Takt time vs cycle time calculator.
Enter the shift, its breaks and what the customer needs to get takt time, then add a cycle time, or time a run, to see whether the line keeps up.
Takt time vs cycle time, side by side.
Takt time is the pace demand asks for; cycle time is the pace the work runs at. When the cycle is longer than takt, the line falls behind every unit.
| Term | What it means | Where you read it |
|---|---|---|
| Takt time | How often one unit must be finished to keep pace with customer demand: available production time divided by the units the customer needs in that time. It is a target set by demand, not by the line. | The order book and the shift pattern |
| Cycle time | How long the work actually takes for one unit at a station, measured by timing it. A line’s cycle time is its slowest station’s, because every unit has to pass through it. | A stopwatch, a time study or the station’s own records |
| Lead time | How long one order waits and moves from the customer’s request to delivery, queues included. A cycle time well under takt can still sit inside a long lead time. | Order dates against dispatch dates |
Takt is set, cycle is measured
Takt changes when demand or the shift pattern changes. Cycle time changes when the work does. Compare the two for the same product and period.
The slowest station decides
Average the stations and a 66 s weld hides behind a 53 s mean. Compare takt with the longest station cycle, as the chart above does.
Leave room under takt
Takt counts only planned breaks. Breakdowns, changeovers and rework still have to fit, so a cycle right at takt leaves nothing for them.
How to calculate takt time.
One 8-hour shift with 30 minutes of breaks and an order for 450 units. Four steps from the shift pattern to whether the line can keep up.
Available time
(Shift − planned breaks) × shifts(480 − 30) × 1450 min27,000 seconds
Takt time
Available timeCustomer demand27,000 s ÷ 450 units60 sOne unit a minute
Cycle time
Run timeUnits made in it45 min × 60 ÷ 50 units54 sTimed at the slowest station
Capacity
Available timeCycle time27,000 s ÷ 54 s500 units50 over demand: it meets takt
Work in one unit throughout: minutes × 60 gives seconds. If the cycle time had been 66 s, the same shift would hold 409 units, 41 short of the order, and the line would need about 495 minutes for the 450 units it has 450 minutes to make.
Before you plan to the number.
Takt time is one division. Four cases to check before it sets the pace of a line.
What counts as available time. Take out what is planned: breaks, meetings, planned cleaning and, if your plant plans it, preventive maintenance. Leave breakdowns, changeovers and waiting in, because those are what the gap under takt has to absorb.
When demand moves. Takt follows the period you choose. Work it out on the demand you plan to level the line to, such as next month’s daily average, and recalculate when the order book or the shift pattern changes, rather than every day.
Several products on one line. Use the combined demand for the product family and a cycle time weighted by each product’s share of it. When the products differ a lot in work content, compare the minutes demand needs at each cycle with the available minutes instead.
Collecting the inputs. Time each work element on a time study, write the sequence that meets takt into standard work, and plan the shifts and quantities on a manufacturing schedule. In Bulk production tracking, operators start the timer and tap counters at the workstation, and each action is written to the job as the work happens.
Questions, answered.
What is the difference between takt time and cycle time?
Takt time is the pace customer demand sets: available production time divided by the units needed in that time. Cycle time is the time the work actually takes for one unit, measured at the station. When cycle time is longer than takt time, the line cannot make the demand in the available time.
How do you calculate takt time?
Divide available production time by customer demand for the same period. Available time is the shift length less planned breaks, times the number of shifts. One 480-minute shift with 30 minutes of breaks gives 450 minutes, or 27,000 seconds; for 450 units, takt time is 27,000 ÷ 450 = 60 seconds.
How do you calculate cycle time?
Time a run and divide the running time by the units it made: 45 minutes × 60 ÷ 50 units is a 54-second cycle. Leave stops out of the run time, and for a line use the slowest station’s cycle. A time study times each work element over several cycles.
What if cycle time is longer than takt time?
The line falls behind on every unit and the shift cannot make the demand. Shorten the slowest station’s work by removing waiting and walking, move work elements to a station with time to spare, or add time or capacity. Write the new sequence down as standard work once it meets takt.
Should breaks and downtime be taken out of available time?
Take out planned time only: breaks, meetings, planned cleaning and planned maintenance. Leave breakdowns, changeovers and other unplanned stops in, because the gap between cycle time and takt time is what has to absorb them.
Is my data stored or sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, and this page loads no analytics or session recording.
Measure the cycle where the work happens.
In Bulk, operators start the timer and tap counters at the workstation, so the time and count behind every job are written to the record as the work happens.