Two-bin inventory control is a system used to determine when items or materials used in production should be replenished. When items in the first bin have been depleted, an order is placed to refill or replace them. The second bin is then supposed to have enough items to last until the order for the first bin arrives. In short, the first bin has a minimum of working stock, and the second bin keeps reserve stock or remaining material.

The two-bin inventory control method is also sometimes referred to as kanban, which is strongly associated with the just-in-time (JIT) method of a manufacturing process.