Calculate how much weight and bushels you lose when drying grain from a high moisture content to a market-acceptable level. This calculator uses the standard moisture shrink formula and shows the revenue impact of drying.
Enter initial moisture, target final moisture, initial weight, sale price, and test weight. The calculator computes shrink percentage, final weight, bushel loss, and the revenue impact of water removed during drying.
Shrink % = [(Initial Moisture% − Final Moisture%) ÷ (100 − Final Moisture%)] × 100
This formula accounts for the fact that dry matter is conserved — only water is removed. The denominator (100 − final moisture) converts to dry matter basis.
Final Weight = Initial Weight × (1 − Shrink% ÷ 100)
Weight Loss = Initial Weight − Final Weight
Bushels = Weight (lb) ÷ Test Weight (lb/bu)
50,000 lb of corn at 25% moisture dried to 15%: Shrink = [(25 − 15) ÷ (100 − 15)] × 100 = (10 ÷ 85) × 100 = 11.76%.
Final weight = 50,000 × (1 − 0.1176) = 44,120 lb. Weight loss = 5,880 lb. At 56 lb/bu: Initial = 893 bu, Final = 788 bu. At $4.50/bu: Revenue loss = 105 bu × $4.50 = $472.
1. Enter the initial moisture percentage of the grain as harvested. 2. Enter the target final moisture (typically 15% for corn, 13% for soybeans). 3. Enter the initial weight. 4. Add sale price and test weight for revenue analysis. Click Calculate.
Moisture shrink is a critical factor in grain marketing and drying economics. When grain is dried, only water is removed — dry matter (and the nutrients it contains) is conserved. The shrink formula correctly accounts for this by using dry matter basis in the denominator. Understanding shrink helps you compare the cost of on-farm drying versus selling wet grain at a discount, and evaluate whether drying revenue covers drying costs (fuel, electricity, labor).
Common mistakes: Using simple subtraction (initial − final) instead of the correct formula — this underestimates shrink because it doesn't account for dry matter conservation. Forgetting that test weight can change during drying — dried grain may have higher test weight. Confusing moisture shrink with handling loss — shrink is water removal only, not physical loss from spills or augers. Ignoring that different commodities have different target moistures.
✓ Expert Reviewed: This calculator and its content have been reviewed by agricultural experts. Formulas are based on standard extension service recommendations.