Production and OEE
What is Takt time?
Takt time is the pace a line must keep to meet customer demand: available time divided by demand. Formula, worked example and a free takt time calculator.
Quick answer
Takt time is the rate at which a line must finish one unit to meet customer demand. It equals available production time divided by customer demand for that time. If takt time is 30 seconds, a finished unit must leave the line every 30 seconds, no slower.
Updated 30 October 2026. Written by the Ajinkya Technologies engineering team, reviewed by Amey Kadle.
Formula
Takt time = available production time ÷ customer demand
Worked example: A shift has 480 minutes with 30 minutes of planned breaks, so 450 minutes (27,000 seconds) are available. Demand is 900 units per shift. Takt time = 27,000 ÷ 900 = 30 seconds per unit.
Takt time calculator
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- Takt time
- 30 seconds per unit
- Output needed per hour
- 120 units
Takt time explained
Takt comes from the German word for the beat a conductor keeps. In lean manufacturing it sets the heartbeat of a line: every process step has to complete its work within the takt time, or the line falls behind demand. It is a demand figure, not a capability figure, which is the most common confusion on the shop floor.
Takt time is compared with cycle time, the time a step actually takes for one unit. When the cycle time of any step is longer than takt, that step is the constraint and the plan cannot be met without overtime, an extra shift, a second machine or a better process. When cycle times sit well below takt, the line has spare capacity that is often hidden as waiting.
Available time excludes planned breaks and planned stops but includes the losses you have not yet removed, so a line running exactly at takt on paper will miss demand in practice. That is why teams plan to a cycle time a little faster than takt and use OEE to see where the gap goes. In a mixed model line, takt is calculated from total demand across models and the sequence is balanced so the average work content per unit fits within it.
Key concepts
- Demand rate, not machine speed
- Compared with cycle time at every step
- Planned breaks excluded from available time
- Basis for line balancing and staffing
- Changes when demand or shift pattern changes
Questions
What is the difference between takt time and cycle time?
Takt time is the pace demand requires. Cycle time is the pace a process actually achieves for one unit. If cycle time is longer than takt time at any step, the line cannot meet demand at the current plan.
Does takt time include breaks?
No. Available production time excludes planned breaks and other planned stops. It still includes unplanned losses, which is why lines usually plan to run a little faster than takt.
How often should takt time be recalculated?
Whenever demand or available time changes, for example a new monthly forecast, a seasonal peak or a change from two shifts to three.
Can takt time be used in process industries?
Yes, as a rate: tonnes per hour or batches per day needed to meet demand. It is most common in discrete assembly, where units are counted one by one.
References
How we help with takt time
Our MES and production monitoring systems show takt, actual cycle time and the gap per step live on the line dashboard, so supervisors see a step falling behind during the shift rather than in the end of day report.
Interactive 3D demo with simulated data: watch OEE, counts and the plan react to a stop.
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