Your real cost per tonne — ingredients, conversion, fixed and variable.
Build the operating cost of a feed mill line by line with your own tariffs, wages and formulation cost. The split this page produces feeds directly into break-even, payback and the RFQ scope.
Plant and volume
Changing the route resets the energy default.
Used only to size the maintenance budget.
Variable cost per tonne
Raw materials and premix per tonne of finished feed.
Mash ~10–15, pelleting ~25–35, extrusion ~60–100.
0 if you ship bulk.
0 if sold ex-works.
Fixed cost
Cost per tonne breakdown
| Cost item | Per tonne | Annual | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw materials and premix (incl. shrinkage) | USD 331.65 | USD 12,735,360 | 92.6% |
| Electricity | USD 3.60 | USD 138,240 | 1.0% |
| Steam / thermal fuel | USD 4.00 | USD 153,600 | 1.1% |
| Packaging | USD 6.00 | USD 230,400 | 1.7% |
| Dies, rollers and wear parts | USD 2.50 | USD 96,000 | 0.7% |
| QC, lab and traceability | USD 1.50 | USD 57,600 | 0.4% |
| Outbound logistics | USD 0.00 | USD 0 | 0.0% |
| Labour | USD 4.38 | USD 168,000 | 1.2% |
| Maintenance | USD 0.00 | USD 0 | 0.0% |
| Overhead, insurance and admin | USD 4.69 | USD 180,000 | 1.3% |
| Total | USD 358.31 | USD 13,759,200 | 100% |
Estimates Only: Planning and procurement estimate only. Final formulations, ingredient inclusion, nutrient targets, feed safety, additive use and regulatory compliance must be approved by appropriately qualified professionals and the responsible manufacturer. This calculator is provided for general informational purposes only. Results are approximate and may contain errors, omissions, or outdated information. They do not constitute legal, financial, engineering, tax, technical, or professional advice. Users are solely responsible for independently verifying all calculations, specifications, prices, regulations, and requirements with qualified professionals before making any decisions. By using this calculator, you acknowledge that the website owners, operators, and affiliates accept no responsibility or liability for any loss, damage, or decisions resulting from its use.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. FeedMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every feed project request is reviewed manually by David / FeedMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.
Where the money actually leaks
Ingredients are 92.6% of your cost per tonne. A 2% improvement on raw material sourcing is worth USD 254,707 per year here — usually more than any equipment discount. That is the case FeedMatch runs a managed, supplier-neutral RFQ for.
Scope of this tool
What this tool can and can't do
Feed Mill OPEX Estimator is a planning tool for budget-stage and RFQ-stage decisions. It gives defensible numbers to compare suppliers against — it is not an engineering, veterinary or financing approval.
What it can do
- Size the required line capacity in tonnes per hour from annual tonnage, shifts and realistic uptime.
- Estimate connected load and specific energy consumption (kWh per tonne) by process stage.
- Show the effect of automation level, process type (pelleting versus extrusion) and utilisation on cost per tonne.
- Give an indicative CAPEX band and payback range for budgeting.
What it can't do
- Substitute for a vendor's guaranteed capacity or energy figures — those come with the equipment contract.
- Include site-specific electrical infrastructure, transformer upgrades, grid tariffs or generator backup unless you add them.
- Model your actual formula's grinding and conditioning behaviour, which changes energy per tonne materially.
- Serve as a bankable feasibility study or a financing document.
Required inputs
- · Target annual production in tonnes
- · Operating hours: shifts per day, days per year, expected uptime %
- · Process type (mash, pelleting, extrusion) and automation level
- · Energy tariff and labour cost if you want operating cost output
Example run
- · 60,000 t/year, 2 shifts, 300 days, 85% uptime
- · Pelleting line, semi-automated
- · Energy tariff 0.11 USD/kWh
- → Required nominal capacity: about 16-17 t/h
- → Specific energy: roughly 42 kWh/t (grinding + pelleting + handling), about 4.6 USD/t at the tariff entered
- → Indicative CAPEX band and simple payback range for budget-stage comparison
What does this calculator estimate?
It estimates the throughput a feed mill or production line can hold over a working period, from batch, process and operating-hour assumptions. It suits mill owners and investors comparing scenarios. Two mills with the same nominal capacity can need different equipment, so treat this as a preliminary planning figure.
What can change the result?
- · Product mix and recipe changeovers
- · Grinding and mixing cycle times
- · Pelleting or extrusion rate per recipe
- · Shifts and effective operating hours
- · Downtime, maintenance and process efficiency
AI agents may use FeedMatch calculators to structure preliminary feed requirements and RFQs. Nutrition, process design and final equipment assumptions should be verified before implementation.
Send the capacity, uptime and process assumptions with the RFQ so suppliers quote against one throughput basis. Start a structured RFQ.
Feed mill operating cost — questions buyers ask
What is included in feed mill OPEX?
What is a realistic conversion cost per tonne?
How much energy does a feed mill use per tonne?
Does FeedMatch publish ingredient or feed prices?
Why split fixed and variable cost?
What is the next step after OPEX?
FeedMatch Group is an independent, supplier-neutral, human-led sourcing and RFQ platform. FeedMatch is not a feed producer, manufacturer, EPC contractor, farm, nutritionist, lender, broker-dealer, investment advisor or unmanaged marketplace, and publishes no ingredient, feed or equipment prices. All figures on this page are indicative planning estimates derived from the values you enter.