Free template
Equipment downtime log (MTTR and MTBF)
An equipment downtime log records every time a machine stops: when it stopped, when it ran again, whether it was a breakdown, what happened, the cause and the repair. Added up, it gives the two main reliability numbers. MTTR (mean time to repair) is the breakdown time divided by the number of breakdowns. MTBF (mean time between failures) is the operating time less the breakdown time, divided by the number of breakdowns. The Excel version works out the minutes from the stop and restart times, then MTTR, MTBF and total downtime for each machine, downtime by cause sorted largest first, and a Pareto chart of the causes. The PDF has the log and a monthly summary sheet with a worked example and a blank Pareto chart.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
When to use it
When to use an equipment downtime log
- To see which machines break down most, and for how long, before choosing where to spend maintenance time.
- To work out MTTR and MTBF for a machine, a line or a whole area.
- To find the causes behind most of the downtime with a Pareto chart.
- To check whether a repair or PM change reduced breakdowns.
How to fill it in
- 1
List your machines
In the Excel version, list each machine once on the Machines sheet with the hours it was planned to run in the period.
- 2
Log every stop
Machine, the time it stopped and the time it ran again. The minutes fill in.
- 3
Mark breakdowns
Yes for a failure that needed a repair, no for other stops such as waiting for material. Only breakdowns count in MTTR and MTBF.
- 4
Record the cause and repair
The cause category, the root cause, what was repaired and the parts used.
- 5
Read MTTR and MTBF
On the Machines sheet, per machine and in total. Compare like-for-like periods.
- 6
Attack the biggest cause
The By cause sheet sorts the causes largest first. Work on the first bar of the Pareto chart.
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: one month for a press (illustrative numbers).
- Operating time: 400 h planned.
- Breakdowns: 5, with 20 h of breakdown time in total, from the stop to running again.
- MTTR: 20 h ÷ 5 = 4 h per breakdown. MTBF: (400 − 20) h ÷ 5 = 76 h between breakdowns.
- By cause: hydraulic 11 h, electrical 6 h, tooling 3 h.
The team took the hydraulic breakdowns first, found two came from the same leaking valve block, and replaced it.
Common mistakes
Logging only the big stops
Short stops add up. Log every stop, and mark which ones were breakdowns.
Changing what counts
This log counts from the stop to running again, so MTTR includes waiting for a technician and parts. Keep the same rule every month.
Vague causes
"Machine fault" tells you nothing. Record the cause category and the root cause.
Numbers with no action
MTTR and MTBF are for deciding what to fix. Take the biggest cause and act on it.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
In LeanSuite a breakdown is logged as an emergency work order (EWO): downtime and MTTR are calculated, and the repair, parts used and root cause are recorded.
In the lean glossary
FAQ
Equipment downtime log (MTTR and MTBF): common questions
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A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.