How this calculator works
Cycle time answers a shop-floor question: how much working time does one unit consume. In the simple form it is the length of a run divided by the units it turned out. In the weekly form the calculator first subtracts lunch and other breaks from each day, multiplies the paid working hours by the number of days actually worked, and then divides by the week output. Breaks are removed because no unit is made while the line is stopped.
Formula
cycle time = available production time / units produced. Weekly available time = (hours in the working day - lunch break - other breaks) x working days per week. Units per hour = 3600 / cycle time in seconds.
Worked example
A run of 8 hours produces 320 units, so the cycle time is 28,800 s / 320 = 90 s per unit, or 40 units per hour. In the weekly form, a 5 day week with 8 hour days, a 30 minute lunch and 30 minutes of other breaks leaves 7 hours a day, or 35 hours a week; 1,600 units across that week gives 78.75 s per unit.
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Frequently asked questions
Is cycle time the same as takt time?
No. Cycle time is how long your process actually takes per unit. Takt time is the pace the customer demands, found by dividing available time by customer demand. Comparing the two shows whether the line is fast enough.
Should breaks count as production time?
Only if units are still made during them. The weekly form subtracts planned breaks because a stopped line produces nothing; planned maintenance should be subtracted too.
Why is the answer in seconds by default?
Seconds keep short cycle times readable. Switch the unit selector to minutes or hours for long cycles, or read the units per hour figure to judge capacity.
Does cycle time include waiting between units?
Yes when it is measured over a whole run, because idle gaps inside the measured window are part of the elapsed time. A stopwatch on one station measures only that station.