Shrimp Feed Cost Calculation: How to Work Out Tonnage, FCR and Cost per Kg Harvested

The direct answer

Shrimp feed cost per cycle is calculated in four steps. First, biomass harvested = pond area × 10,000 × stocking density per m² × survival rate × harvest weight. Second, feed required = biomass harvested × FCR (feed conversion ratio). Third, feed cost = feed tonnes × delivered price per tonne. Finally, feed cost per kilogram harvested = feed cost ÷ biomass harvested in kilograms. Worked example: a 1-hectare vannamei pond stocked at 80 PL/m² with 75% survival to 20 g harvest produces about 12 tonnes of shrimp; at an FCR of 1.5 the cycle needs roughly 18 tonnes of feed, and at 1,250 per tonne that is about 1.88 of feed cost per kilogram harvested.

Why feed cost dominates shrimp economics

Feed typically represents 50–65% of the total cost of producing shrimp, which makes it the single largest controllable line in the budget. Two levers decide that number: the price paid per tonne of feed, and the FCR actually achieved in the pond. A farm that buys well but feeds poorly still loses margin, and a farm that feeds perfectly but contracts the wrong specification loses it too. This is why the feed cost calculation should be run before stocking, not after harvest — the result defines the volume to contract, the specification to buy against, and the minimum sale price that keeps the cycle profitable.

Step 1: Estimate the biomass you will actually harvest

The calculation starts from what leaves the pond, not what goes in. Multiply pond area in hectares by 10,000 to get square meters, multiply by stocking density in post-larvae per m², then by the expected survival rate, then by target harvest weight in grams. Each input matters: stocking density alone does not tell you how much feed you will need, because survival and harvest weight decide the biomass that feed has to produce. A pond stocked at 80 PL/m² that survives at 75% to a 20 g harvest yields about 12 tonnes per hectare; the same pond at 60% survival yields under 10 tonnes and needs proportionally less feed.

Step 2: Convert biomass into feed tonnage with FCR

FCR is the kilograms of feed required to produce one kilogram of harvested shrimp. Commercial vannamei ponds usually run 1.3–1.7, with semi-intensive systems at the lower end and intensive or lined ponds slightly higher; black tiger (monodon) cycles are longer and typically run 1.6–2.0. Most farms contract on economic FCR — feed charged against harvested biomass — which folds mortality feed into the ratio rather than counting it separately. Multiplying 12 tonnes of biomass by an FCR of 1.5 gives 18 tonnes of feed for the cycle: that is the volume to contract and the number that belongs in an RFQ.

Step 3: Apply the delivered feed price

Feed cost is tonnage multiplied by the delivered price per tonne — delivered, not ex-works, because freight, duties and handling are real parts of feed cost for most shrimp regions. At an indicative 1,250 per tonne, 18 tonnes costs about 22,500 per hectare per cycle. Prices move with fishmeal, soy and wheat markets and with protein grade, so run the calculation at a range of prices rather than a single point, and treat any published figure as indicative until a supplier quotes against your specification.

Step 4: Work out cost per kg harvested and margin over feed

Divide the cycle feed cost by the kilograms harvested to get feed cost per kg of shrimp — about 1.88 in the worked example. Subtracting that from the farm-gate sale price gives the margin available to cover seed, labor, energy, health management and overhead. This is the number that decides whether a stocking density or a feed upgrade pays for itself: a higher-priced feed is only expensive if it does not lower FCR or raise harvest weight enough to cover the difference.

What moves the real number away from the calculation

Three specification points change effective FCR even when the math is right. Water stability matters because feed that disintegrates before it is eaten is fed to the pond, not the shrimp — commercial shrimp pellets should hold together for at least two hours in water. Fines and pellet size matter because a size schedule that does not match the animal's stage raises waste. Protein and attractant quality matter because palatability drives how fast feed is found and consumed. These belong in the purchase specification alongside crude protein, not as afterthoughts.

From calculation to contract

Once the tonnage and specification are clear, the calculation becomes a procurement document: volume per cycle, protein grade, pellet size schedule, water stability, fines limit, delivery port and target delivery window. That is the information a shrimp feed supplier needs to quote firmly, and it is the starting point FeedMatch Group works from when a project is submitted. Every feed project request is reviewed manually by FeedMatch Group, and supplier outreach by our team happens only after internal approval — FeedMatch Group is an independent procurement intermediary, not a feed manufacturer or a feed seller.

Run your own numbers

The shrimp feed calculator at /shrimp-feed-calculator implements exactly this calculation with your own pond area, stocking density, survival, harvest weight, FCR and prices, including conservative and optimistic FCR scenarios. Use it to size the cycle, then carry the resulting tonnage and specification into a feed project request when you are ready to compare supplier quotes.