HVAC Ductwork, Air Handling & Mechanical Products worked example

Shop Throughput at 63% shop efficiency: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop shop efficiency to 63%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate actual ductwork fabrication shop throughput in duct sections per hour or pounds of sheet metal processed per hour. Divide completed output by runtime and apply a realistic shop efficiency to get the honest production rate for scheduling and quoting.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Duct sections completed in period: 120 sections (held at the documented default)
  • Shift runtime: 8 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Shop efficiency: 63 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 88)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Raw shop throughput = duct sections completed รท shift runtime.
  • Effective throughput works out to 9.45 units / hr at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Raw throughput works out to 15 units / hr at these inputs.
  • Efficiency works out to 63 % at these inputs.
  • Runtime works out to 8 hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where shop efficiency sits at 88% and the headline result is 13.2 units / hr, this scenario comes in 28.41% below the baseline at 9.45 units / hr.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to shop efficiency, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. A single efficiency factor blends together very different loss sources (setup, rework, material waits), so it tells you the size of the gap but not its root cause.

Results at a glance

  • Effective throughput: 9.45 units / hr (headline result)
  • Raw throughput: 15 units / hr
  • Efficiency: 63 %
  • Runtime: 8 hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Shop Throughput calculator, set shop efficiency to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.