Cycle Time Calculator
Find your cycle time per unit and hourly throughput from your run time and output — and see how it stacks up against the pace demand requires.
Your cycle time
How to calculate cycle time
Cycle time is how long a process takes to make one unit, measured from the output side:
Cycle time = Net production time ÷ Units producedUse your actual run time (exclude breaks and downtime) and the units completed in that window. Example: 300 minutes of run time and 600 units gives a cycle time of 30 seconds per unit, or a throughput of 120 units per hour.
Cycle time vs. takt time vs. lead time
- Cycle time — actual time to produce one unit at a step.
- Takt time — the pace you must hit to meet demand. Cycle time above takt = you fall behind.
- Lead time — total elapsed time from order to delivery, including all the waiting in between.
The slowest cycle time wins
On a multi-step line, the station with the longest cycle time sets the pace for everything — it's your bottleneck. Speeding up any other station does nothing for total output. Finding that one station, and quantifying what fixing it is worth, is exactly what ManuMap does once you map the line.
FAQ
How do you calculate cycle time?
Divide net production (run) time by the number of units produced in that time. 300 min ÷ 600 units = 30 seconds per unit.
What's the difference between cycle time and takt time?
Cycle time is your actual process speed; takt time is the pace demand requires. Cycle time above takt means you can't keep up.
Is cycle time the same as lead time?
No. Cycle time is active processing time per unit; lead time is total elapsed time from order to delivery, including queues and waiting.