9 items, 45 points)

Shine looks at how clean the area is and whether cleaning happens as routine work. You rate tools, equipment, work surfaces, walls, floors, paperwork, containers, and signs. The last two items ask whether cleaning supplies are stored where people can find them and whether a cleaning schedule is posted and followed. An area that only looks good before a tour or an inspection usually has no working schedule. Put one up at the point of use with cleaning signs or a whiteboard.

Standardize (6 items, 30 points)

Standardize asks whether the gains from Sort, Set in Order, and Shine are locked in by a system. The checklist looks for items going back to their assigned locations, maintenance records that are easy to see, trash cans and other waste controls, working conditions that meet the standards that apply, and previous audit results that are posted and followed up. A low Standardize score means people are relying on memory. Visual controls such as 5S signs and uniform labels printed on a LabelTac label printer replace memory with something everyone can see.

Sustain (4 items, 20 points)

Sustain asks whether 5S keeps going when nobody is pushing it. The four items cover management participation in audits, an active incentive program, weekly 5S duties for every team member, and improvements the team makes on its own between audits. It is the smallest section, but it determines whether the other four steps hold. Education and daily reminders support it. Start with the free 5S Guide, Lean and 5S training materials, and 5S posters.

Need supplies for the next step? Browse all 5S products.

5S audit checklist questions

What is a 5S audit checklist?

A 5S audit checklist is a list of conditions to verify in a work area, grouped by the five steps of 5S: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. Scoring each item turns the audit into numbers you can track over time and compare from one area to another.

How does the 5S audit scoring work?

There are 35 items, and each one is rated from 0 to 5, so the highest possible total is 175. The steps carry different weights: Sort 30 points, Set in Order 50, Shine 45, Standardize 30, and Sustain 20. Subtotals and the total update automatically as you enter scores.

What score should a 5S audit get?

A total of 140 or more out of 175, which is 80%, points to a 5S program that is being sustained. A total from 105 to 139 shows a solid foundation that is not yet consistent. Whether the score is rising or falling from audit to audit tells you more than one result.

How often should 5S audits be done?

During a rollout, audit every week or every other week. After scores stabilize, once a month is typical. Score each area on its own and stick to a fixed schedule so the results stay comparable.

Who should conduct a 5S audit?

Most audits are led by the area supervisor or the 5S coordinator. Pairing that person with someone from another department helps, because an outsider notices things the regular crew has stopped seeing. Rotating auditors and bringing managers along keeps the scores fair and signals that leadership backs the program.