Cycle time calculator with takt time and units per hour

Cycle time is the time it takes to complete one unit of work from start to finish: one online order picked and packed, one customer served at the till, one tray of candles poured. This free cycle time calculator divides the time you watched the work by the units finished in it, then shows the result in minutes, as minutes and seconds, and as units per hour. Add the working time in a day and the units needed to compare it with takt time.

The calculation uses only the numbers you type. Nothing is saved or sent.

How to use the calculator

1. Time the task during normal work, such as an hour of packing orders or one full production run. Enter the time in Time observed, hours and Plus minutes observed, or leave the hours at 0 and enter it all as minutes.
2. Enter Units completed in that time: orders packed, customers served or items made. Count only finished units.
3. Enter the People working on the task at the same time, or 0 to skip.
4. For takt time, enter Working time available per day, hours and Units needed per day. Enter 0 in both to skip them.
5. Select Calculate, or Use example to load the worked example below.

Cycle time formula

Cycle time = time observed ÷ units completed

Units per hour = 60 ÷ cycle time in minutes

Takt time = working time available ÷ units needed

Work time per unit = cycle time × people working

The Lean Enterprise Institute's cycle time entry describes it as the time to produce a part or complete a process, timed by actual measurement. So time real work rather than guessing. A stretch of time divided by the units finished gives an average cycle time, which includes the short pauses in that stretch.

When one person works on one unit at a time, the cycle time is also how long each unit takes. When two people pack side by side, the team finishes an order twice as often as each person does. The calculator's cycle time is the team's pace, and the work time per unit is the minutes of work in each one. Office and software teams use the same idea: the Kanban Guide measures cycle time as the elapsed time between when a work item started and when it finished.

Takt time vs cycle time

Takt time is the pace that demand sets. Cycle time is the pace you actually work at. The institute's takt time entry calculates it as available production time divided by customer demand: 480 minutes and 240 widgets a day give a takt time of two minutes.

If the cycle time is at or under the takt time, the work keeps up. If it is over, a queue builds: orders wait to ship, or customers wait in line. A cycle time equal to the takt time leaves no room for an interruption, so aim a little under it.

Cycle time example: packing online orders

Meadow Corner, a fictional gift shop, timed two staff packing online orders for an hour and a half. These are the figures that Use example loads:

90 minutes ÷ 36 orders gives a cycle time of 2.5 minutes, or 2:30 per order, so the pair packs 24 orders an hour. Six hours and 120 orders set a takt time of 360 ÷ 120 = 3 minutes. They keep up with 30 seconds to spare on each order and could pack 144 in a day. Each order holds 5 minutes of work, and 5 ÷ 3 = 1.67, so one person could not keep up alone but two can.

The same sums work for a production run. If Meadow Corner pours 90 candles in 3 hours, the cycle time is 180 ÷ 90 = 2 minutes per candle, or 30 candles an hour.

Use cycle time to plan the work

• Staff the busy hour. If a sale at the till takes 1:30 on average and 40 customers arrive in the busiest hour, that hour's takt time is 60 ÷ 40 = 1.5 minutes. One till only just keeps up, so put a second person on the staff rota before the queue starts. See how to avoid being short-staffed.
• Cost the time. Multiply the work time per unit by an hourly cost from the staff cost calculator to see the labor in each order.
• Write down the faster way. When one person's cycle time is reliably shorter, record their method with the SOP generator, then time the task again. Keep improvement ideas on a simple taskboard.
• Get the working time right. Take paid hours from the timesheet calculator, subtract breaks, and turn a time such as 7:30 into 7.5 hours with the hours-to-decimal converter.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the cycle time calculator without an account?

Yes. Enter the figures and calculate. Nothing is saved or sent, so use Copy result to keep the figures and steps.

How to calculate cycle time?

Time the work, count the units finished in that time and divide the minutes by the units. 90 minutes for 36 orders is 90 ÷ 36 = 2.5 minutes per order.

What is cycle time?

The time it takes to complete one unit of work from start to finish, measured on real work: one order packed or one customer served in a shop, one item made on a production run.

Is the result an average cycle time?

Yes. Individual units vary, so time two or three stretches of normal work and compare them, because one fast or slow stretch can mislead.

Cycle time vs lead time: what is the difference?

Lead time is the customer's whole wait, from placing an order to receiving it, including time the order sits untouched in a queue. Cycle time counts only the time to complete one unit, so it is usually much shorter.

Can I use it as a takt time calculator?

Yes. Enter the two takt fields: 6 hours (360 minutes) for 120 orders is a takt time of 3 minutes per order. The calculator also needs one timed stretch of work, so it can compare your cycle time with that pace.

How many people do I need to keep up?

Divide the work time per unit by the takt time and round up. The steps show this when you enter the people working and both takt fields. It assumes each person works at the same pace and the work can be shared.

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