Quick answer: the DuPont schedule is a 28-day rotation for 4 crews on 12-hour shifts: 4 nights, 3 off, 3 days, 1 off, 3 nights, 3 off, 4 days, 7 off. Each crew works 14 shifts every 4 weeks, 42 hours a week on average, and gets 7 days off in a row once a cycle.
Find my crew: not sure which crew you are? Enter a few dates you worked or had off and the calendar lines itself up with your rotation. Download your shifts with their real start and end times to your phone calendar, show federal holidays, or check any date to see who is on.
The DuPont pattern, day by day
One crew, one full 28-day cycle:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night | Night | Night | Night | Off | Off | Off | Day | Day | Day | Off | Night | Night | Night | Off | Off | Off | Day | Day | Day | Day | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off | Off |
DuPont hours by workweek
42 hours a week on average; single weeks from 0 to 72. Overtime over 40: 4 to 12 hours a week on average, set by the cycle day the workweek begins.
| Workweek begins on | Hours in each week of the 28-day repeat | Average overtime per week |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | 48, 72, 48, 0 | 12 |
| Day 2 | 48, 60, 48, 12 | 9 |
| Day 3 | 48, 48, 48, 24 | 6 |
| Day 4 | 48, 36, 48, 36 | 4 |
| Day 5 | 36, 48, 36, 48 | 4 |
| Day 6 | 48, 48, 24, 48 | 6 |
| Day 7 | 60, 48, 12, 48 | 9 |
What workers say about DuPont
The draw is the 7-day break every four weeks, long enough for a trip without using vacation. The cost is the block before it: 4 day shifts after 3 nights, and one week that reaches 72 hours if the workweek starts on the first night. Changing between nights and days every few shifts is harder on sleep than fixed shifts.
Paid a night premium on those 12s? Price it with the shift differential calculator, and track the actual hours on the biweekly time card.
The DuPont "hell week"
Workers call the heaviest stretch the hell week: depending on where the workweek starts, one week reaches 72 hours (6 shifts of 12). It comes right before the 7 days off, which is what makes the schedule popular despite it. If your employer starts the workweek elsewhere, the heaviest week can be 48 or 60 hours instead; the table above shows every option.
Sources: DOL: Overtime pay. Rules checked . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
How many hours a week is the DuPont schedule?
42 on average: 14 shifts x 12 hours over 4 weeks. Single weeks range from 0 to 72 hours depending on where the workweek starts; see the table above.
How many crews does DuPont need?
Four: at any time one crew is on days, one on nights and two are off.
Does DuPont mean overtime every month?
Usually yes under the federal 40-hour rule, because hours bunch into heavy weeks. How much depends on the workweek start: from 4 to 8 hours a week on average in the table above.