CNC Drilling Cycle Time Calculator
Drilling often looks trivial in a quote and then eats machine time when holes are deep or pecked. This calculator turns cutting speed, feed and peck depth into spindle speed, feed rate and time per hole.
Your numbers
Surface speed from your tool maker for this drill and material. Aluminum often runs far higher than steel.
Set equal to hole depth for no pecking.
Retract and return time per peck.
Your results
Estimates use the entered values only. They exclude drill point length, dwell, spindle ramp and tool changes. Use cutting data from your tool maker.
Time per hole (s) vs peck depth
Sweeps Peck depth from 2 to 25, holding your other inputs fixed.
Check routing estimates against actual machine time
Optional: a review of how ERP routing times compare with recorded cycle times.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the calculator
Enter cutting speed for your drill and material, the drill diameter, feed per revolution, hole depth and peck depth. Add the rapid and approach time per peck and positioning time between holes. The calculator returns spindle speed, feed rate, number of pecks, cutting time and total time per hole, then multiplies by the hole count. The chart shows how total time per hole changes as peck depth changes, which is the trade between chip evacuation and cycle time.
The formulas
Spindle speed is cutting speed times 1000 divided by pi times diameter, in metric units. Feed rate is spindle speed times feed per revolution. Cutting time is depth divided by feed rate. For a peck cycle such as G83, the control retracts after each peck, so retract and return time adds per peck. Deep holes in steel often need pecks or high-pressure coolant to clear chips, while shallow holes in aluminum may drill in one pass.
- RPM = cutting speed x 1000 / (pi x D)
- Feed = RPM x feed per revolution
- Pecks = ceil(depth / peck depth)
- Total time per hole = cutting + pecks x retract + positioning
Reading results and common mistakes
If the chart shows time per hole falling sharply as peck depth increases, pecking is your main cost, so consider through-tool coolant, a different drill or a chip-breaking cycle such as G73 instead of a full retract. Mistakes include using a speed meant for a different coating or material, forgetting drill point length on blind holes, and leaving out the positioning time on many-hole patterns. Check results against a real first piece and adjust.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cutting speed should I use for drilling?
Use the drill maker's recommendation for your material and coating. Values vary widely, from tens of meters per minute for hard steels to hundreds for aluminum with suitable drills.
What is the difference between G83 and G73?
On common Fanuc-style controls, G83 retracts fully to the reference plane each peck to clear chips, while G73 retracts a small amount to break chips. G73 is usually faster but clears chips less.
Does the calculator include drill point length?
No. For blind holes add roughly the length of the drill point to the depth, which depends on the point angle. Through holes also need extra travel to clear the exit.
Can I use inch units?
Convert to metric first, or recompute with surface feet per minute using RPM = SFM x 3.82 / diameter in inches. The sweep and totals then follow.
If routings in your ERP carry estimated machine times, Netray can build a read-only review of estimates versus actuals. This calculator works independently.
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