Cycle time is how long the process actually takes to complete one unit, measured as run time divided by units produced. It is a fact about your process, observed rather than chosen, and it is the number to compare against takt time to decide whether demand can be met at all. Where takt time is the beat demanded by the customer, cycle time is the beat the line is currently capable of holding.
Cycle time is often confused with lead time and with throughput time, and the three answer different questions. Cycle time is the interval between completed units at the end of the process. Throughput time is how long one unit spends inside the process from start to finish, including waiting. Lead time is what the customer experiences from order to delivery. A cell can have a two-minute cycle time and a three-day lead time without any contradiction.
In a multi-station line, cycle time is set by the slowest station, not the average. The ratio of cycle time to takt time is the balance figure: below 100% there is headroom, above it demand cannot be met without more time or more capacity. On the sample entries 540 units in 465 minutes is a cycle time of 0.861 minutes, 51.7 seconds, which against a 1.403 minute takt is 61.4% loaded.
The formula
Run time- Time the process was actually running
Units- Good units completed in that time
Cycle time- Run time ÷ units
Takt time- The demanded interval, for comparison
How to use this calculator
- Enter the run time observed, excluding stoppages.
- Enter the units completed during that run time.
- Enter the takt time you are working to.
- The gauge shows cycle time; the balance against takt and the sustainable output follow.
Worked examples
540 units in 465 minutes
Cycle time is 0.861 minutes, 51.7 seconds, or 69.68 units an hour. Against a takt of 1.403 minutes the line is 61.4% loaded, so demand is met with 32.5 seconds a unit to spare.
Where the line would break
At this cycle time an eight-hour shift produces 557 units. If demand pushed takt below 0.861 minutes the line could no longer keep up. A unit passing 6 stations at this rate spends 5.17 minutes in the process.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cycle time and lead time?
Cycle time is the interval between finished units. Lead time is what the customer waits from order to delivery, and includes queuing, batching and shipping. Lead time is usually many times longer.
Why is cycle time set by the slowest station?
Because units cannot leave the line faster than the bottleneck releases them. Improving any other station just builds work in progress in front of the bottleneck without raising output.
Should stoppages be included in run time?
Not for cycle time — use running time only, so you measure the process rather than the reliability. Downtime belongs in the availability term of OEE.
What if cycle time exceeds takt time?
Demand cannot be met as configured. The options are rebalancing work between stations, reducing the work content, adding a parallel station at the bottleneck, or extending production time.
Cycle time reference
| Run time | 100 units | 300 units | 540 units | 900 units | 1500 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 minutes | 72.0 s | 24.0 s | 13.3 s | 8.0 s | 4.8 s |
| 240 minutes | 144.0 s | 48.0 s | 26.7 s | 16.0 s | 9.6 s |
| 465 minutes | 279.0 s | 93.0 s | 51.7 s | 31.0 s | 18.6 s |
| 720 minutes | 432.0 s | 144.0 s | 80.0 s | 48.0 s | 28.8 s |
| 960 minutes | 576.0 s | 192.0 s | 106.7 s | 64.0 s | 38.4 s |
Run time excludes stoppages, so this measures the process rather than its reliability.
| Cycle time (s) | Units per hour | Load against takt | Units in an 8-hour shift | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 80.0 | 53.5% | 640 | meets demand |
| 60 | 60.0 | 71.3% | 480 | meets demand |
| 75 | 48.0 | 89.1% | 384 | meets demand |
| 84 | 42.8 | 100.0% | 342 | short of demand |
| 95 | 37.9 | 112.9% | 303 | short of demand |
| 110 | 32.7 | 130.7% | 262 | short of demand |
Takt is 1.403 minutes (84.2 seconds). Anything above that cannot meet demand without more production time.