Why is my actual cycle time longer than the bottleneck cycle I timed?

Because it spreads every lost minute over the good units. A stopwatch times one part while the bottleneck runs. Actual cycle time also carries breakdowns, small stops, slow cycles and scrap; the gap between the two is your loss.

Do changeovers go in planned downtime?

Yes, the scheduled minutes do. Any overrun past them stays in net available time, so it shows up in actual cycle time as a loss.

How is this different from OEE?

OEE compares good output with what the ideal cycle could make in planned time; this compares it with what the customer needs. A line with low OEE can still meet a slow takt, and a high OEE line can fall short.

How much overtime should I plan to recover a shortfall?

Start from the overtime row, which is units short times actual cycle time. It assumes overtime runs at today's pace, losses included; if one breakdown caused the miss and is fixed, overtime at the station cycle will be shorter.

Production calculator

Cycle Time Calculator

Measure the cycle time your line actually achieved this shift and compare it with the takt time demand sets. You need shift length, breaks, planned downtime, demand and the good-unit count.

What this calculator does

The cycle time your line actually achieved over a shift, against takt, with the shortfall and overtime it implies.

Formula used

Net available time = shift length − breaks and meetings − planned downtime
Actual cycle time = net available time × 60 ÷ good units produced; good units per net available hour = 3,600 ÷ actual cycle time
Takt time = net available time × 60 ÷ customer demand
Output against demand = good units ÷ demand × 100; surplus over demand = good units − demand
Overtime to meet demand = larger of 0 and (demand − good units) × actual cycle time ÷ 60

Inputs explained

Shift Length: Scheduled minutes per shift, start to finish, before breaks.
Breaks and Meetings: Breaks, lunch and shift meetings when the line stands.
Planned Downtime: Scheduled changeovers, setups and planned maintenance this shift.
Customer Demand: Good units this shift owes the schedule.
Good Units Produced: Good units counted off the line this shift, scrap excluded.

How to use the result

Best suited to end-of-shift review at the production board, deciding whether to call overtime, tracking a line after a kaizen or rebalance.
A shift average: it does not show which station or which stop lost the time. Mixed-model shifts give one blended cycle across models with different work content.

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 is my actual cycle time longer than the bottleneck cycle I timed? Because it spreads every lost minute over the good units. A stopwatch times one part while the bottleneck runs. Actual cycle time also carries breakdowns, small stops, slow cycles and scrap; the gap between the two is your loss.
Do changeovers go in planned downtime? Yes, the scheduled minutes do. Any overrun past them stays in net available time, so it shows up in actual cycle time as a loss.
How is this different from OEE? OEE compares good output with what the ideal cycle could make in planned time; this compares it with what the customer needs. A line with low OEE can still meet a slow takt, and a high OEE line can fall short.
How much overtime should I plan to recover a shortfall? Start from the overtime row, which is units short times actual cycle time. It assumes overtime runs at today's pace, losses included; if one breakdown caused the miss and is fixed, overtime at the station cycle will be shorter.

Related guides

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.