How are kitting labor hours estimated?

Divide kit lines by lines per hour, then add the setup and shortage allowance. At the defaults, 180 lines at 24 per hour is 7.5 base hours, and 20% adds 1.5 more.

What belongs in the allowance percentage?

Setup of the kit cart, checks for missing stock, relabeling and staging. Use your own time study rather than a blanket number.

Why compare the estimate with a target?

A kitting estimate only matters against the window the build plan allows. A margin under the target shows the shift can absorb a shortage, while an overage shows it cannot.

Is one kitting pace right for a whole kit?

Only when the lines are similar. If core panels and small consumables are mixed, split the kit into groups and run the page for each group.

Composites, Fiberglass & Advanced Materials calculator

Kitting Labor Load Calculator

Estimate the hours to pick and stage a composite kit and compare them with the target you set. Kitting pace, setup and shortage handling each move the answer.

What this calculator does

Kitting labor hours from kit lines and picking pace, checked against the kitting target you enter.

Formula used

Base kitting hours = kit lines ÷ kitting pace
Estimated kitting hours = base hours × (1 + setup and shortage allowance ÷ 100)
Allowance hours = estimated − base; margin to target = target − estimated

Inputs explained

Kit Lines to Pull: Stock lines on the kit list for the build.
Kitting Pace: Lines pulled and staged per hour, from a time study.
Setup and Shortage Allowance: Percent added for setup, shortage checks and staging.
Target Kitting Hours: Hours planned for kitting the build, from the schedule.

How to use the result

Best suited to planning a ply kitting shift, adding a picker to hit the window, quoting kitting labor for a build.
A mix of core panels and small fasteners can break one average pace. Prepreg out-time limits can pause a kit part way through.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for plastic resins and materials stands at 280.569 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 6.6% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
Steel mill PPI stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 8.5% year over year (Census).

Common questions

How are kitting labor hours estimated? Divide kit lines by lines per hour, then add the setup and shortage allowance. At the defaults, 180 lines at 24 per hour is 7.5 base hours, and 20% adds 1.5 more.
What belongs in the allowance percentage? Setup of the kit cart, checks for missing stock, relabeling and staging. Use your own time study rather than a blanket number.
Why compare the estimate with a target? A kitting estimate only matters against the window the build plan allows. A margin under the target shows the shift can absorb a shortage, while an overage shows it cannot.
Is one kitting pace right for a whole kit? Only when the lines are similar. If core panels and small consumables are mixed, split the kit into groups and run the page for each group.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.