Tool 02 / Cost of Downtime

What is an hour of downtime really costing you?

Lost margin, idle labor, and restart waste add up fast. Enter your line's numbers to see the hourly, weekly, and annual bleed.

01 Lost production

Units per hourGood units the line makes when running

Profit per unitContribution margin, not sale price

Operators idledPaid but not producing during downtime

Loaded labor rateWage + benefits + overhead

Other cost per hourScrap on restart, expediting, etc.

Downtime hours per weekUnplanned stoppages, averaged

Operating weeks per year

Result

Live

Cost per hour of downtime

—

Per week

—

Per year

—

Lost units / yr

—

Downtime hrs / yr

—

Annual bleed

If downtime is costing six figures a year, automation or a reliability upgrade may pay for itself fast. Get an assessment on the trade-off.

Cost per hour: Lost margin (units/hr × profit/unit) + idle labor (operators × loaded rate) + other per-hour costs.
Profit per unit: Use contribution margin — revenue minus variable cost — not the full sale price, or you'll overstate the loss.
Idle labor: Only count people who are paid but unable to work during a stoppage. Redeployed staff don't belong here.
Annual figures: Hourly cost × downtime hours/week × operating weeks. Averaged unplanned downtime, not planned maintenance windows.