Cycle Time Calculator
See what cutting cycle time is worth — compare current and target cycle time and get the annual labour saving in seconds. Free, instant and fully in your browser.
Annual saving
10,417
Improvement: 20%
Labour-cost estimate only; actual savings depend on staffing, line balance and reinvestment of freed time.
What is cycle time?
Cycle time is how long it takes to complete one unit at a process or station — from the start of one piece to the start of the next. Reducing cycle time frees capacity and labour. This calculator turns a cycle-time reduction into an annual labour-cost figure so the improvement can be prioritised against effort. For example, a station that finishes one unit every 72 seconds today and is improved to 60 seconds saves 12 seconds on each unit — across 400 units a day that is about 80 minutes of recovered line time daily. Cycle time is also distinct from lead time: cycle time is the hands-on time to make one unit, while lead time is the total time a unit spends in the system, including queues and waiting between steps.
How to use the calculator
- 1
Measure current cycle time
Enter the cycle time you observe today. Frame-accurate video study gives the most reliable figure.
- 2
Set a target
Enter the cycle time you expect after improvement (balancing, SMED, motion reduction).
- 3
Read the saving
The tool multiplies the per-unit saving by volume, work days and labour rate to estimate annual savings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cycle time and takt time?
Cycle time is how long the process actually takes; takt time is how often a unit must be finished to meet demand. Lean aims to bring cycle time at or just under takt at every station.
Is the annual saving guaranteed?
No — it is a labour-cost estimate. Real savings depend on whether freed time is redeployed, on line balance and on staffing decisions. Treat it as a prioritisation figure, not a promise.
How do I reliably measure cycle time?
Stopwatch readings are error-prone and miss variation. Yamazo Studio measures cycle time frame-by-frame from production video, with the variation and breakdown a stopwatch cannot capture.
What is the difference between cycle time and lead time?
Cycle time is the active time to complete one unit at a station; lead time is the total elapsed time from when a unit enters the process to when it leaves, including waiting and queue time. Cutting cycle time speeds the work itself; cutting lead time usually means removing the waiting and work-in-process that sits between steps.
What should I exclude when measuring cycle time?
Measure only the repeating work needed to produce one unit. Exclude one-off setups and changeovers (those belong in SMED analysis), unplanned breakdowns, breaks, and idle time waiting for upstream parts. Mixing these in inflates the figure and hides the real, repeatable cycle that you can balance against takt time.
Related lean tools & guides
From a number to a real improvement
A calculator estimates the prize. Yamazo Studio turns shop-floor video into the time studies, Yamazumi charts and balancing that actually cut cycle time — one offline Lean Operating Desk.
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