# Finite Capacity Scheduling Worksheet for Production Planners

> Source: https://netray.co/tools/finite-capacity-scheduling-worksheet
> Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems.
> Section: Free Tools

## Short answer

Load jobs against a work center with setup, run time and available hours per day, and see the hours and days of work you are committing.

## Category

mes-shop-floor

## Industry

Discrete Manufacturing

## Audience

- Production scheduler
- Planner
- Shop manager

## Tool

**Kind:** worksheet

**Mode:** editable

**Columns:**

#### Job / order

**Key:** job

**Type:** text

#### Part

**Key:** part

**Type:** text

#### Resource

**Key:** resource

**Type:** select

**Options:**

- CNC-1
- CNC-2
- Lathe-1
- Grinder-1
- Assembly

#### Priority

**Key:** priority

**Type:** select

**Options:**

- Hot
- Normal
- Low

#### Qty

**Key:** qty

**Type:** number

#### Setup (min)

**Key:** setup_min

**Type:** number

**Unit:** min

#### Run per unit (min)

**Key:** run_min

**Type:** number

**Unit:** min

#### Load (hours)

**Key:** load_hr

**Type:** number

**Expr:** (setup_min + qty * run_min) / 60

**Format:** decimal

#### Hours per day

**Key:** hrs_day

**Type:** number

**Unit:** h

**Help:** Realistic productive hours per day after breaks and OEE.

#### Days required

**Key:** days_req

**Type:** number

**Expr:** load_hr / max(hrs_day, 0.1)

**Format:** decimal

#### Due date

**Key:** due

**Type:** date

**Rows:**

**Job:** WO-10412

**Part:** HSG-220

**Resource:** CNC-1

**Priority:** Hot

**Qty:** 120

**Setup min:** 90

**Run min:** 6.5

**Hrs day:** 6.5

**Due:** 2026-10-28

**Job:** WO-10415

**Part:** SHF-114

**Resource:** Lathe-1

**Priority:** Normal

**Qty:** 300

**Setup min:** 45

**Run min:** 2.2

**Hrs day:** 6.5

**Due:** 2026-11-02

**Job:** WO-10419

**Part:** BRK-077

**Resource:** CNC-1

**Priority:** Normal

**Qty:** 80

**Setup min:** 120

**Run min:** 9

**Hrs day:** 6.5

**Due:** 2026-11-04

**Job:** WO-10421

**Part:** PLT-301

**Resource:** Grinder-1

**Priority:** Low

**Qty:** 200

**Setup min:** 30

**Run min:** 1.8

**Hrs day:** 6

**Due:** 2026-11-06

**Job:** WO-10426

**Part:** ASM-900

**Resource:** Assembly

**Priority:** Normal

**Qty:** 60

**Setup min:** 20

**Run min:** 14

**Hrs day:** 7

**Due:** 2026-11-09

**Totals:**

#### Total load (hours)

**Key:** load_hr

**Agg:** sum

**Format:** decimal

#### Total days required

**Key:** days_req

**Agg:** sum

**Format:** decimal

#### Total setup (min)

**Key:** setup_min

**Agg:** sum

**Format:** minutes

**Summary:**

#### Setup share of load

**Key:** setup_share

**Expr:** sum_setup_min / 60 / max(sum_load_hr, 0.01) * 100

**Format:** percent

**Primary:** true

**Description:** A high share suggests sequencing or lot size changes will pay.

#### Average load per job

**Key:** avg_job

**Expr:** sum_load_hr / max(count, 1)

**Format:** hours

#### Largest single job

**Key:** max_job

**Expr:** max_load_hr

**Format:** hours

**Notes:** Filter or sort by resource in the Excel export and compare each resource's total days required with the calendar days to its due dates. If load exceeds available days, move the lowest priority job, split lots, outsource or add shift hours.

## Content

**Intro:** Finite capacity scheduling loads work against the hours a resource can actually provide, instead of assuming unlimited capacity as basic MRP does. This worksheet turns jobs, setup and run times into load hours and days required, so you can see whether the promised due dates are realistic.

**Sections:**

#### How to use the worksheet

**Body:** Enter one row per job or operation, with its resource, quantity, setup minutes and run minutes per unit. Enter the productive hours per day for that resource after breaks, maintenance and expected efficiency. The worksheet computes load hours as setup plus quantity times run time, and days required as load divided by available hours per day. Sort by resource in the Excel export, add up days required per resource, and compare with the working days between today and each due date.

**Bullets:**

- Use productive hours, not shift length. A 8 hour shift at 80 percent efficiency is 6.4 hours.
- Enter one row per operation if a job visits several resources.
- Mark hot jobs so they are sequenced first.

#### Finite versus infinite loading

**Body:** Infinite loading, used by standard MRP, schedules every order at its lead time regardless of how many other orders compete for the same machine. Finite loading respects the resource calendar and queues work when the resource is full. The result is fewer surprises on the floor and more realistic promise dates, but it needs accurate setup and run standards and a stable sequence. Forward scheduling starts jobs now and finds the earliest completion; backward scheduling starts from the due date and finds the latest start. This worksheet supports both styles by showing days required.

#### Reading the result

**Body:** In the sample, the five jobs add up to roughly 40 load hours. Setup is a meaningful share of the CNC load, which means grouping similar parts or reducing changeover time will free capacity. Compare each resource total with its calendar. If CNC-1 shows five days required but the hot job is due in two, something has to move. The largest single job tells you whether splitting lots across machines is an option.

#### Common mistakes

**Body:** The most frequent error is using routing times that nobody has validated since the part was released. Another is ignoring queue and move time between operations, which can be larger than the process time on a job shop floor. Planners also forget that capacity is a plan, not a promise: breakdowns, scrap and rework all consume hours. Revisit run times against actual reporting every few weeks.

**Cta:** If you want finite scheduling that reads live work orders, routings and calendars from your ERP, Netray can help you build a read-only view over that data.

**Faq:**

#### What is finite capacity scheduling?

**Answer:** It is scheduling that treats each resource as having a limited number of available hours per period. Jobs are sequenced so that no resource is loaded beyond its capacity, and the due dates that result are the dates the plant can really meet.

#### How is load hours calculated?

**Answer:** Load hours equal setup time plus quantity times run time per unit, converted to hours. The worksheet divides the minutes by 60. If you track efficiency or scrap, adjust run time or hours per day so the figure reflects real conditions.

#### Can Excel replace an APS system?

**Answer:** For a small shop with few resources, a worksheet like this is a useful check. It does not optimize sequences or react to changes automatically. As jobs, resources and constraints grow, an ERP scheduler or APS tool is worth the cost.

#### How do I handle multiple operations per job?

**Answer:** Add one row for each operation with its own resource, setup and run time. Then total the days required per resource. Remember that the operations have a sequence, so the completion date depends on the sum of the path, including waiting between steps.

## Search terms

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