Lean & Planning

Production Capacity Calculator

Translate available time, cycle time and OEE into a realistic units-per-shift, day, week and year capacity figure — so you know whether your process can meet forecasted demand.

Formula
Capacity = (Available Time ÷ Cycle Time) × OEE

Enter your values

Net time available after planned breaks and changeovers
Enter a valid time.
Average time taken to produce one unit
Enter a valid cycle time.
Overall Equipment Effectiveness — typically 60-85% for most processes; 85%+ is world-class Enter OEE between 0 and 100.
If you know your daily demand, enter it to see whether capacity covers it
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Ready to calculate

Enter your values on the left, then press Calculate.

Capacity per shift
units
Per day (1 shift)
Per year (250 days)
Capacity vs demand
What this means

How it works

Understanding Production Capacity

1

Theoretical vs realistic

Dividing available time by cycle time gives theoretical capacity. Multiplying by OEE adjusts for real-world losses — downtime, slow running and quality defects — to give a realistic, dependable capacity figure.

2

OEE is the lever

You can usually lift capacity faster by improving OEE than by adding shifts or buying machines. Lift OEE from 60% to 75% and you've added 25% capacity at zero capital cost — and reduced cost-per-unit at the same time.

3

Match capacity to demand

If capacity is well above demand, you have headroom but may be over-resourced. If capacity is below demand, you have a capacity gap that needs improvement, extra shifts, or new equipment. The capacity-vs-demand check tells you which situation you're in.