Produce Drying Yield, Batch & Electricity Calculator

Estimate dried weight, batch count and electricity costs from wet weight and moisture.
Use measured operating conditions and save a batch plan to confirm capacity with your supplier.

Defaults are fictional examples. Replace them with verified crop moisture, loading, operating conditions and your energy rate.

Both moisture values use a wet basis. Costs cover electricity only, excluding produce, labor and fixed charges. Results do not establish food safety or suitable drying settings.

1. Wet input and target moisture

Use the actual weight loaded after sorting and preparation. Dry-matter loss applies to the initial solids, not the whole wet input.

Wet input weight (kg)

0–1,000,000

Initial moisture · wet basis (%)

0–99.99

Final moisture · wet basis (%)

0–99.99

Dry-matter loss (%)

0–100

2. Single-dryer batches and energy rate

Enter wet kg per batch and duration and average power for the same operating interval. The last partial batch uses the same duration and power.

Wet loading capacity per batch (kg)

0.01–1,000,000

Operating duration per batch (h)

0.01–720

Average operating power (kW)

0–1,000

Verified electricity rate (KRW/kWh)

0–10,000

Rated power may differ from average draw. The example rate of 150 KRW is not an agricultural tariff. Zero rate or power is treated as an explicit zero assumption.

★ Estimated dried output and electricity cost

Dried output

25 kg

Required batches

Total electricity cost

12,000 KRW

Electricity per dried kg

480 KRW/kg

Yield: 25%
Initial / lost dry matter: 20 / 0 kg
Retained solids / final water: 20 / 5 kg
Water excluded from product: 75 kg
Total weight reduction: 75 kg
Last batch load / utilization: 10 kg / 33.333%
Total operating duration: 40 h
Total energy: 80 kWh
Electricity per wet kg: 120 KRW/kg

Excluded water can include water carried away in discarded material; it is not measured evaporation. Duration sums sequential operation of one dryer and excludes loading or breaks outside the entered interval.

Batch plan · identical loads grouped

Batch ranges, wet and dried weight, duration, energy and electricity cost
Range (count)	Wet kg/batch	Dried kg/batch	h/batch	kWh/batch	KRW/batch
1–3 (3)	30	7.5	10	20	3,000
4–4 (1)	10	2.5	10	20	3,000

Duration and average power sensitivity · total cost

Batches and dried output stay fixed. The 80%, 100% and 120% factors are scenarios, not a forecast range. Changing moisture does not automatically change duration or power.

Total electricity cost by duration and average power factors (KRW)
Duration ↓ / power →	80%	100%	120%
80%	7,680	9,600	11,520
100%	9,600	★ 12,000	14,400
120%	11,520	14,400	17,280

Save the plan and ask the supplier to verify crop loading limits, partial batches, moisture measurement, measured duration and average power. Verify the energy rate against your bill separately.

Sources checked: 2026-09-19 · kg / h / kW / kWh / KRW

Separate wet input from dried output before sizing batches

Harvested produce contains water and dry matter.
Loading 100 kilograms does not normally produce 100 kilograms of dried product, and the final weight depends on both initial and target moisture.
This calculator estimates that weight first, then divides the original wet load into batches using your verified dryer capacity.
Use it before drying peppers or other produce to organize loads and prepare an electricity budget from operating records.

Results include dried weight, yield, batch count, operating duration, energy use and electricity cost per kilogram of dried output.
Unit cost means electricity only; it is neither a selling price nor a complete production cost.
All money is in KRW and the entered rate is in KRW/kWh, including on this English page.
The mass balance is not tied to a national tariff or a particular crop.

Prepare matching measurements

Actual produce loaded

Weigh produce after sorting, washing and preparation, excluding containers and packaging.
Do not count stems or rejected material already removed from that weight again as dry-matter loss.
Moisture and weight should describe the same material state; calculate different crops or harvest conditions separately.

