How do you calculate case packer output?

Divide accepted cases by producing runtime for the raw rate, then multiply by efficiency. Here: 3,900 cases ÷ 8 hr = 487.5 raw, then × 0.88 = 429 effective cases per hour.

What is a good efficiency for a case packer?

Mature lines run case packers at 85-92% combined uptime and packing efficiency. The example's 88% pulls a 487.5 raw rate down to 429 effective cases per hour, a realistic sustained figure.

Why is effective output lower than the mechanical rating?

Carton feed jams, product backups, infeed starvation, and changeovers all interrupt the cycle. The efficiency factor captures that gap, which is why 487.5 raw becomes 429 effective in the example.

How do I keep the case packer from starving or backing up?

Balance it against the filler and accumulate buffer between them. If filler output exceeds the packer's 429 effective cases per hour, you back up; if it falls below, the packer starves and efficiency drops further.

Case packer output vs filler output: how should they relate?

The packer should match or slightly exceed sustained filler output so it never becomes the bottleneck. Compare the filler's good-container rate, converted to cases, against this 429 cases-per-hour figure.

Does runtime include changeovers and breaks?

Producing runtime should be time the packer is meant to be running, with major planned stops excluded. The efficiency factor then absorbs the minor stops within that window.

Bottling, Canning & Filling Lines calculator

Case Packer Output Calculator

Case packer output measures the effective cases-per-hour a packer sustains once you discount the small stops, jams, and infeed starvation that eat into nameplate speed. Packaging engineers, line leads, and OEE analysts on bottling and canning lines use it to compare real packer throughput against the filler upstream and to size case conveyors, palletizers, and labor downstream. A case packer's mechanical rating is rarely its real rate, because product backups, carton feed faults, and changeovers drop the running average. Translating accepted cases and runtime into an efficiency-adjusted rate gives a number you can actually schedule and balance the line against.

What this calculator does

Calculate effective case packer, tray packer, or cartoner output in cases per hour.
a case packer, tray packer, or cartoner is suspected of limiting finished goods output
It computes effective cases-per-hour by dividing accepted cases by producing runtime, then multiplying by an uptime-and-efficiency factor.

Formula used

Raw effective case packer output = accepted cases packed ÷ case packer producing runtime
Effective case packer output = raw throughput × efficiency

Inputs explained

Accepted cases packed in the run:
Case packer producing runtime:
Case packer uptime and packing efficiency:

How to use the result

Use it to set a realistic packer rate for line balancing, OEE benchmarking, or downstream palletizer and labor planning.
It blends uptime and packing efficiency into one factor, so it won't tell you whether lost output came from mechanical stops, infeed starvation, or slow-running cycles.

Common questions

How do you calculate case packer output? Divide accepted cases by producing runtime for the raw rate, then multiply by efficiency. Here: 3,900 cases ÷ 8 hr = 487.5 raw, then × 0.88 = 429 effective cases per hour.
What is a good efficiency for a case packer? Mature lines run case packers at 85-92% combined uptime and packing efficiency. The example's 88% pulls a 487.5 raw rate down to 429 effective cases per hour, a realistic sustained figure.
Why is effective output lower than the mechanical rating? Carton feed jams, product backups, infeed starvation, and changeovers all interrupt the cycle. The efficiency factor captures that gap, which is why 487.5 raw becomes 429 effective in the example.
How do I keep the case packer from starving or backing up? Balance it against the filler and accumulate buffer between them. If filler output exceeds the packer's 429 effective cases per hour, you back up; if it falls below, the packer starves and efficiency drops further.
Case packer output vs filler output: how should they relate? The packer should match or slightly exceed sustained filler output so it never becomes the bottleneck. Compare the filler's good-container rate, converted to cases, against this 429 cases-per-hour figure.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.