Shovel Truck Match Factor Calculator
Match Factor compares how fast the loaders can fill trucks against how fast trucks come back for another load.
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How to use this calculator
- Enter the number of haul trucks and the number of loaders/shovels working the same face.
- Enter the loader cycle time to fill one truck (minutes) and the full truck cycle time (load + haul + dump + return + spot, in minutes).
- Read the Match Factor: aim for about 1.0. Below 1 the loader is starved (add trucks); above 1 trucks queue (remove trucks). Use the balanced fleet size as a target.
How it works
Match Factor compares how fast the loaders can fill trucks against how fast trucks come back for another load. The formula is MF = (number of trucks × loader cycle time) ÷ (number of loaders × truck cycle time). The numerator is the total loading demand the truck fleet places on the loaders; the denominator is the loading capacity the loaders can supply over one truck cycle.
When MF = 1 the loading supply exactly meets demand and neither side waits — a theoretically balanced fleet. MF < 1 means the loaders finish and sit idle waiting for the next truck (under-trucked), while MF > 1 means trucks arrive faster than the loaders can serve them, so trucks queue and bunch (over-trucked). The tool also reports the trucks-per-loader and total fleet size that would give MF = 1, so you can see how many trucks to add or drop. It is a steady-state average and ignores variability, so real operations often target MF slightly above 1 to keep loaders busy.
Worked example
Six trucks on one shovel. A pit runs 6 rear-dump trucks on a single hydraulic shovel. The shovel takes 2.5 min to fill each truck, and each truck's full cycle (load + haul + dump + return + spot) is 18 min. Match Factor = (6 × 2.5) ÷ (1 × 18) = 15 ÷ 18 = 0.833. MF is below 1, so the fleet is under-trucked — the shovel waits between trucks. A balanced fleet (MF = 1) would need about 18 ÷ 2.5 = 7.2 trucks, so adding a 7th truck moves the fleet much closer to balance.
Common mistakes
- Mixing time units — the loader fill time and the truck cycle time must both be in minutes (or both in the same unit). Feeding seconds for one and minutes for the other throws the ratio off by 60×.
- Using only the haul-and-return time as the truck cycle. The truck cycle must include load, haul, dump, return, spot and any queue time — otherwise MF is overstated.
- Forgetting that MF is a steady-state average. It does not account for queue variability, breakdowns, weather or grade, so a MF of exactly 1.0 does not guarantee zero waiting in practice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good match factor?
A match factor of 1.0 is the theoretically balanced target where neither the loaders nor the trucks wait. In practice many operations run slightly above 1.0 (roughly 1.0–1.1) so the expensive loader stays productive, accepting a little truck queuing to avoid an idle shovel. Values well below 1 mean you are wasting loader capacity; values well above 1 mean you are wasting truck capacity in queues.
Does match factor tell me my actual production rate?
No. Match factor only tells you whether the truck fleet and the loading fleet are balanced. It does not give tonnes per hour — for that you multiply payload by trips per hour and apply availability and utilisation. A perfectly matched fleet (MF = 1) can still have low output if cycle times are long or availability is poor.
How do I lower a match factor above 1?
MF > 1 means you have too many trucks for the loading capacity, so trucks queue. Reduce the number of trucks, add a loader, or shorten the truck cycle time (better haul road, shorter dump, faster spotting). The tool shows the balanced fleet size for MF = 1 so you can see how many trucks to drop.
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