Shift pattern calendar generator

Round-the-clock 12-hour rotations (days and nights)

Four crews cover every day and night. Used in plants, emergency services, control rooms and hospitals.

• 4 on 4 offTwo 12-hour day shifts, two 12-hour night shifts, then four days off, repeated.Open
• Pitman (2-2-3)Work two, off two, work three, off two, work two, off three: 14 days of 12-hour shifts.Open
• Panama (2-2-3 rotating)The 2-2-3 pattern with crews that swap: two weeks of day shifts, then two weeks of night shifts, on a 28-day cycle with four crews.Open
• DuPontA 28-day, four-crew rotation of 12-hour shifts: four nights, three off, three days, one off, three nights, three off, four days, then seven days off.Open

Firefighter schedules (24-hour shifts)

Three platoons, one always on duty.

• 24/48 (firefighter)One 24-hour shift, then 48 hours off, on a three-day cycle with three platoons, so one platoon is always on duty.Open
• 48/96 (firefighter)Two 24-hour shifts in a row (48 hours on duty), then four days (96 hours) off, on a six-day cycle with three platoons.Open
• Kelly (9-day)Three 24-hour shifts, each followed by 24 hours off, with the last followed by four days off: a nine-day cycle with three platoons.Open

Days only, two crews

Simple on-and-off blocks for seven-day operations.

• 4 on 4 off (days only)Four working days, then four days off, repeated.Open
• 3 on 3 offThree working days, then three days off, repeated.Open
• 7 on 7 offOne week working, one week off, repeated.Open

Offshore, mining and remote rotations (weeks on, weeks off)

Long hitches on site, then time at home. Written as 14/14, 21/21 and so on.

• 2 weeks on 2 weeks offFourteen days working, then fourteen days off, repeated.Open
• 3 weeks on 3 weeks offTwenty-one days working, then twenty-one days off, repeated.Open
• 4 weeks on 4 weeks offTwenty-eight days working, then twenty-eight days off, repeated.Open
• 2 weeks on 1 week offFourteen days working, then seven days off, repeated: a 21-day cycle that spends two thirds of the year at work.Open
• 3 weeks on 1 week offTwenty-one days working, then seven days off, repeated: a four-week cycle that spends three quarters of the year at work.Open

What is a shift pattern?

A shift pattern, or rota, is a cycle of working days, shifts and days off that repeats. A 4 on 4 off pattern, for example, repeats every 8 days. Because the cycle is rarely 7 days long, your days off move around the week, which is why a calendar helps.

How do I find the right start date?

Pick a date you know from your roster that is the first day of a block of shifts, then say which block it is in the “…and that block is” box. The whole year lines up from there, so you can check it against a shift you have already worked.

My roster is not in the list. Can I still use this?

Yes. Choose “My own cycle” and type one letter for each day of the cycle: D for a day shift, N for a night shift, W for a shift and O for a day off. Numbers repeat a letter, so 2D 2N 4O is the same as DDNNOOOO. The calendar, the hours and the calendar file all follow.

Why do round-the-clock 12-hour patterns use four crews?

A week has 168 hours, and a crew on 42 hours a week covers a quarter of them. Four crews at 42 hours a week make 168. Most of the patterns on this page are built that way, and the “See every crew” table proves each one covers every day and night with exactly one crew.

Is my roster saved or sent anywhere?

No. The tool runs in your browser and nothing is stored on a server. Your settings sit in the web address, so copying the link shares your calendar and opening the page fresh clears it.

Does the calendar file handle night shifts that end after midnight?

Yes. A night shift is one event that starts in the evening and ends the next morning. Times are local, with no time zone, so a 07:00 shift stays at 07:00 when the clocks change.