Rubik's Cube Timer - Speedcubing Scramble & Solve Timer

How to use this tool

1. A random 20-move 3×3 scramble is displayed at the top. Choose New Scramble before starting if you want another one.
2. For the default timer, hold Space or the timer for 0.5 seconds until it turns green, then release to start. For competition practice, enable WCA inspection, select Start inspection, and press Space or tap the timer when ready to solve.
3. Press any key or tap the timer to stop. The result and scramble are saved in this browser; inspection mode applies +2 at 15.00–16.99 seconds and DNF from 17.00 seconds. Clear the history at any time with either Clear control.

WCA notation

The World Cube Association (WCA) uses standard notation for Rubik's Cube moves. This timer's generated 20-move practice scrambles use the six outer faces shown below; the other notation in the table is useful when reading algorithms but is not generated by this tool.

World records (3×3)

• Single solve: 3.13 seconds (Max Park, 2023)
• Average of 5: 4.09 seconds (Yiheng Wang, 2024)
• Beginner's target: under 2 minutes; intermediate: under 1 minute; advanced: sub-20 seconds

Beginner solving methods

Layer-by-Layer (LBL) is the most common beginner method. The steps:

1. Cross: Solve the four edge pieces on one face (typically white).
2. First layer corners: Insert the four corners to complete the first layer.
3. Second layer: Solve the four middle-layer edges.
4. OLL (Orient Last Layer): Orient all pieces on the last layer to show the correct face color (typically yellow).
5. PLL (Permute Last Layer): Permute the pieces into their correct positions.

LBL typically takes 1–2 minutes for beginners. With practice and learning full OLL/PLL algorithms, solve times drop to under 30 seconds.

Advanced speedcubing methods

• CFOP (Fridrich Method): Cross -> F2L (First Two Layers) -> OLL -> PLL. The most popular advanced method; world-class cubers average 5–7 seconds using CFOP with ~78 algorithms.
• Roux: Block-building method with fewer algorithms (~42). More intuitive than CFOP; top Roux solvers average 6–8 seconds.
• ZZ: Edge orientation -> F2L -> LL. Reduces cube rotations; advanced ZZ solvers average 8–10 seconds.

Inspection time rule

In official WCA competitions, competitors have up to 15 seconds of inspection before starting a solve. Inspection gives a moment to orient the cube and plan an opening, such as the cross in CFOP. To practice this, enable WCA inspection (15 seconds) in the timer, choose Start inspection, then press Space or tap the timer when you begin solving. The solve timer starts at that point; inspection time is recorded separately.

The widget applies the WCA inspection boundaries when the solve starts: less than 15.00 seconds has no penalty, from exactly 15.00 seconds up to but not including 17.00 seconds adds two seconds, and exactly 17.00 seconds or longer is recorded as DNF. The solve's official result, including +2, is used for best time and averages. ao5 and ao12 remove the best and worst result; if a DNF remains among the middle solves, that average is DNF. When inspection is off, the original hold-for-500-milliseconds then release-to-start flow stays active.

This is a browser practice timer, not an official competition timing system. Browser scheduling, keyboard handling, and display refresh can affect timing, so use a competition's approved timer and judge for official results. Solve durations, scrambles, inspection penalties, and timestamps are saved in this browser's local storage (up to 500 records); nothing is sent to a server. Use either Clear control to remove this timer's saved history. The move generator is a lightweight practice scramble generator and does not provide a cube-state image or the event-specific tools of full speedcubing timer software.