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Duty Cycle Of Motor Calculator

Work out duty cycle of motor instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Duty Cycle Of Motor Calculator

Duty cycle is run time divided by total cycle time, expressed as a percentage — the S3 intermittent duty class in IEC 60034. The cycle duration matters as much as the percentage: a 40% duty over ten minutes and over two hours produce very different peak winding temperatures.

Formula

Intermittent duty

duty % = run time / (run + rest); rated as S3 40% with a stated cycle duration

Worked example

With the default values below, Duty Cycle Of Motor Calculator returns Actual duty cycle of 40.00%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Running time
4 min
Rest time
6 min
Rated duty class
40 %
Rated cycle duration
10 min

Results

Actual duty cycle
40.00% %
Cycle duration
10.00 min
Margin against the rating
0.00 pts
Assessment
Within the rated duty class

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Intermittent duty
  3. 3Actual duty cycle= 40.00 %
  4. 4Cycle duration= 10.00 min
  5. 5Margin against the rating= 0.00 pts
  6. 6Assessment= Within the rated duty class

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does cycle duration matter?

Thermal time constants. Short cycles average out, but long ones let the winding reach a much higher peak temperature even at the same duty percentage.

What are the S classes?

S1 continuous, S2 short-time, S3 intermittent periodic, S4 intermittent with starting, and so on up to S9. Each has a defined test cycle.

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