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Line or operator efficiency — SMV, minutes produced and worked.
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Capacity Planning Calculator — Monthly Factory Production Capacity
Calculate monthly production capacity from number of lines, operators per line, shifts, working days, SAM and efficiency. Enter an order quantity to see how many days it takes and what percentage of monthly capacity it uses. No account needed — numbers update as you type.
Step By Step
How to Use This Calculator
5 steps
- Enter the number of active production lines and average operators per line.
- Enter the SAM of the style being planned and your realistic line efficiency.
- Set working days per month, shifts per day, and hours per shift.
- Optionally enter an order quantity to see days required and capacity utilization.
- Results show daily, weekly and monthly capacity, plus pieces per hour.
Worked Example
Worked example — 8 lines, 25 operators, SAM 18.5, 65% efficiency
Use this sample to sanity-check your inputs and understand what the final result represents.
- 1Lines: 8 | Operators/line: 25 | SAM: 18.5 min | Efficiency: 65%
- 2Shift: 8 hours | Working days: 26 | Shifts: 1
- 3Available min per day: 8 × 25 × 480 = 96,000 min
Final Result
Daily capacity: (96,000 × 0.65) ÷ 18.5 = 3,373 pcs/day. Monthly: 87,703 pcs. Order of 50,000 pcs takes 15 days (57% of monthly capacity).
Methodology
Capacity Formula
This section explains the calculation logic, assumptions, and source material used to make the result more trustworthy and easier to verify.
Daily Capacity = (Lines × Operators × Shift Minutes × Efficiency × Shifts) ÷ SAM. Monthly Capacity = Daily Capacity × Working Days. Capacity Utilization = Order Qty ÷ Monthly Capacity × 100%.
Practical Guidance
Capacity planning best practices
- 1Plan at 85–90% of theoretical capacity maximum — leave 10–15% buffer for style changes, maintenance, and quality issues
- 2Use style-specific SAM not a factory average — a factory that runs 30% basic tees and 70% complex woven items has very different effective capacity for each style
- 3Re-calculate capacity monthly — absenteeism, machine downtime history and seasonal efficiency changes mean last month's plan is not always valid this month
- 4Factories that book capacity 60 days in advance with confirmed SAM from approved samples consistently achieve better delivery performance than those that plan from estimated SAM at order booking
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I plan capacity for multiple styles running simultaneously?+
When multiple styles run on different lines simultaneously, calculate capacity separately for each line using its own SAM and assign the order quantity to that line. Sum up the daily outputs across all lines for the total factory daily capacity. For lines that switch styles mid-month, split the working days: days on style A + days on style B, calculate output for each period and sum. This is more accurate than using a blended average SAM for the whole factory.
What is a realistic capacity utilization target for a garment factory?+
Most well-run Bangladesh RMG factories target 85–95% capacity utilization for confirmed orders. Running below 75% consistently indicates under-booking and revenue loss. Running above 95% consistently creates bottlenecks, quality problems and overtime dependence. A utilization of 88–92% is the typical sweet spot — it keeps lines full while allowing enough flexibility to absorb a late fabric delivery or style change without cascading delays across the order book.
What's the difference between installed capacity and running capacity?+
Installed capacity is what you could produce at 100% efficiency with all lines staffed and machines running. Running capacity is what you actually produce after accounting for realistic efficiency (55–70%), absenteeism, and planned maintenance. Always quote buyers and plan orders on running capacity, not installed capacity.
How much capacity buffer should I keep?+
Keep 10–15% of monthly capacity uncommitted for style changes, fabric delays, and rewash. Factories that book every minute of capacity usually miss the next order when one line goes down for a machine breakdown.
How does adding a second shift affect capacity?+
A second shift nearly doubles daily minutes available on the same lines, but only if you have supervisors, helpers, and QC for that shift. Night-shift efficiency is often 5–8 points lower than day shift in Bangladesh factories — factor that into your planning rather than assuming identical output.