DuPont Schedule 2026: Calendar & Pay Calculator

What is the DuPont schedule?

The DuPont rotation is a 28-day cycle of 12-hour shifts that alternates day and night work in blocks: 4 nights, 3 off, 3 days, 1 off, 3 nights, 3 off, 4 days, 7 off. Fourteen shifts per cycle keeps the average at 42 scheduled hours per week, while the block structure gives crews long stretches away from each shift type.

It comes from the DuPont company's safety practice in continuous-processing plants, and it remains a standard wherever the operation literally cannot stop: paper mills, chemical and refining sites, power generation, food processing and heavy manufacturing.

Why crews put up with the night blocks

Two features carry the pattern. First, the seven-day break that closes every cycle — a genuine recovery week, not a long weekend. Second, the rotation direction: moving from days to nights (forward rotation) is generally easier on the body clock than the reverse, and DuPont blocks are long enough to settle into a temporary night rhythm rather than flip daily.

Example DuPont cycle

One full 28-day cycle starting on a night block (Sunday, September 6, 2026 in this example):

N = night 12h · D = day 12h · O = off. Anchor the calendar above to your own crew's first night.

Pros and cons of the DuPont rotation

• Pro: a full 7-day break every 28 days — plan real trips on it.
• Pro: block rotation lets you settle into day or night rhythm instead of flip-flopping daily.
• Pro: only two shift types to plan childcare around per cycle.
• Con: seven night shifts per cycle is demanding even in blocks.
• Con: the single off-day between the 3-day and 3-night blocks is a notoriously short turnaround.
• Con: the break week lands 13 days later each cycle, so it drifts across months.

DuPont schedule pay calculator

DuPont pay swings hard: the 5-shift week pays 57.5 hours (about 17.5 of them federal overtime at 1.5×), the 4-shift weeks pay 46 hours, and the break week pays nothing — budgeting across the full 28-day cycle beats looking at any single week. Night blocks usually carry a differential on top. Enter your rate and premiums below.

Running nights? Tick "This is a night shift" and set your facility's differential percentage to see the block's true value. For the daily-OT math on any single 12, use the 12-hour pay calculator.

DuPont schedule FAQ

What is the DuPont shift schedule pattern?

A 28-day rotation of 12-hour shifts: 4 nights, 3 off, 3 days, 1 off, 3 nights, 3 off, 4 days, then 7 off. That is 14 shifts per 28 days — an average of 3.5 shifts (42 hours) per week.

How does the DuPont 7-day break work?

Every 28-day cycle ends with seven consecutive days off. Workers treat it as a built-in vacation week — the signature feature that makes the demanding night blocks tolerable.

Does the DuPont schedule include night shifts?

Yes. Half of the working blocks are nights: a 4-night block at the start of the cycle and a 3-night block in the middle. Many plants rotate crews so nobody is permanent nights, and the day-to-night direction of rotation is considered easier on sleep than the reverse.

How many hours a week is the DuPont rotation?

Weeks vary: typically 4 shifts, 5 shifts, 4 shifts, then zero in the break week. Paid hours after a 30-minute unpaid break are 46, 57.5, 46 and 0 — an average of about 37 per week across the cycle, 42 scheduled.

Does the DuPont schedule pay overtime?

The five-shift week crosses the federal 40-hour line (about 17.5 overtime hours at 1.5×). In California and other daily-OT states, every 12-hour shift earns daily overtime after 8 hours. Night differentials, common in plants running this pattern, add on top.

How do I set the calendar to my DuPont crew?

Enter the first day of your current block — for most crews that is the first of the four night shifts. Your dates are stored only in this browser and reload automatically next visit.