DuPont schedule calendar generator (12-hour, 28-day)

How the DuPont pattern works

The seven-day break at the end is what people notice about DuPont. The cost is the run of 12-hour shifts either side of it, and a single day off between the three days and the three nights. Sources give slightly different orders of the same blocks; this page uses the version that starts with four nights, and you can type another order into the custom box.

Also searched for as: DuPont shift schedule, DuPont 12 hour rotating, 4 crew 12 hour rotation.

The cycle is 28 days long: 4 night shifts, 3 days off, 3 day shifts, 1 day off, 3 night shifts, 3 days off, 4 day shifts, 7 days off, and then it starts again.

Every crew, day by day

One full cycle for each crew, so you can see who covers what.

The numbers

A year is 365.25 days on average, so the yearly figures are averages; the calendar above counts the exact days of the year you pick.

Good and bad about DuPont

In its favour

• A full week off every 28 days
• Four crews share days and nights evenly
• Several three-day breaks in the cycle

Against it

• A run of 12-hour shifts either side of the single day off
• Switches between nights and days every few days
• Some weeks run well over 40 hours, so overtime rules matter

Who uses DuPont

Said to have been developed at the chemical company DuPont; now used in process industries, utilities and other plants that run round the clock.

Employers run these patterns in slightly different ways, and a union contract or roster can differ from the version here. The grid above is exact for the cycle shown: if your roster differs, choose “My own cycle” in the calendar and type it in.

Other shift patterns

• 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
• 4 on 4 offTwo 12-hour day shifts, two 12-hour night shifts, then four days off, repeated.Open

All shift patterns and the cycle builder

Frequently asked questions