How do you calculate good flexo output after makeready loss?

Multiply output per cycle by available cycles to get gross capacity, then multiply by uptime and first-pass yield. With 4 units/cycle over 480 cycles at 90% uptime and 97% yield, gross is 1,920 units and good output is 1,676.16 units.

What is the difference between downtime loss and yield loss here?

Downtime loss is the units you never made because the press was stopped - 192 units at 90% uptime. Yield loss is the units you made but scrapped at setup and registration - about 51.84 units. Separating them shows whether to attack availability or waste first.

What is a good first-pass yield for flexo?

Well-run flexo lines often hit 95-98% first-pass yield on established jobs; new plates, tight color tolerances, and film substrates pull it lower. The 97% in this example is a solid, realistic target for a mature job.

Why is makeready such a big deal on flexo?

Each makeready burns press time and running waste while plates mount and color comes into register. That shows up here as reduced uptime (90%) and reduced first-pass yield (97%), which together drop 1,920 gross units to 1,676.16 good units - a combined loss of roughly 244 units.

How do I improve good flexo capacity?

Raise uptime by cutting changeover time and unplanned stops, and raise first-pass yield by tightening plate mounting and register setup. Here, moving uptime from 90% to 95% alone would recover most of the 192-unit downtime loss.

Is gross capacity the same as what I can promise a customer?

No. Gross capacity of 1,920 units is theoretical. The honest number to schedule against is good capacity - 1,676.16 units - because that already accounts for makeready downtime and setup scrap.

Printing, Labels & Industrial Converting calculator

Flexo Makeready Loss Calculator

Flexo makeready loss capacity tells you how many good units a flexo press actually delivers once you strip out downtime and the waste that setup and color registration create. Pressroom supervisors and OEE analysts use it to convert theoretical press capacity into a realistic saleable count for scheduling and costing. Makeready on a flexo line - mounting plates, setting register, matching color - eats both time and material, so gross capacity always overstates what you can ship. This calculator separates the downtime loss from the yield loss so you can see exactly where the good units disappear.

What this calculator does

Estimate flexo makeready loss for printing, labels and industrial converting using production-ready inputs so teams can confirm whether capacity can cover demand before committing the schedule.
Use it when flexo makeready loss in printing, labels and industrial converting is being asked to take on more work and you need to know if there is room.
It computes gross flexo capacity from output per cycle and available cycles, then derates it by uptime and first-pass yield to give good units.

Formula used

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

Inputs explained

Impressions per makeready cycle:
Available makeready cycles per shift:
Flexo press uptime:
First-pass yield after color registration:

How to use the result

Use it when sizing achievable flexo output for a shift, quoting lead times, or diagnosing whether downtime or waste is your bigger loss.
It multiplies uptime and yield as independent factors and does not model job mix, changeover count, or speed variation, so treat it as a planning estimate not a per-job actual.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for paperboard and containers stands at 276.831 (BLS, May 2026), up 8.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The U.S. has 22,301 printing and related support establishments employing about 386,248 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate good flexo output after makeready loss? Multiply output per cycle by available cycles to get gross capacity, then multiply by uptime and first-pass yield. With 4 units/cycle over 480 cycles at 90% uptime and 97% yield, gross is 1,920 units and good output is 1,676.16 units.
What is the difference between downtime loss and yield loss here? Downtime loss is the units you never made because the press was stopped - 192 units at 90% uptime. Yield loss is the units you made but scrapped at setup and registration - about 51.84 units. Separating them shows whether to attack availability or waste first.
What is a good first-pass yield for flexo? Well-run flexo lines often hit 95-98% first-pass yield on established jobs; new plates, tight color tolerances, and film substrates pull it lower. The 97% in this example is a solid, realistic target for a mature job.
Why is makeready such a big deal on flexo? Each makeready burns press time and running waste while plates mount and color comes into register. That shows up here as reduced uptime (90%) and reduced first-pass yield (97%), which together drop 1,920 gross units to 1,676.16 good units - a combined loss of roughly 244 units.
How do I improve good flexo capacity? Raise uptime by cutting changeover time and unplanned stops, and raise first-pass yield by tightening plate mounting and register setup. Here, moving uptime from 90% to 95% alone would recover most of the 192-unit downtime loss.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.