BYTETOOLS

Shift Schedule Generator

Build rotating shift rosters from 4-on-4-off, 2-2-3 Panama, DuPont or a custom pattern, with a month calendar per crew and CSV or ICS export.

14 days
Cycle length
7
Shifts per cycle
42.0
Average hours/week (12 h shifts)
0–4
Crews on duty

Also called the slow rotation. Every crew gets a three-day weekend every other week, which is why it is popular with staff.

January 2026

Crew A — 15 shifts this month

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Crew B — 15 shifts this month

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Crew C — 15 shifts this month

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Crew D — 15 shifts this month

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Daily coverage

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2

Number of crews on duty each day. With 4 crews offset by 4 days on a 14-day cycle, each crew works 7 of every 14 days.

A rotation only tells you which days a crew is on, not which shift they work — a 24-hour operation usually runs two of these rosters side by side, one on days and one on nights, and swaps them at the end of each block. Working-time limits, rest periods and night-shift rules vary by country and by agreement, so check the roster you generate against your own regulations before publishing it. Everything is generated in your browser.

What is the Shift Schedule Generator?

Rotating rosters are hard to picture in your head and easy to get wrong on paper. This generator takes a standard pattern — 4 on 4 off, the 2-2-3 Panama rotation, the 28-day DuPont cycle, 5 on 2 off or 6 on 4 off — offsets each crew through it, and draws a month calendar per crew so you can see the whole rota at a glance.

  • Five built-in patterns plus a custom on/off run-length string
  • One to eight crews, offset automatically or by a number of days you choose
  • Month calendar per crew with on-days highlighted and the cycle day on hover
  • Daily coverage strip that flags any day with no crew on duty
  • Average hours per week for the pattern, based on 12-hour shifts
  • ICS export per crew with consecutive shifts merged, plus whole-rota CSV

How to use the Shift Schedule Generator

  1. 1

    Pick a rotation pattern, or choose Custom and type it as on/off run lengths such as 2,2,3,2,2,3.

  2. 2

    Set the cycle start date — day 1 of the pattern for crew A.

  3. 3

    Choose how many crews you have, and either leave the offset on automatic or type your own.

  4. 4

    Select the month and year to display, and whether weeks start on Monday or Sunday.

  5. 5

    Check the coverage strip for any uncovered days, then export a crew as .ics or the whole rota as CSV.

About the Shift Schedule Generator

Rotating rosters are hard to picture in your head and easy to get wrong on paper. This generator takes a standard pattern — 4 on 4 off, the 2-2-3 Panama rotation, the 28-day DuPont cycle, 5 on 2 off or 6 on 4 off — offsets each crew through it, and draws a month calendar per crew so you can see the whole rota at a glance.

A coverage strip under the calendars shows how many crews are on duty each day, highlighted in red on any day nobody is working, so a bad crew count or offset is obvious immediately. You can let the tool spread crews evenly through the cycle or set the offset yourself to match a roster you already run.

Export a crew's month as an .ics file, with consecutive on-days merged into single multi-day blocks, or take the whole rota as CSV for a spreadsheet. Everything is generated in your browser — staff names and shift patterns never leave your device.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 2-2-3 shift pattern?

Also called the Panama rotation, it runs 2 days on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off — a 14-day cycle in which each crew works seven of every fourteen days. Its appeal is that every crew gets a three-day weekend every other week.

How does a 4-on-4-off roster work?

Four days on followed by four days off, an eight-day cycle. With two crews on days and two on nights it covers a 24-hour operation continuously, and on 12-hour shifts it averages 42 hours a week.

What is the DuPont shift schedule?

A 28-day, four-crew, 12-hour rotation: four nights, three off, three days, one off, three nights, three off, four days, then a full seven days off. That long break at the end of the cycle is the reason the pattern is popular.

How many crews do I need for 24-hour cover?

It depends on the pattern. Set the crew count and watch the coverage strip: any day highlighted in red has nobody on duty. For 12-hour shifts covering the whole day you generally need two crews on duty at all times, so double the number the strip shows.

Can I use my own shift pattern?

Yes. Choose Custom and enter the run lengths as numbers, on days first and alternating — 4,4 for four on four off, or 6,4 for six on four off. The cycle can be up to 90 days long.

Does the roster it produces comply with working-time rules?

That is not something a generator can decide. Maximum weekly hours, minimum rest between shifts and limits on consecutive nights vary by country and by agreement. Check the roster against your own regulations before publishing it.

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