Historical article example: a node reports 10 allocatable CPUs. A Pod requesting 10m with limit 11 CPU was placed; one requesting 11 CPU with the same limit remained Pending. Other constraints still apply.

The scheduler accounts for requests, not momentary utilization

Kubernetes scheduling answers whether a Pod can fit a node under the applicable resource requests and placement constraints. It does not simply look at a current CPU utilization chart and place work wherever the line is low. Requests provide accounting inputs for future demand; actual usage is a separate observation. Diagnose both before deciding that an idle-looking cluster has capacity for a particular Pod. ...

April 2, 2028 · 6 min · XB Field Notes