# What is my takt time?

Works out takt time, the pace that meets customer demand: the available production time in a day (shifts × shift length less breaks and planned stops) divided by the units customers want that day.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/logistics/takt-time-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/logistics/takt-time-calculator.json
- Version: 59b96e98c8b7

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Shift length 8 h, Breaks and planned stops per shift 50 min, Shifts per day 2, Customer demand per day 1,200): With 860 min of production time a day and 1,200 units of demand, takt time is 43 s per unit.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| shift | Shift length | How long one shift lasts, from start to finish. |
| breaks | Breaks and planned stops per shift | Time in each shift when the line does not run on purpose: breaks, meals, meetings, planned cleaning. |
| shifts | Shifts per day | How many shifts run each day. |
| demand | Customer demand per day | How many units customers want each day. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| takt | Takt time | Available production time ÷ customer demand, in seconds per unit. |
| taktMinutes | Takt time in minutes | The takt time in minutes per unit. |
| available | Available production time per day | Shifts × (shift length − breaks and planned stops), in minutes. |
| perHour | Units per hour to keep pace | Customer demand ÷ available hours: the output each running hour must reach. |

## Method

Available production time = shifts per day × (shift length − breaks and planned stops). Takt time = available production time ÷ customer demand per day. Units per hour = customer demand ÷ available hours.

## Assumptions

- Every shift has the same length and the same breaks; demand is for the same day the shifts cover.
- Unplanned downtime is not taken off: takt time sets the pace demand needs, not what the line achieves.
- A shift lasts from 1 second to 24 hours.

## Worked examples

1. shift = 28,800, breaks = 0, shifts = 1, demand = 240 gives takt = 120, available = 28,800, perHour = 30. Source: Lean Enterprise Institute, Lean Lexicon: Takt Time (available production time ÷ customer demand; 480 minutes a day and 240 widgets a day give 2 minutes), https://www.lean.org/lexicon-terms/takt-time/.
2. shift = 28,800, breaks = 3,000, shifts = 2, demand = 1,200 gives available = 51,600, takt = 43, perHour = 83.72093. Source: Lean Enterprise Institute, Lean Lexicon: Takt Time (available production time ÷ customer demand; 480 minutes a day and 240 widgets a day give 2 minutes), https://www.lean.org/lexicon-terms/takt-time/ (available time = 2 × (480 − 50) minutes).
3. shift = 27,000, breaks = 1,800, shifts = 3, demand = 500 gives available = 75,600, takt = 151.2, perHour = 23.809524. Source: Lean Enterprise Institute, Lean Lexicon: Takt Time (available production time ÷ customer demand; 480 minutes a day and 240 widgets a day give 2 minutes), https://www.lean.org/lexicon-terms/takt-time/.

## FAQ

### How do you calculate takt time?

Takt time = available production time ÷ customer demand. The Lean Lexicon’s example: a factory that runs 480 minutes a day for customers who want 240 widgets a day has a takt time of 480 ÷ 240 = 2 minutes per widget.

### What counts as available production time?

The time the line is meant to run: shift length minus planned breaks, meals, meetings and planned cleaning, times the number of shifts. Do not take off unplanned breakdowns; takt time is the pace demand needs, not the pace the line manages.

### What is the difference between takt time and cycle time?

Takt time comes from demand: it is how often a unit must be finished. Cycle time is measured on the floor: how often your process actually finishes one. If the cycle time is longer than the takt time, you cannot keep up with demand without more time, people or machines.

### What happens to takt time when demand changes?

Takt time moves the other way. With the same available time, twice the demand halves the takt time, and half the demand doubles it. Recalculate takt whenever demand or the shift pattern changes.

### How is takt time different from lead time?

Lead time is how long one order takes from being placed to being delivered. Takt time is the rhythm of production that matches demand. A short takt time does not mean a short lead time.

### Why does the calculator show units per hour?

Units per hour = customer demand ÷ available hours, the same pace as the takt time written the other way round: 3,600 ÷ takt time in seconds. A takt time of 43 seconds is about 83.7 units an hour.

## Sources

- Lean Enterprise Institute, Lean Lexicon: Takt Time (takt time is the available production time divided by customer demand; 480 minutes a day and demand of 240 widgets a day give a takt time of two minutes). https://www.lean.org/lexicon-terms/takt-time/ (retrieved 2026-10-18)