Heat Treatment Time Calculator

Work out heat treatment time instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Heat Treatment Time Calculator

A heat treatment cycle is heat-up plus soak. Heat-up is the temperature climb divided by the furnace ramp rate, which is limited to avoid thermal shock in thick sections. Soak follows the shop rule of roughly two minutes per millimetre of section, giving time for the core to reach temperature and the transformation to complete.

Formula

Cycle time

Total = (target - ambient) / ramp rate + thickness x soak rate

Worked example

With the default values below, Heat Treatment Time Calculator returns Total cycle time of 266. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Section thicknessminimum 0.1 mm: 50 mm
Soak time per millimetreminimum 0.1 min/mm: 2 min/mm
Heating rateminimum 0.1 °C/min: 5 °C/min
Target temperatureminimum 50 °C: 850 °C

Results

Total cycle time: 266 min
Soak time at temperature: 100 min
Heat-up time: 166 min
Total cycle time in hours: 4.43 h

Step by step

1Values used
2Cycle time
3Total cycle time= 266 min
4Soak time at temperature= 100 min
5Heat-up time= 166 min
6Total cycle time in hours= 4.43 h

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.
Preliminary estimate only. Heat treatment cycles must follow the material specification and be verified with instrumented trials.

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

Preliminary estimate only. Heat treatment cycles must follow the material specification and be verified with instrumented trials.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Heat Treatment Time figure worked out?

Total = (target - ambient) / ramp rate + thickness x soak rate. A heat treatment cycle is heat-up plus soak.

Does soak time depend on the whole part or the thickest section?

The thickest section, because it governs how long heat takes to reach the core. A thin flange on a thick hub does not shorten the soak.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 4 inputs: Section thickness, Soak time per millimetre, Heating rate, Target temperature. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.