Actual operating records

Obtain the supplier-confirmed wet loading limit for the crop and the duration of one batch.
Metered kWh divided by hours over the same interval gives average kW.
Check whether the meter covers both heating and fans, and whether unrelated equipment shares the measurement.

Use kg for weight, h for duration, kW for average power and kWh for energy.
Power and energy are not interchangeable inputs.
Inputs accept up to two decimal places; displayed results use up to three, while the saved plan uses up to six.
Display rounding does not feed back into batch counts.

Wet-basis moisture and dry-matter loss

The denominator is the entire wet mass

Wet-basis moisture is water weight divided by the combined weight of water and solids.
A 100 kg input at 80% moisture contains 80 kg of water and 20 kg of solids.
Dry-basis moisture uses solids as the denominator, so a dry-basis reading cannot be entered unchanged.
Confirm the basis on the meter or laboratory report and use a consistent basis for both moisture inputs.

Dry-matter loss is the share of original solids that does not remain in the product.
The zero default is a scenario, not a claim that a crop has no losses.
Use evidence from your process for fines or other losses, and do not enter water shrink as dry-matter loss: the moisture equation already accounts for it.

Calculate dried weight from the mass balance

Formulas

Initial dry matter = wet input × (1 − initial moisture ÷ 100)
Retained dry matter = initial dry matter × (1 − dry-matter loss ÷ 100)
Dried output = retained dry matter ÷ (1 − final moisture ÷ 100)
Yield = dried output ÷ wet input × 100

Final water equals dried output multiplied by the final moisture fraction.
Initial water minus final product water is labeled “water excluded from product.”
It can include water carried away with discarded solids, so it is not a measurement of evaporation.
Total weight reduction is the sum of lost solids and water no longer in the product.
Moisture must be below 100%, and final moisture cannot exceed initial moisture because this tool does not model rewetting.

Round up batches using wet loading capacity

A small remaining load still needs a cycle

Batch count = ceiling(wet input ÷ wet capacity per batch).
For 100 kg and a 30 kg limit, the plan is three 30 kg loads and one 10 kg load: four batches.
Exactly 90 kg needs three batches, while 90.01 kg needs four.
Dividing dried output by capacity misses the wet material that must fit at the start.

Last-batch utilization is its wet load divided by the capacity.
A partial load uses the same entered duration and average power as a full load; one-third loading does not imply one-third cost.
Identical batches are grouped into a range, and the weight, hours, energy and cost columns are per batch.
The calculation assumes one dryer running sequentially, without parallel equipment or scheduling optimization.

Electricity costs and excluded expenses

Average draw × operating hours × rate

Total duration = batches × hours per batch.
Energy = total duration × average kW, and electricity cost = energy × KRW/kWh.
Divide that cost by final product weight for cost per dried kg.
The default 150 KRW/kWh is fictional, not a current agricultural tariff.
Rated power can differ from actual average draw; identify a rating-based assumption as such.

Fixed and demand charges, separate taxes and levies, produce, labor, packaging, purchase costs and depreciation are not added automatically.
Only items already included in the entered energy rate enter this calculation, so align the scope with the bill you compare.
The tool does not apply residential tiers or decide eligibility for an agricultural electricity contract.
If preparation or cooling should count, the duration and average-power measurement must cover that same interval.

Fictional example: 100 kg input becomes 25 kg output

Weight and yield

Assume 80% initial moisture, 20% final moisture and 0% dry-matter loss.
Retained solids are 20 kg, so final weight is 20 ÷ 0.8 = 25 kg and yield is 25%.
Final water is 5 kg, with 75 kg excluded from the product.
These moisture settings are not recommendations for any crop.

Batches and electricity

A 30 kg loading limit, 10 h per cycle, 2 kW average power and 150 KRW/kWh require four cycles.
That is 40 h, 80 kWh and 12,000 KRW, or 480 KRW per dried kg and 120 KRW per wet kg.
The last 10 kg still uses 10 h and 20 kWh.

