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Silage Quantity Calculator

Work out silage quantity instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Silage Quantity Calculator

Silage tonnage is pit volume times settled density, typically 600-750 kg/m3 for well-compacted maize silage. At around 32% dry matter, a tonne of silage carries only about 320 kg of dry matter, and at a 25 kg daily feeding rate the pit's animal-day capacity follows directly.

Formulas

Silage quantity

Volume = length x width x depth; tonnes = volume x density / 1000

Feeding capacity

Animal-days = kg silage / daily feeding rate

Worked example

With the default values below, Silage Quantity Calculator returns Silage Held of 41.60. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Pit Lengthminimum 0.1 m
8 m
Pit Widthminimum 0.1 m
4 m
Filled Depthminimum 0.1 m
2 m
Silage Densityminimum 100 kg/m3
650 kg/m3

Results

Silage Held
41.60
Pit Volume
64.00
Dry Matter Stored
13.312
Animal-Days At 25 kg Per Day
1,664

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Silage quantity
  3. 3Feeding capacity
  4. 4Silage Held= 41.60
  5. 5Pit Volume= 64.00
  6. 6Dry Matter Stored= 13.312
  7. 7Animal-Days At 25 kg Per Day= 1,664

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

Why does compaction matter so much?

Poor compaction leaves air in the clamp, which allows yeasts and moulds to grow and can waste 10-20% of the crop. Density below about 550 kg/m3 usually means inadequate rolling.

What face area should I plan for?

Size the pit so at least 15-20 cm is removed from the whole face each day. A face left standing too long spoils faster than it is fed.

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