Food Processing Yield Calculator

Work out food processing yield instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Food Processing Yield Calculator

Process yield is finished output as a percentage of raw input, and it drives the raw material cost of every kilogram sold: raw cost per kg of output is total raw spend less by-product credit, divided by output. A one-point yield gain in a low-margin process is often worth more than a price rise.

Formulas

Process yield

Yield % = output x 100 / input

Cost impact

Raw cost per kg output = (input x raw cost - loss x by-product value) / output

Worked example

With the default values below, Food Processing Yield Calculator returns Process Yield of 72.00%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Raw Material Inputminimum 0.01 kg: 1,000 kg
Finished Product Outputminimum 0 kg: 720 kg
Raw Material Costminimum 0 per kg: 28 per kg
By-Product Recovery Valueminimum 0 per kg: 6 per kg

Results

Process Yield: 72.00%
Material Loss: 280.00
Raw Cost Per kg Of Product: $36.556
By-Product Credit: $1,680.00

Step by step

1Values used
2Process yield
3Cost impact
4Process Yield= 72.00
5Material Loss= 280.00
6Raw Cost Per kg Of Product= 36.556
7By-Product Credit= 1,680.00

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 or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Why credit by-products?

Peels, bran, pomace and trimmings usually have a sale value as feed or for extraction. Ignoring that credit overstates the true raw material cost of the main product.

Is yield the same as recovery?

In most food processing the terms are used interchangeably, but recovery sometimes refers specifically to a target component such as oil or sugar rather than total mass.