Lead time is the wait between asking for something and getting it. Order a sofa in March, sit on it in July: that four-month gap is the lead time.
It is a working word, at home in factories, shipping, printing and events, and it covers any stretch of preparation rather than deliveries alone — a conference needs six months' lead time for the venue. Long lead times force you to plan far ahead; short ones let you decide late. The lead here rhymes with need, not with the metal, so say LEED time. It takes OF for the length — a lead time of ten days — and it is fine in the plural. Keep it apart from turnaround, which is how long the work takes once it has started.
1nounlead timeThe time between placing an order and receiving the goods.
“The supplier quotes a lead time of six weeks on the steel.”
technical in this meaning — an editor’s judgement
2nounamountThe amount of preparation time needed before something can happen.
“Printing the programme needs a lead time of at least a month.”
lead time is a length of time.
Practised in Time & Calendar, Factory & Manufacturing, Shipping & Logistics