Conveyors worked example

Conveyor Downtime Cost with good units lost during conveyor stop of 210 units: a worked example

This worked example runs the conveyor downtime cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: good units lost during conveyor stop of 210 units instead of the typical 420 units. Estimate the cost of a conveyor stoppage from lost units, contribution value, labor, and overhead adders.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Good units lost during conveyor stop: 210 units (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 420)
  • Contribution value per lost unit: 5.75 $ / unit (held at the documented default)
  • Standing labor during stop: 680 $ (held at the documented default)
  • Overhead, scrap, or expedite adders: 350 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Conveyor downtime cost = lost units × contribution value + standing labor + overhead/scrap adders.
  • Conveyor downtime cost works out to 2,238 $ / stop at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Cost per lost unit works out to 10.65 $ / unit at these inputs.
  • Lost contribution value works out to 1,208 $ at these inputs.
  • Labor and overhead adders works out to 1,030 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where good units lost during conveyor stop sits at 420 units and the headline result is 3,445 $ / stop, this scenario comes in 35.05% below the baseline at 2,238 $ / stop.
  • Use it right after a stoppage to cost the event, or in aggregate to justify reliability spending against recurring downtime. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Conveyor downtime cost: 2,238 $ / stop (headline result)
  • Cost per lost unit: 10.65 $ / unit
  • Lost contribution value: 1,208 $
  • Labor and overhead adders: 1,030 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Conveyor Downtime Cost calculator, set good units lost during conveyor stop to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.