Core Reliability
Takt Time Calculator
Takt time from your shift pattern and customer demand, checked against bottleneck cycle time and total work content.
Takt = available time ÷ demandResult
- Available time per day
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- Required rate
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- Line capacity per day
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- Cycle time ÷ takt
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- Minimum stations / operators
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Takt = available production time ÷ customer demand
What is takt time?
Takt time is the pace of customer demand: how often one finished unit has to leave the line so that output exactly matches what customers order. The word comes from the German Takt, the beat or bar in music.
Takt is set by demand and the shift pattern, not by the equipment. If demand doubles, takt halves — whether or not the line can keep up. That is what makes it useful: every station’s cycle time can be compared against one number.
Takt time formulas
Takt = available production time ÷ customer demandAvailable = (shift length − planned breaks − other planned stops) × shiftsStations = ⌈ total work content ÷ takt ⌉Balance = total work content ÷ (stations × takt)Capacity = available time ÷ bottleneck cycle timeWorked example
Two 8-hour shifts, each with 40 minutes of breaks. Customers order 880 units a day. The product needs 270 seconds of work in total, and the slowest station takes 55 seconds.
(480 − 40) min × 2 = 880 min = 52,800 s52,800 s ÷ 880 units = 60 s per unit⌈ 270 ÷ 60 ⌉ = ⌈ 4.5 ⌉ = 5270 ÷ (5 × 60) = 90%52,800 s ÷ 55 s = 960 units per dayThe bottleneck runs at 55 ÷ 60 = 91.7% of takt, leaving 5 seconds per unit to absorb small stoppages.
Takt time vs. cycle time vs. lead time
| Measure | What it is | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Takt time | Time between finished units needed to meet demand | Customer demand and shift pattern |
| Cycle time | Time a station or the line actually takes per unit | The process and equipment |
| Lead time | Time one unit spends from start to finish, including waiting | Process plus queues and inventory |
The rule is simple: every station’s cycle time must be at or below takt. A station above takt is a bottleneck — the line will fall behind demand unless you add overtime, a parallel station, or move work elsewhere.
Unplanned stops, slow cycles, and scrap all eat into that margin. Some plants plan cycle times below takt for this reason — planned cycle time = takt × expected efficiency, so a 60-second takt at 85% OEE gives a 51-second planned cycle time.
What counts as available time
| Subtract | Don’t subtract |
|---|---|
| Scheduled breaks and lunch | Breakdowns and unplanned stops |
| Planned meetings and start-of-shift briefings | Changeovers that aren’t scheduled |
| Scheduled cleaning or planned maintenance | Slow running and quality losses |
Takt uses only planned time. Unplanned losses belong in OEE and in the gap you leave between cycle time and takt; subtracting them from available time would hide them inside a shorter takt.