How do you calculate good portfolio capacity?

Multiply output per cycle by available cycles to get gross capacity, then multiply by uptime and first-pass yield. Here 4 x 480 = 1,920 gross, x 0.90 x 0.97 = about 1,676 good units.

What is the difference between gross and good capacity?

Gross capacity is the theoretical maximum if nothing stops and nothing scraps. Good capacity is what survives downtime and quality losses — in the example, 1,920 gross becomes 1,676 good, a loss of 244 units.

How much is downtime versus yield costing me?

The example loses 192 units to downtime (the 10% uptime gap) and about 52 units to yield (the 3% first-pass-yield gap). Downtime is the bigger lever here, so availability improvements pay back faster.

Why use first-pass yield instead of final yield?

First-pass yield captures units made right the first time without rework. It is the honest measure of capacity because rework consumes the same cycles again, eating into the capacity you thought you had.

What is a good uptime number to assume?

It depends on the process, but world-class availability is often 85-90%+; the example uses 90%. Pull your assumption from actual machine logs rather than the maintenance plan, which tends to be optimistic.

Can I plan commitments off gross capacity?

No — that is the classic over-promise trap. Commit off good capacity (1,676 here), keep a buffer, and use the gross-to-good gap as your improvement backlog rather than as available volume.

Manufacturing Project Portfolio & Capex calculator

Portfolio Capacity Calculator

Portfolio Capacity translates a line's nameplate throughput into the good units you can actually deliver after downtime and quality losses. It starts from gross capacity — output per cycle times available cycles — then discounts it by realistic uptime and first-pass yield to land on good capacity. Operations planners and S&OP teams use it to commit to volumes they can hit, because quoting gross capacity is how you over-promise and miss ship dates. The gap between gross and good is also a direct, quantified target for OEE improvement.

What this calculator does

Estimate portfolio capacity for manufacturing project portfolio and capex using production-ready inputs so teams can confirm whether capacity can cover demand before committing the schedule.
Use it when portfolio capacity in manufacturing project portfolio and capex is being asked to take on more work and you need to know if there is room.
It computes good (sellable) capacity by discounting gross throughput for expected downtime and first-pass yield losses.

Formula used

Gross portfolio capacity = portfolio capacity output per cycle × available portfolio capacity cycles
Good portfolio capacity = gross capacity × expected portfolio capacity uptime × expected portfolio capacity first-pass yield

Inputs explained

Units produced per production cycle:
Available production cycles in the period:
Expected uptime (availability):
Expected first-pass yield:

How to use the result

Use it in S&OP and capacity planning when you need a committable volume rather than a theoretical maximum.
It uses average uptime and yield, so it understates risk if your downtime is bursty or yield drifts; treat the result as an expected value, not a guaranteed floor.

Common questions

How do you calculate good portfolio capacity? Multiply output per cycle by available cycles to get gross capacity, then multiply by uptime and first-pass yield. Here 4 x 480 = 1,920 gross, x 0.90 x 0.97 = about 1,676 good units.
What is the difference between gross and good capacity? Gross capacity is the theoretical maximum if nothing stops and nothing scraps. Good capacity is what survives downtime and quality losses — in the example, 1,920 gross becomes 1,676 good, a loss of 244 units.
How much is downtime versus yield costing me? The example loses 192 units to downtime (the 10% uptime gap) and about 52 units to yield (the 3% first-pass-yield gap). Downtime is the bigger lever here, so availability improvements pay back faster.
Why use first-pass yield instead of final yield? First-pass yield captures units made right the first time without rework. It is the honest measure of capacity because rework consumes the same cycles again, eating into the capacity you thought you had.
What is a good uptime number to assume? It depends on the process, but world-class availability is often 85-90%+; the example uses 90%. Pull your assumption from actual machine logs rather than the maintenance plan, which tends to be optimistic.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.