Bake Loss Percentage Calculator

Work out bake loss percentage instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Bake Loss Percentage Calculator

Bake loss is the water evaporated in the oven as a percentage of dough weight, typically 10-14% for a tin loaf and up to 20% for a small crusty roll with high surface area. Cooling adds a further 1-2%. Dough scaling weight must be set so the cooled loaf meets the declared sale weight.

Formulas

Bake loss

Bake loss % = (dough weight - baked weight) x 100 / dough weight

Scaling

Dough weight = target sale weight / (1 - total loss fraction)

Worked example

With the default values below, Bake Loss Percentage Calculator returns Bake Loss of 12.0000%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Dough Weight Before Bakingminimum 0 g: 900 g
Weight After Bakingminimum 0 g: 792 g
Additional Cooling Lossaccepts 0–10 %: 1.5 %
Target Sale Weightminimum 0 g: 800 g

Results

Bake Loss: 12.0000%
Total Loss To Sale Weight: 13.3200%
Weight After Cooling: 780.120
Dough Weight Needed For Target: 922.93

Step by step

1Values used
2Bake loss
3Scaling
4Bake Loss= 12.0000
5Total Loss To Sale Weight= 13.3200
6Weight After Cooling= 780.120
7Dough Weight Needed For Target= 922.93

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
Bread and bakery products sold by weight are subject to average quantity legislation. Verify cooled net weight against the declared weight with a calibrated scale.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Bread and bakery products sold by weight are subject to average quantity legislation. Verify cooled net weight against the declared weight with a calibrated scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does bake loss vary between products?

It scales with surface area to volume ratio and with bake time and temperature. Small rolls lose far more proportionally than a large loaf, and steam injection reduces early loss.

Is under-weight bread a legal issue?

Yes. Average quantity rules apply to bread sold by weight, so scaling must account for bake and cooling loss with enough margin that the cooled product meets the declared weight.