MTBF
Mean Time Between Failures
The average operating time between one failure and the next.
Plain English
How long the system usually runs before failing again.
In context
MTBF is a historical reliability measure most useful when failure definitions and observation windows are consistent.
Example
“The hardware fleet's MTBF improved after the replacement.”
When you'll hear this
- reliability reporting
- hardware operations
- capacity planning
Common misunderstanding
MTBF does not predict the exact time of the next failure.
Also known as
mean time between failures
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-25
