Daily Drilling Report Generator: Depth, ROP, and NPT PDF

The daily drilling report, often called a DDR or IADC report, is the single most produced document on a drilling rig, summarizing depth progress, bit performance, mud properties, and time usage for every 24 hour period. This generator turns a short form into a clean, formatted report ready to save as a PDF, distribute to partners, or file for the well record.

What a daily report covers

• Header: well name, report date, day number, and key personnel on site
• Depth and rate of penetration: starting and ending depth, footage drilled, and average ROP
• Bit record: bit number, size, type, cumulative hours, and cumulative footage
• Mud properties: weight, viscosity, fluid loss, and pH
• 24-hour time breakdown: hours spent on each activity, split between productive time and non-productive time (NPT)
• Operations summary: a narrative description of what happened during the reporting period

Key calculations

• Footage drilled = depth at end of report minus depth at start of report
• Average ROP = footage drilled / rotating hours
• NPT percentage = non-productive hours / 24 x 100

The generator also checks that the 24-hour time breakdown actually sums to 24 hours, flagging a warning if it does not, a common data entry error on manually compiled reports.

Worked example

A well drills from 10,200 ft to 10,450 ft over a 24 hour period, with 14 rotating hours. The day includes 1.5 hours of rig service and 0.5 hours of other non-productive time.

1. Footage drilled = 10,450 minus 10,200 = 250 ft
2. Average ROP = 250 / 14 = 17.86 ft/hr
3. Time breakdown: 14 + 4 + 3 + 1 + 1.5 + 0.5 = 24 hours (checks out)
4. NPT = 2.0 hours / 24 x 100 = 8.3%

These are the exact numbers the generator returns when you click Load Example, confirming the calculations before you rely on it for a real report.

Why this matters

Daily reports feed cost tracking, AFE (authorization for expenditure) monitoring, and post-well performance reviews, and a consistent format makes it far easier to compare days, weeks, and offset wells against each other. Non-productive time tracking in particular is one of the most closely watched metrics on any drilling program, since it directly ties to cost overruns and schedule slippage.

One habit worth building: reconcile the 24 hour time breakdown before you file the report, not after someone questions it later. It is common on a busy tour for a few minutes here and there to go unaccounted for between operations, and those small gaps add up fast across a well’s drilling history. A report that consistently sums to 24 hours is also just easier for a drilling engineer or company man to trust at a glance.

Related Calculator and Reference

For evaluating whether the bit and drilling parameters reported above are running efficiently, see the Bit Weight, RPM, and Mechanical Specific Energy Calculator. For standard IADC daily report conventions, see the IADC reference on drilling reporting practices.