Enter Equipment and Job Inputs
Example Data Table
| Scenario | Capacity / Cycle | Cycle (min) | Overall Eff. | Net Output (unit/hr) | Shift | Cost / Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavation, good access | 1.20 m³ | 0.75 | 52.3% | 50.20 m³/hr | 8 hr | 1.69 / m³ |
| Haul cycles, moderate congestion | 12.0 loads | 6.0 | 41.0% | 4.92 loads/hr | 10 hr | 18.30 / load |
| Rock handling, difficult conditions | 0.90 yd³ | 1.10 | 33.0% | 16.19 yd³/hr | 8 hr | 5.40 / yd³ |
Use the examples to sanity-check your ranges. Your actual numbers depend on layout, haul distance, spotters, and coordination.
Formula Used
- Fill factor adjusts for under-filled buckets or payload limitations.
- Swell/shrink converts between in-place and loose or compacted states.
- Efficiency factors reduce theoretical output to realistic production.
- Cost per unit helps compare equipment options and bid rates.
How to Use This Calculator
- Pick an output unit that matches your estimate sheets.
- Enter realistic capacity per cycle and measured cycle time.
- Set fill factor and swell/shrink based on material behavior.
- Adjust efficiency, availability, and utilization to reflect site reality.
- Provide shift schedule and optional hourly costs for costing.
- Click Calculate Productivity to view results above.
- Use CSV or PDF downloads to share with the team.
Tip: Start with conservative efficiencies, then update weekly using field logs. This improves forecasting and supports better crew and equipment balancing.
Productivity Inputs
Equipment output starts with honest inputs: bucket or blade capacity, typical fill factor, and material conversion. Capacity should reflect the working heaped volume, not the brochure number. Fill factor captures operator skill, fragmentation, and tool wear. Swell or shrink converts between in-place and loose measure so your estimate matches the pay item. Small changes here compound across thousands of cycles.
Cycle Time Discipline
Cycle time is the best lever you can measure. Time a representative sample across normal traffic, dump spacing, and turning conditions, then use the average. Separate loading, haul, dump, and return if you want diagnostics. Warm-up delays, spotter signals, and excessive rehandling inflate time without adding volume. Improving haul routes and staging often beats buying larger machines.
Efficiency Factors
The calculator applies efficiency, availability, and utilization to turn theoretical output into achievable production. Efficiency represents working pace inside productive hours. Availability accounts for maintenance, fueling, and unplanned stoppage. Utilization reflects how much of the shift the machine is actually tasked and supplied with trucks, material, or space. Use site records to calibrate these factors weekly. For planning, start with 0.70 efficiency, 0.85 availability, and 0.80 utilization, then adjust to match your production reports. Document assumptions in the notes box so reviewers understand the basis of rate.
Shift And Utilization
Shift length, breaks, and overtime rules set the ceiling on daily production. If a machine has strong hourly output but low daily output, look for queueing and interference. Balance equipment as a system: loader, trucks, and dump area must all sustain the same flow. The results section helps you compare hourly, daily, and unit-rate views.
Cost And Benchmarking
Optional hourly costs convert output into cost per unit, useful for bid checks and change-order pricing. Compare scenarios by adjusting cycle time, utilization, or fleet size rather than guessing a single number. Keep a benchmark library by soil type and haul distance, then validate with field quantities. Consistent measurement improves forecasts and supports better crew and equipment balancing.
FAQs
1) What is the most important field input?
Cycle time and capacity work together, but cycle time is usually easier to validate. Time several real cycles under normal conditions, average them, and update whenever haul routes or dumping patterns change.
2) How do I choose fill factor?
Start from observed bucket fill, not ratings. Good fragmentation and skilled operators may reach 0.90–1.00, while sticky or oversized material may drop to 0.70–0.85. Recheck after tool wear or operator changes.
3) When should I use swell or shrink?
Use swell when converting in-place volume to loose excavated volume. Use shrink when compacted volume is smaller than loose. Enter the percent that matches your pay item and material test data where available.
4) What do efficiency, availability, and utilization mean?
Efficiency reflects working pace during productive time. Availability covers downtime for maintenance, fueling, and repairs. Utilization is the portion of scheduled hours the machine is actually assigned and supplied with work.
5) How is cost per unit calculated?
Hourly owning and operating cost is divided by effective productivity. The calculator also includes operator labor if you enter it. This provides a comparable unit rate for bids, internal budgeting, and change orders.
6) Why do my daily results look low?
Daily output multiplies hourly production by productive shift hours and utilization. Long breaks, waiting on trucks, poor staging, or short hauling windows reduce daily totals. Use the hourly and cycle breakdown to spot bottlenecks.