Conveyors worked example

Conveyor Queue Time at 7.2% queue release delay allowance: a worked example

Suppose queue release delay allowance falls to 7.2%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate queue time from waiting WIP, downstream processing rate, and queue allowance.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Queued WIP on conveyor: 240 units (held at the documented default)
  • Downstream consumption rate: 18 units / min (held at the documented default)
  • Queue release delay allowance: 7.2 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 10)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Base queue time = queued WIP รท downstream consumption rate.
  • Adjusted conveyor queue time works out to 14.29 min at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Base queue time works out to 13.33 min at these inputs.
  • Release delay allowance works out to 7.2 % at these inputs.
  • Downstream consumption rate works out to 18 units / min at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where queue release delay allowance sits at 10% and the headline result is 14.67 min, this scenario comes in 2.55% below the baseline at 14.29 min.
  • It computes how long buffered units wait by dividing queue size by downstream consumption rate, then padding for release delays. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Adjusted conveyor queue time: 14.29 min (headline result)
  • Base queue time: 13.33 min
  • Release delay allowance: 7.2 %
  • Downstream consumption rate: 18 units / min

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Conveyor Queue Time calculator, set queue release delay allowance to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.