Why one factor for uptime and yield?

Together they are what turns gross capacity into good output: a station that runs 88% of its minutes and yields 96% good produces 84.5% of its gross units. Multiplying them into one entry keeps this page to six inputs.

Does improving any step raise capacity?

Only until the next slowest step becomes the limit. Moving step 2 from 52 to 45 seconds leaves step 3 at 44 holding the pace, so the gain stops there.

How do scheduled hours differ from paid hours?

Scheduled hours are the production window the line is meant to run. Breaks, planned maintenance and meetings come out first; uptime then covers the unplanned stops inside what remains, as recorded in the factor.

What if all four steps are zero?

The page cannot choose a bottleneck and blocks. Enter at least one step cycle above zero, measured on the line, and leave unused steps at zero.

Production calculator

Bottleneck Capacity Calculator

Build a day's capacity from the slowest of four process steps, then apply one factor for the uptime and yield losses. Enter the four step cycles, scheduled hours and the factor.

What this calculator does

Good units per day from the slowest step, after the uptime and yield factor you enter.

Formula used

Bottleneck cycle = longest of the four step cycle times
Gross capacity = scheduled production hours × 3,600 ÷ bottleneck cycle
Good capacity = gross capacity × uptime and yield factor ÷ 100
Uptime and yield loss = gross capacity − good capacity

Inputs explained

Step 1 Cycle Time: Measured cycle of step 1, zero if the step is unused.
Step 2 Cycle Time: Measured cycle of step 2, zero if the step is unused.
Step 3 Cycle Time: Measured cycle of step 3, zero if the step is unused.
Step 4 Cycle Time: Measured cycle of step 4, zero if the step is unused.
Scheduled Production Hours per Day: Production hours scheduled per day, breaks and stops excluded.
Uptime and Yield Factor: Uptime and yield multiplied into one percent factor.

How to use the result

Best suited to sizing a day's output before quoting, pricing an uptime project at the bottleneck, testing a slower step in a cell.
A single cycle per step for the whole day; mix changes move it. It does not split the factor into availability and quality parts.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The U.S. has 21,668 machinery manufacturing establishments employing about 1,086,146 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

Why one factor for uptime and yield? Together they are what turns gross capacity into good output: a station that runs 88% of its minutes and yields 96% good produces 84.5% of its gross units. Multiplying them into one entry keeps this page to six inputs.
Does improving any step raise capacity? Only until the next slowest step becomes the limit. Moving step 2 from 52 to 45 seconds leaves step 3 at 44 holding the pace, so the gain stops there.
How do scheduled hours differ from paid hours? Scheduled hours are the production window the line is meant to run. Breaks, planned maintenance and meetings come out first; uptime then covers the unplanned stops inside what remains, as recorded in the factor.
What if all four steps are zero? The page cannot choose a bottleneck and blocks. Enter at least one step cycle above zero, measured on the line, and leave unused steps at zero.

Related guides

Managing the Bottleneck: A Working Constraint Playbook

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.