CNC Machining calculator

Drilling Cycle Time Calculator

Estimate the time to drill a pattern from total hole depth and feed. The allowance covers pecking, retracts, chip clearing, and the entry moves of each hole.

What this calculator does

  • Estimated drilling cycle time from total hole depth, feed rate, and an allowance for pecking, retracts, and chip clearing.

Formula used

  • Estimated drilling cycle time = total drilled depth ÷ drilling feed rate × (1 + allowance ÷ 100)
  • Base drilling cycle time = total drilled depth ÷ drilling feed rate
  • Allowance added time = base cycle time × allowance ÷ 100
  • Gap to target = estimated cycle time minus target cycle time

Inputs explained

  • Total Drilled Depth: Combined depth of every hole in this operation.
  • Drilling Feed Rate: Programmed drilling feed from the program.
  • Peck, Retract, and Chip-Clearance Allowance: Allowance for pecking, retracts, chip clearing, and entry.
  • Target Cycle Time: Cycle time the drilling operation must beat.

How to use the result

  • Best suited to quoting a hole pattern from CAM depths, checking a deep-hole peck cycle against the schedule.
  • It spreads peck and chip-clearance time as a flat percentage, so very deep holes can deviate. Tool changes and fixture moves are outside the estimate.

Current U.S. benchmarks

  • The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
  • The U.S. has 17,154 machine shops establishments employing about 223,303 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

  • Does the depth include breakthrough below the part? Add the point angle and clearance travel per hole to the total. A drill must clear the full cone before the cycle advances, and that distance costs feed time.
  • Why does a deep hole miss the estimate? Deep holes use peck cycles with many retracts, and each retract interrupts the cut. The flat allowance understates those interruptions; raise it for depth-to-diameter ratios above four.
  • Are spot and pilot tools inside this estimate? No. Total depth and feed describe one drilling tool. Repeat the calculation for the spot and pilot tools, then add the times for the operation total.
  • What feed should I enter for a drill? Use the programmed cutting feed in inches per minute, not feed per revolution, because the estimate divides distance by an in/min rate.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.