Conveyors worked example

Pallet Conveyor Capacity at 99% pallet conveyor uptime: a worked example

Push pallet conveyor uptime up to 99% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. a facilities or automation engineer needs to know if pallet conveyor capacity matches pack-out or palletizer demand

The inputs for this scenario

  • Usable pallet conveyor positions: 18 pallet positions (unchanged)
  • Pallet transfer cycles per hour: 5 cycles / hr (unchanged)
  • Pallet conveyor uptime: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 93)
  • Successful pallet release rate: 99 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross pallet capacity = positions × transfer cycles per hour) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 88.21 pallets / hr for good pallet conveyor capacity, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 90 pallets / hr for gross pallet movement capacity.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.9 pallets / hr for pallet capacity lost to downtime.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.89 pallets / hr for pallet capacity lost to holds.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where pallet conveyor uptime sits at 93% and the headline result is 82.86 pallets / hr, this scenario comes in 6.45% above the baseline at 88.21 pallets / hr.
  • It derives good pallets per hour by multiplying positions and transfer cycles, then derating for uptime and successful release yield. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Good pallet conveyor capacity: 88.21 pallets / hr (headline result)
  • Gross pallet movement capacity: 90 pallets / hr
  • Pallet capacity lost to downtime: 0.9 pallets / hr
  • Pallet capacity lost to holds: 0.89 pallets / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Pallet Conveyor Capacity calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.