How this calculation works
Track dry matter and water independently. Retain the entered share of initial dry matter, then solve for the total mass that contains it at the requested final wet-basis moisture.
Final kg = initial kg × (1 − initial moisture) × (1 − dry-matter loss) / (1 − target moisture)A worked example
One thousand kilograms at 25% moisture contains 750 kg dry matter. At 15.5% final moisture and no dry-matter loss, final mass is about 887.574 kg and water removal about 112.426 kg.
Good to know
Not a recommended storage moisture or drying process. No contract shrink schedule, grade discount, test-weight adjustment or tax. Price uses final kg; fee uses original wet kg.
Reference: Iowa State Extension: grain drying weight shrink (opens in a new tab) ↗
Wet-basis percentage changes its denominator
Moisture on a wet basis is water divided by total wet grain mass. As water leaves, both water mass and total mass change. Subtracting the two moisture percentages does not directly give the fraction of original mass removed.
The reliable route is to hold dry matter constant when its loss input is zero, then solve the final total from the target dry fraction. This is why the shrink is not simply 25% minus 15.5% of the original mass.
Dry matter loss is a separate assumption
Handling or other modeled loss of dry matter reduces the retained solids before final wet mass is solved. The input is a percentage of initial dry matter, not a percentage of the whole starting wet load.
Do not add the same assumed loss again as another generic shrink factor. The table reconciles starting and ending water and solids so the source of each kilogram of shrink remains visible.
Check the commercial mass basis
Selling price is applied to final mass, while the entered drying charge applies to the original wet mass. Contracts can use different schedules and adjustments; those are not inferred from a moisture measurement.
The resulting sale-minus-fee value is not total profit because it does not include production, harvest, transport or other costs. The target moisture itself is entered and carries no storage-safety recommendation.
Use the result with the next measurement
The raw to cooked food portion yield calculator uses an observed batch ratio rather than this grain solids balance. Both distinguish input and output mass, but grain drying requires the explicit wet-basis moisture denominator.
Not a recommended storage moisture or drying process. No contract shrink schedule, grade discount, test-weight adjustment or tax. Price uses final kg; fee uses original wet kg.
A few questions, answered
Why not subtract moisture percentages?
The total wet-mass denominator changes during drying.
Is loss a share of wet grain?
No, it is a share of initial dry matter.
Does final value mean profit?
No, only sale value less the entered drying fee.