Changing dry-matter loss to 10% removes 2 kg of solids and reduces output to 22.5 kg.
With the same loading and operating conditions, electricity remains 12,000 KRW, rising to about 533.333 KRW per dried kg.
Water excluded from product becomes 75.5 kg.
Total weight reduction and lost dry matter are different quantities.

Calculate and save a supplier confirmation plan

Group produce with the same processing conditions, weigh it and verify that moisture is reported on a wet basis.
Enter the verified target moisture and dry-matter loss.
When target moisture changes, recheck duration with the supplier or operating records rather than expecting the calculator to predict it.
Enter crop-specific wet capacity and matching duration and average power.
A capacity advertised for another crop may not describe your load.
Use an energy rate checked against your bill or contract, then calculate.
Review batch count, last-load utilization and the different denominators for wet and dried unit costs.
Save the TXT plan with inputs, output, grouped batches and sensitivity assumptions.
Editing an input hides the previous results; calculate again before saving.

Budget for changes in duration and average power

Vary both assumptions independently

The sensitivity grid uses 80%, 100% and 120% of the entered duration and the same three factors for average power.
Batch count and dried weight remain fixed.
From a baseline cost of 12,000 KRW, both factors at 80% produce 7,680 KRW; both at 120% produce 17,280 KRW.
These are budget scenarios, not confidence intervals or a guarantee that the crop reaches target moisture.

When harvest weight slightly exceeds a full load, examine the extra cycle first.
To compare dryers, save a separate plan for each using the same crop, target moisture and cost scope, but each machine’s verified capacity and operating records.
Lower average power does not necessarily mean shorter drying time.
For an actual completion date, add loading, unloading, breaks and available work periods outside the modeled operating duration.

Frequently asked questions

Does this recommend pepper drying moisture or temperature?

No.
It budgets weight and electricity for conditions you have already verified.
Confirm crop-specific moisture, temperature, duration and storage requirements separately.

Can I enter a dry-basis meter reading?

Not unchanged.
Both moisture fields require a wet basis.
Verify the measurement conditions and convert the reading to the same basis first.

Should water shrink also be entered as dry-matter loss?

No.
Initial and final moisture already account for water changes.
Dry-matter loss only describes original solids that do not remain in the product.

Does a partial final load automatically cost less?

No.
This model applies the same duration and average power to every cycle.
Any real partial-load savings must be established from the machine’s operating records.

What happens at 100% dry-matter loss?

Dried output is zero and cost per dried kg is not applicable.
Batches and costs for the entered wet load remain.
If wet input itself is zero, batches and costs are also zero.

Is there a cost when initial and final moisture are equal?

Yes.
With no dry-matter loss, weight stays unchanged, but the entered operating hours and power still generate a cost.
Duration is not automatically set to zero.

Does zero rate or power mean missing data?

No.
Zero is an explicit zero assumption and makes the electricity estimate zero.
It does not mean actual energy is free; fill in omitted measurements and calculate again.

Does the plan establish total production cost or food safety?

No.
Produce, labor, equipment and packaging are excluded, and product condition is not tested.
Use the plan to verify capacity and operation with the supplier.

Sources and inputs to recheck

Sources checked on 2026-09-19.
The wet-basis shrink relationship was checked against NDSU’s 2009 material.
With no dry-matter loss, drying from 25% to 15% moisture reduces weight by about 11.76%, consistent with dry-matter conservation.
Corn-specific temperature and storage guidance from those sources is not transferred to other produce.

No statutory rate or standard crop loss percentage is built in.
Recheck equipment specifications, the meaning of wet loading capacity, measured moisture, partial-batch operation and your energy contract whenever conditions change.
The source-check date does not guarantee later machine performance or electricity prices.

Weigh the harvest and check the batch plan

Prepare the weighing and moisture records, then calculate with conditions verified for your dryer.
The saved plan helps identify a small remainder needing an extra cycle and keeps wet-weight and dried-weight unit costs distinct.
For rental periods, transport costs and custom-work comparisons, continue with the related machinery calculator.

Calculate drying yield and electricity Compare machinery rental and custom work