Moisture Content Of Grain Calculator

Work out moisture content of grain instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Moisture Content Of Grain Calculator

Wet-basis moisture is water as a fraction of total weight and is the figure used in grain trading. Dry-basis moisture divides by the dry matter instead and is used in drying engineering. Water to remove from a lot to reach a target is lot weight x (current MC - target MC) / (100 - target MC).

Formulas

Moisture content

MC wet basis % = (wet - dry) x 100 / wet; MC dry basis % = (wet - dry) x 100 / dry

Water removal

Water to remove = lot weight x (MC now - MC target) / (100 - MC target)

Worked example

With the default values below, Moisture Content Of Grain Calculator returns Moisture Content (wet basis) of 14.00%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Wet Sample Weightminimum 0.01 g: 100 g
Oven-Dry Sample Weightminimum 0.01 g: 86 g
Lot Weightminimum 0 tonnes: 10 tonnes
Target Moistureaccepts 1–40 %: 12 %

Results

Moisture Content (wet basis): 14.00%
Moisture Content (dry basis): 16.28%
Water To Remove From Lot: 0.227
Dry Matter Content: 86.00%

Step by step

1Values used
2Moisture content
3Water removal
4Moisture Content (wet basis)= 14.00
5Moisture Content (dry basis)= 16.28
6Water To Remove From Lot= 0.227
7Dry Matter Content= 86.00

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, fees or charges 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

Which basis do grain buyers use?

Wet basis, always. A moisture meter reading of 14% means 14% of the total weight is water.

What is safe storage moisture?

Around 12-13% for cereals in ambient storage and below 9-10% for oilseeds. Above 14% moulds and insects multiply and grain can heat and spoil within weeks.