12 Hour Shift Schedule

The 12-Hour Shift Schedule Maker is a free tool that builds a work calendar for a 12-hour shift pattern. Pick a pattern and a start date, and it shows the crew calendar for the months you choose, plus a calendar file for one crew. It runs in your browser, with no account or sign-up needed.

The page compares six widely used 12-hour patterns in one table: Pitman, DuPont, Panama, 4 on 4 off, 2-2-3 and 3 on 3 off. The table shows average hours per week, the longest run on and off, weekends worked, and whether the pattern covers day and night around the clock. Use this 12 hour schedule maker to compare patterns before you choose one, or to check a rota you already work.

How to use the 12-Hour Shift Schedule Maker

1. Open the “Show the calendar for” list and choose one of the six patterns. The comparison table stays on the page whatever you choose.
2. Enter the start date. The default calendar starts on 2026-10-05.
3. Choose All crews to see every crew, or pick a single crew, such as Crew C.
4. Read the calendar. By default it covers 2 months from the start date.
5. If your shifts run at different hours, change the day and night shift times. Leave a time blank to use the defaults.
6. Compare the table for the pattern you chose: average hours per week, longest run on, longest run off, weekends worked per 8 weeks, and whether it covers 24/7.
7. Download the .ics file for one crew to load its shifts into a calendar app.

The copy link and print options work from the same page. Both are explained under “Can I print it or share it?” below.

The comparison table is always shown above the calendar, so you can read the hours and weekends of every pattern before you pick one. Changing the pattern or the start date updates the calendar at once. Use the crew select to look at one crew, or All crews to see how the crews fit together.

How is the 42 hours per week average calculated?

Every one of the six patterns averages 42 hours per week for each crew. The formula is 12 × days on per cycle × 7 ÷ cycle length. You multiply the hours per shift by the number of shifts in one cycle, divide by the cycle length in days, and then multiply by 7 to get a weekly figure.

For Pitman, that is 12 × 7 × 7 ÷ 14 = 42. For DuPont, it is 12 × 14 × 7 ÷ 28 = 42. For 3 on 3 off, it is 12 × 3 × 7 ÷ 6 = 42. The patterns differ in how the work is grouped, not in the total hours.

Why do the 12-hour patterns differ in long runs and weekends?

The longest run on is 3 or 4 days across the six patterns. The longest run off is 3 days for Pitman, Panama, 2-2-3 and 3 on 3 off, 4 days for 4 on 4 off, and 7 days for DuPont.

Weekends worked are counted over a 56-day window that starts on a Monday. A weekend counts when Saturday or Sunday is a work day. Over that window, crew A works 4 weekends on Pitman, DuPont, Panama and 2-2-3, 5 on 4 on 4 off, and 6 on 3 on 3 off (crew B on 3 on 3 off works 5).

What does “covers 24/7” mean?

A pattern covers 24/7 when both a day shift and a night shift are worked, and on every day of the cycle exactly one crew is on days and exactly one crew is on nights. Pitman, DuPont, Panama and 4 on 4 off with four crews meet this test.

The two day-only patterns, 2-2-3 and 3 on 3 off with two crews, cover one 12-hour shift per day. They show No in the table.

How do I read the comparison table?

Each row is one pattern. Average hours per week is the hours in a cycle times 7 divided by the cycle length. Weekends worked counts, over 8 calendar weeks from a Monday, the weekends where Saturday or Sunday is a work day for crew A. Covers 24/7 means every day has exactly one crew on days and one on nights.

Worked examples

Calculated by the tool above; open it with the same values to see each step.

Frequently asked questions

Does this schedule follow labour laws or a company agreement?

No. The page only does schedule arithmetic and describes one widely used version of each pattern. It says nothing about what any agreement or rule requires.

Why do crews get different numbers of events in the .ics file?

Each crew starts at a different point in its cycle, so a fixed window of two months holds a different number of work days for each one. For DuPont from 2026-10-05, crews A, B, C and D have 29, 28, 28 and 29 events.

Is this tool free, and is anything I type uploaded?

Yes, it is free and needs no account or sign-up. Everything is calculated in your browser, and nothing you type is uploaded.

Can I print it or share it?

Yes. Print / save as PDF prints the page as you see it; choose Save as PDF in the print dialog to keep a file. Copy link copies a page address that stores your inputs, so the same schedule can be reopened later or sent to someone else.

Which 12-hour pattern gives the most weekends off?

The table shows weekends worked per 8 weeks for crew A. In it, Pitman, DuPont, Panama and 2-2-3 each show 4 of 8, 4 on 4 off shows 5 and 3 on 3 off shows 6, so no pattern is free of weekend work. The count depends on the weekday of the start date, so check it with your own start date.

Related tools

• Pitman Schedule: the Pitman 2-2-3 pattern for four crews.
• 9/80 Work Schedule: the 9/80 compressed schedule with every other Friday off.
• 2-3-2 Work Schedule: the 2-3-2 pattern, the same cycle as 2-2-3.
• DuPont Schedule: the 28-day DuPont pattern for four crews.
• Panama Schedule: the Panama 2-2-3 pattern with crews swapping days and nights.
• 2-2-3 Schedule: the 2-2-3 pattern, also written as 3-2-2-3.
• 4 On 4 Off Schedule: four days on and four days off for two or four crews.
• 4 On 3 Off Schedule: work patterns such as 4 on 3 off and 3 on 4 off.
• Continental Shift Pattern: the four-crew continental pattern.