How do you calculate turning cycle time?

Divide the cut length by the feed rate, then add the allowance for approach, retract and turret moves. 36 inches at 12 in/min is 3.00 minutes; with a 12% allowance, 3.36 minutes, 0.64 under a 4 minute target, the Turning Cycle Time calculator's own example. A part's cycle is the sum of its operations.

How do you get the feed rate for turning?

Feed rate (in/min) = spindle speed (rpm) x feed per revolution (in/rev). 900 rpm at 0.008 in/rev is 7.2 in/min. For threading, the feed per revolution is the pitch: 1 / 16 = 0.0625 in for 16 threads per inch.

What cut length should I enter?

The total length the tool moves in feed for the operation: every pass added up. Two 12 inch roughing passes are 24 inches; eight threading passes over 0.94 inch are 7.5 inches.

What allowance should I use?

Your own, from timed parts: the time for approach, retract and turret moves as a share of cutting time. The example uses 10% to 25%; short operations need a larger share because the moves take the same time however short the cut.

How are parts per shift worked out?

Shift hours x 60 x planning efficiency / cycle time. The efficiency covers loading, gauging, tool changes and breaks. The example shaft at 5.63 minutes, 8 hours and 85% makes 72 parts a shift.

Does the workbook use macros?

No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test operations and shows Self-check: PASS.

Production and Throughput

Turning Cycle Time Excel Template

Turning time = cut length ÷ feed rate × (1 + allowance), with feed rate = spindle speed × feed per revolution. Give every turning operation a row and see each part's cycle time against its target, parts per hour and per shift, and the operations that take the most time.

Free, and a plain .xlsx with no macros to enable. A CSV with live formulas and a printed how-to guide come with it.

Overview

This turning cycle time template is a working Excel workbook for CNC programmers, setters, manufacturing engineers and estimators in turning shops. Each turning operation is one row with its spindle speed, feed per revolution, total cut length and an allowance for approach, retract and turret moves; the operations add up to each part's cycle time, compared with the target you quoted or planned. It ships with eighteen operations on five parts of a fictional turning shop, so every tile and chart is filled in when you open it.

In the example the shaft takes 5.63 minutes against a 4.0 minute target. Its two-pass rough turn, 24 inches at 900 rpm and 0.008 in/rev (7.2 in/min), takes 3.73 minutes, two-thirds of the cycle. At 0.012 in/rev the same pass would take 2.49 minutes and the shaft 4.39. The flange is near its target at 3.06 minutes against 3.0; the other three parts are on target.

At an 8-hour shift and 85% planning efficiency, the shaft makes 72 parts a shift and the pin over 2,000. The download is a plain .xlsx with no macros. A CSV with live formulas is also included for other tools; the part cycle times, dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx.

What this template includes

Operations table, one row per turning operation: part, operation, spindle speed, feed per revolution, total cut length and the allowance for approach, retract and turret moves, with a Check column
Per operation: feed rate, base time, allowance time, estimated time and its share of the part's cycle
Per part: cycle time, target, gap to target with a status in words, parts per hour and parts per shift at your shift length and planning efficiency
Dashboard with four tiles (parts over target, slowest part, total turning minutes, operations), cycle time against target by part, each part's cutting and allowance time, and the operation table
Method sheet with every formula, and a Verify sheet that re-checks the formulas against an independent reference and the Turning Cycle Time calculator (Self-check: PASS)
CSV with live formulas for the Operations table; the part cycle times, dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx

Suggested use case

Use it to estimate cycle times for quotes, to check a program against the time a part was quoted at, or to find the operation to speed up when a part runs over.

How to use it

On Setup, type your shop, shift length and planning efficiency, and list your parts with their target cycle times.
On Operations, give each turning operation a row: part, operation, spindle speed, feed per revolution, total cut length of every pass, and the allowance.
Fix anything the Check column names.
Open the Dashboard: cycle time against target by part, parts per shift and the operations that take the most time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate turning cycle time?: Divide the cut length by the feed rate, then add the allowance for approach, retract and turret moves. 36 inches at 12 in/min is 3.00 minutes; with a 12% allowance, 3.36 minutes, 0.64 under a 4 minute target, the Turning Cycle Time calculator's own example. A part's cycle is the sum of its operations.
How do you get the feed rate for turning?: Feed rate (in/min) = spindle speed (rpm) x feed per revolution (in/rev). 900 rpm at 0.008 in/rev is 7.2 in/min. For threading, the feed per revolution is the pitch: 1 / 16 = 0.0625 in for 16 threads per inch.
What cut length should I enter?: The total length the tool moves in feed for the operation: every pass added up. Two 12 inch roughing passes are 24 inches; eight threading passes over 0.94 inch are 7.5 inches.
What allowance should I use?: Your own, from timed parts: the time for approach, retract and turret moves as a share of cutting time. The example uses 10% to 25%; short operations need a larger share because the moves take the same time however short the cut.
How are parts per shift worked out?: Shift hours x 60 x planning efficiency / cycle time. The efficiency covers loading, gauging, tool changes and breaks. The example shaft at 5.63 minutes, 8 hours and 85% makes 72 parts a shift.
Does the workbook use macros?: No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test operations and shows Self-check: PASS.