Aluminum Extrusion & Profile Manufacturing calculator
Extrusion Runout Table Capacity Calculator
Runout table capacity tells an extrusion plant how many profiles its handling system can actually move from the press exit to the stretcher and saw in a given period. The runout table is almost always the throughput bottleneck behind a fast press, so plant managers, press supervisors and capacity planners use this number to decide whether the press can be pushed harder or whether the puller and belt system will choke. It separates the theoretical handling rate from the real number after downtime and handling-damage rejects are stripped out. Get it wrong and you either starve the press or pile up bent profiles at the cooling table.
What this calculator does
- Estimate usable runout table capacity from profiles handled per cycle, available handling cycles, table uptime, and accepted runout yield.
- a process engineer needs to check whether runout handling can keep up with the press and puller
- It computes usable runout table throughput in profiles by derating gross handling capacity for table uptime and accepted handling yield.
Formula used
- Gross runout handling capacity = profiles handled per cycle × available runout handling cycles
- Usable runout table capacity = gross capacity × runout table uptime × accepted runout handling yield
Inputs explained
- Profiles handled per runout cycle:
- Available runout handling cycles:
- Runout table uptime:
- Accepted handling yield:
How to use the result
- Use it when balancing press speed against downstream handling, sizing a new runout system, or diagnosing why finished profile output trails press extrusion rate.
- It assumes a steady cycle output and a single average uptime and yield; mixed profile shapes that handle at very different rates per cycle will skew the result.
Current U.S. benchmarks
- The producer price index for aluminum mill shapes stands at 404.859 (BLS, May 2026), up 36.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
- The U.S. has 3,569 primary metal manufacturing establishments employing about 354,911 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
Common questions
- How do you calculate runout table capacity? Multiply profiles handled per cycle by available cycles to get gross capacity, then multiply by uptime and yield. With 14 profiles/cycle over 180 cycles at 90% uptime and 97% yield you get 2,520 gross and 2,199.96 usable profiles.
- Why is usable capacity lower than gross capacity? Gross capacity assumes the table never stops and nothing is damaged. In the example, 252 profiles are lost to downtime and about 68 to handling damage or rejects, dropping 2,520 gross to roughly 2,200 usable.
- What is a good runout table uptime? Well-run extrusion runout systems run 88-94% uptime once die changes, billet load gaps and minor jams are counted. The 90% used here is realistic; below 85% the belt, puller or transfer mechanism usually needs attention.
- What hurts handling yield on a runout table? Thin-wall or large hollow profiles bend, twist or scratch during transfer. A 97% yield is typical for standard shapes; soft, long or complex profiles can drop yield to 92-94%.
- Runout capacity vs press capacity, which limits output? If the press can extrude faster than the runout table can clear profiles, the table caps your output. Compare press cycle time against the 2,199.96 usable figure here before promising a higher run rate.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.