Skip to content
Resources

Microtomy Capacity Calculator

Laboratory success is a team effort.

Teams can use these calculators to identify gaps, set goals, and plan for future staffing needs. Adjust the workload and time available to explore what’s possible for your lab.

All results represent one person’s workday. Include time spent helping colleagues under additional responsibilities below.

Results (Example)

Projected slides per hour

—

Enter average minutes per slide to see projected slides per hour.

Projected slides per day

—

Enter average minutes per slide to see projected slides per day.

Time allocation

hours(excluding breaks)450 min

    Inputs

    Specimen Types & Additional Responsibilities

    View timing references
    Daily time—

    Flexibility allowance

    Reserve additional time for interruptions, unexpected work, or variation in completion times.

    Allowance method

    Microtomy timing reference

    Back to calculator inputs

    This calculator uses minutes per slide. The published cutting references below use minutes per block. Without a matching slide count for that measured work, these figures cannot be entered directly into the calculator.

    Published context · original block units retained
    WorkflowPublished timeSource and context
    Manual cutting, mixed workload2.5 min/blockBuesa, 2010Reported 24 blocks/hour; converted as 60 ÷ 24.
    Routine sectioning2 min/blockMarshfield Labs, 2015 · page 2One training program’s graduate competency expectation.
    Multiple slides and levels4 min/blockMarshfield Labs, 2015 · page 2One training program’s graduate competency expectation.

    To find a minutes-per-slide input: divide the working minutes spent on a representative batch by the finished slides from that same batch. For example, 30 working minutes for 10 slides gives 3 minutes per slide. Count completed slides, not individual sections or levels on a slide; account for additional responsibilities separately.

    These historical references are not NSH standards or Rellan productivity targets. The calculator’s prefilled 3 minutes per slide is an editable Rellan example, not a published benchmark.

    Further reading