ERP & MRP Planning worked example

Rough Cut Capacity Planning at 98% target rough-cut utilization: a worked example

What does the result look like when target rough-cut utilization reaches 98%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. a master scheduler needs to see whether MPS demand overloads key work centers

The inputs for this scenario

  • Required MPS load hours: 3,800 hr (unchanged)
  • Available rough-cut capacity hours: 4,400 hr (unchanged)
  • Target rough-cut utilization: 98 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 85)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Rough-cut utilization = required MPS load hours ÷ available rough-cut capacity hours × 100) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 86.36 % for rough-cut capacity utilization, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 11.64 points for gap to rough-cut target.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3,800 hr for required mps load hours.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4,400 hr for available rough-cut capacity hours.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target rough-cut utilization sits at 85% and the headline result is 86.36 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 86.36 %.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when target rough-cut utilization is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. RCCP uses aggregate bill-of-resource load factors, not routed operation data, so it can miss short-interval overloads and assumes the chosen resource is the true constraint.

Results at a glance

  • Rough-cut capacity utilization: 86.36 % (headline result)
  • Gap to rough-cut target: 11.64 points
  • Required MPS load hours: 3,800 hr
  • Available rough-cut capacity hours: 4,400 hr

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.