Crew Man-Hour Calculator
Turn a quantity and a per-person production rate into crew hours and total man-hours. Use it for labor planning, not as a substitute for a bid schedule.
Enter your values, then press Calculate.
How to calculate
Enter the work quantity in the same units as the production rate (for example CY and CY/hour/person, or LF and LF/hour/person). Enter how many people are on the crew. The result is wall-clock hours and total man-hours.
Formula
Crew production = rate per person × crew size. Hours = quantity ÷ crew production. Man-hours = hours × crew size, which also equals quantity ÷ rate per person.
Common use cases
- Trenching labor
- Paving crew hours
- Checking a production assumption
- Man-hour budgets
Assumptions
- Quantity is the remaining work in one consistent unit (cy, lf, sy, …).
- Rate is per person per hour in that same unit, usually from a similar completed crew.
- Crew size is headcount on the operation, not the whole company.
- Man-hours = quantity ÷ per-person rate. Crew hours = man-hours ÷ crew size.
Limitations
- Does not add weather, mobilization, curing, or access delay.
- Does not convert a crew rate into a per-person rate. If you only have crew rate, use production rate first or set crew size to 1 and enter crew rate as the person rate only if that is truly what you mean.
- Does not cost the hours. There is no wage table.
- Does not split tasks across days except by dividing crew hours by a shift length you apply off-page.
Worked examples
200 units, 5/hr/person, 4 people
200 ÷ 5 = 40 man-hours. 40 ÷ 4 people = 10 crew hours. Same story as 200 cy in 10 hours on the production-rate page, run in reverse.
1. Crew production
5 × 4 = 20 units/hr
2. Hours
200 ÷ 20 = 10 hr
One person
1. Crew production
10 × 1 = 10 units/hr
2. Hours
50 ÷ 10 = 5 hr
Hours from a remaining quantity
Use this page when you still have work to do and you already know a per-person rate (from a similar crew or from the production-rate calculator). Hours = quantity ÷ (rate per person × crew size). Man-hours = hours × crew size, which also equals quantity ÷ rate per person. 200 cy at 5 cy/hour/person with 4 people is 10 crew hours and 40 man-hours.
Inverse of production rate
Production rate starts from quantity and hours and reports cy/hour. This page starts from quantity and cy/hour/person and reports hours. Do not mix a crew rate into the per-person field or the hours will be four times too long on a four-person crew. Weather, access, and setup are not included.
Per-person rate is not optional arithmetic
Two hundred cubic yards at 5 cy/hour/person with four people is 40 man-hours and 10 crew hours. If your history is “the crew of four placed 200 cy in 10 hours,” that history is a crew rate of 20 cy/hour, or 5 cy/hour/person — compute it on the production-rate page, then type 5 here. Typing 20 as a per-person rate with four people will understate duration by a factor of four.
Related calculators
- Production Rate CalculatorBack-calculate production rate from quantity and hours.
- Trench Excavation CalculatorConvert trench length, width, and depth into cubic yards of excavation.
- Concrete Cubic Yard CalculatorConvert slab or footing dimensions into cubic yards of concrete.
- Paving Area CalculatorConvert pavement length and width into square feet and square yards.
FAQ
Does this include weather or mobilization?
No. It is quantity ÷ production only. Add weather, access, and setup on the schedule separately.
What production rate should I use?
Use a measured rate from a similar crew and condition, or a bid-item historical rate. Do not use a catalog rate if the site is tighter or wetter.
What if I only know the crew rate?
Open the production-rate calculator, or divide crew rate by headcount yourself, then enter the per-person rate here. This page expects units per hour per person.
Does crew size include the foreman?
Include whoever is in the rate you calibrated. If the historical 5 cy/hour/person already counted the foreman as a body, keep counting them.
Disclaimer
These calculators are estimating tools for planning and field checks. They are not a substitute for approved plans, specifications, licensed professional engineering, or governing standards. Confirm densities, waste factors, and yields with your supplier and project documents.