What is mean time between failures (MTBF)?
MTBF is the average operating time between failures of a repairable asset. A higher MTBF means a more reliable asset. It is calculated by dividing total operating time by the number of failures over a period, and it is most useful as a trend on critical equipment.
Benchmark
| Benchmark | |
|---|---|
| Good | Higher is better, and the meaningful comparison is the trend on a given asset, not an absolute number across asset types. |
| Warning sign | A falling MTBF on a critical asset is an early warning of rising downtime cost. |
Why it matters
MTBF turns reliability into a number you can manage and trend. Tracking it on critical assets shows whether defect-elimination work is actually making equipment more reliable, well before the result shows up in the production figures.
How to improve it
Improve MTBF through defect elimination, root-cause analysis on repeat failures, correct preventive and predictive tasks, and better operating practice on the assets that drive the most downtime.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between MTBF and MTTR?
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