How do you calculate good refurbishment capacity?

Multiply units per cycle by available cycles for gross capacity, then multiply by availability and first-pass yield. Here 3 x 420 = 1,260 gross, x 0.86 x 0.91 = 986 good units.

Why is good capacity lower than gross capacity?

Gross assumes perfect uptime and zero rejects. After 14% downtime and a 91% first-pass yield, the 1,260 gross drops to 986 good units — 176 lost to downtime and about 98 lost to rejects or rework.

What is a good first-pass yield for refurbishment?

It varies by product and core quality, but mature refurb cells often target 90%+ first-pass yield. The 91% here is solid; pushing it to 95% would recover roughly another 50 good units at this volume.

How is refurbishment capacity different from new-build capacity?

Refurb output depends on incoming core condition, not just the cell, so yield swings more and availability is often lower due to diagnosis and teardown variability. That is why derating gross by both availability and yield matters more here.

How do I increase good refurbishment capacity?

You can add cycles, raise units per cycle, lift availability, or improve yield. At this volume each point of availability or yield is worth roughly 12-13 good units, so yield and uptime fixes often beat adding cycles.

Should availability and yield be entered as percentages?

Yes — enter 86 for 86% availability and 91 for 91% first-pass yield. The calculator applies them as decimal multipliers against gross capacity.

Circular Economy, Recycling & Remanufacturing calculator

Refurbishment Capacity Calculator

Refurbishment capacity is the number of good, resaleable refurbished units a cell can actually deliver in a period after downtime and rework losses are taken out. Reverse-logistics and remanufacturing planners use it to commit ship dates, size labor, and decide whether incoming core volume can be cleared. The gap between gross capacity and good capacity is where remanufacturing economics live — a refurb cell with strong throughput but poor first-pass yield ships far fewer billable units than its nameplate suggests. This calculator separates nameplate from real output and quantifies what availability and yield are costing you.

What this calculator does

Estimate good refurbished output from workcell cycles, units per cycle, availability, and refurbishment first-pass yield.
a team needs to commit refurbishment schedules and identify labor or test bottlenecks for a refurbishment cell
It computes good refurbishment capacity by multiplying units-per-cycle and available cycles, then derating that gross figure by cell availability and first-pass yield.

Formula used

Gross refurbishment capacity = refurbished units completed per cycle × available refurbishment cycles
Good refurbishment capacity = gross capacity × refurbishment cell availability × refurbishment first-pass yield

Inputs explained

Refurbished units completed per cycle:
Available refurbishment cycles:
Refurbishment cell availability:
Refurbishment first-pass yield:

How to use the result

Use it when committing refurb ship volumes, sizing a cell against incoming core, or quantifying the payoff of an availability or yield improvement.
It assumes a steady per-cycle output; a cell whose throughput varies by core condition (a heavily damaged batch refurbishes slower) needs a blended or worst-case units-per-cycle figure.

Common questions

How do you calculate good refurbishment capacity? Multiply units per cycle by available cycles for gross capacity, then multiply by availability and first-pass yield. Here 3 x 420 = 1,260 gross, x 0.86 x 0.91 = 986 good units.
Why is good capacity lower than gross capacity? Gross assumes perfect uptime and zero rejects. After 14% downtime and a 91% first-pass yield, the 1,260 gross drops to 986 good units — 176 lost to downtime and about 98 lost to rejects or rework.
What is a good first-pass yield for refurbishment? It varies by product and core quality, but mature refurb cells often target 90%+ first-pass yield. The 91% here is solid; pushing it to 95% would recover roughly another 50 good units at this volume.
How is refurbishment capacity different from new-build capacity? Refurb output depends on incoming core condition, not just the cell, so yield swings more and availability is often lower due to diagnosis and teardown variability. That is why derating gross by both availability and yield matters more here.
How do I increase good refurbishment capacity? You can add cycles, raise units per cycle, lift availability, or improve yield. At this volume each point of availability or yield is worth roughly 12-13 good units, so yield and uptime fixes often beat adding cycles.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.