Takt Time Calculator
Takt time is the pace your line must run to meet demand. Enter available time and demand — and compare it to your cycle time to see if you can keep up.
Your takt time
How to calculate takt time
Takt time sets the rhythm of a lean line — the rate at which you must finish one unit to exactly keep up with customer demand. The formula:
Takt time = Available production time ÷ Customer demandUse the same units for both (minutes available, units demanded) and the result is the time you have per unit. Example: 450 minutes of available time and demand of 360 units gives a takt time of 75 seconds — you must complete one unit every 75 seconds.
Takt time vs. cycle time
Takt time is the pace demand requires. Cycle time is how fast your process actually runs. The relationship tells you everything:
- Cycle time < takt time — you can meet demand with capacity to spare.
- Cycle time > takt time — that step is a bottleneck; the line can't keep up.
Finding the step that breaks takt
On a real line with many stations, the question isn't just "what's my takt time" — it's "which station's cycle time blows past takt, and what happens to throughput if I fix it?" Comparing every station against takt by hand is exactly the tedium ManuMap removes: map the line, and it flags the steps that exceed takt and shows the capacity you'd unlock by addressing them.
FAQ
How do you calculate takt time?
Divide available production time by customer demand for the same period. 450 minutes ÷ 360 units = 75 seconds per unit.
What's the difference between takt time and cycle time?
Takt time is the required pace to meet demand; cycle time is your actual process speed. If cycle time exceeds takt time, you can't meet demand.
What if cycle time is greater than takt time?
That step is a bottleneck running slower than demand requires. You need to speed it up, add capacity, or rebalance work across the line.