What is the difference between the two rates?

The first is the pace while the bench is running. The second averages that pace across the entire span, setup and handling included, so it is the number a schedule can hold to.

Does the allowance change the sample count?

No. The allowance inflates the hours, not the pull. At the defaults, 120 samples over 12 per hour is 10 base hours, and the 10 percent allowance adds one hour.

Can this show whether a toy passes safety testing?

No. It sizes bench hours only. Whether a sample passes is decided by the test method and its acceptance criteria, not by this schedule.

What does a negative margin tell the scheduler?

The pull needs more bench hours than the window holds, so it spills past the shift. Move the start earlier, shorten the allowance or run two sittings to bring it back to zero.

Toys, Sporting Goods & Recreational Products calculator

Safety Test Sample Load Calculator

Plan the hours a sample pull will take on the bench. Setup, handling and delays enter as one allowance, and the page reports the hours, the pace that allowance leaves and the room left in the window.

What this calculator does

Test hours for a sample load, the effective rate the handling allowance leaves, and the margin against the test window.

Formula used

Required test hours = samples to pull and run ÷ samples tested per hour × (1 + handling allowance ÷ 100)
Base test hours = samples to pull and run ÷ samples tested per hour
Allowance hours = base test hours × handling allowance ÷ 100
Effective test rate = samples to pull and run ÷ required test hours
Window margin = available test hours − required test hours

Inputs explained

Samples to Pull and Run: Samples pulled for the test run, from the test plan.
Samples Tested per Hour: Samples the bench completes per hour, from the run study.
Setup and Handling Allowance: Added time for setup, handling and delays, in percent.
Available Test Hours: Hours the test window offers, from the lab schedule.

How to use the result

Best suited to scheduling a lab bench for a pull, checking a pull against the shift, pricing testing hours before a quote.
This sizes bench hours only; it does not judge any product against a safety standard. Stations with different cycle times need a separate run for each station. A single run assumes no long shutdown between sample batches.

Common questions

What is the difference between the two rates? The first is the pace while the bench is running. The second averages that pace across the entire span, setup and handling included, so it is the number a schedule can hold to.
Does the allowance change the sample count? No. The allowance inflates the hours, not the pull. At the defaults, 120 samples over 12 per hour is 10 base hours, and the 10 percent allowance adds one hour.
Can this show whether a toy passes safety testing? No. It sizes bench hours only. Whether a sample passes is decided by the test method and its acceptance criteria, not by this schedule.
What does a negative margin tell the scheduler? The pull needs more bench hours than the window holds, so it spills past the shift. Move the start earlier, shorten the allowance or run two sittings to bring it back to zero.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.