Feed formulation cost and ingredient comparison
Formula cost per tonne is the sum of each ingredient's price multiplied by its inclusion share. Enter your own quotes and lab values; the result is a preliminary cost check, not a formulation.
Method reviewed: · Enter your own figures — this tool contains no default prices, nutrient values or benchmarks.
Two decisions: feed specification and production equipment
Formulation-cost arithmetic checks an approved inclusion set: cost per metric tonne = Σ(price per tonne × inclusion % ÷ 100). One tonne is 1,000 kg; keep one currency and one delivered-price basis. It does not set a complete diet or optimize nutrient constraints.
Equipment selection starts with the approved feed matrix, feed form and required tonnes/hour at every process stage. Pellet mills, extruders and silos need separate acceptance conditions; motor power alone does not demonstrate complete-line output.
When evaluating formulation software, ask the vendor to demonstrate editable lot analyses, species/stage constraints, versioned prices, minimum/maximum inclusions and infeasibility on the same test dataset. Export, sensitivity reports and ERP integrations must be demonstrated, not assumed to exist in FeedMatch.
- Poultry and swine: approved stage, amino-acid/energy basis and feed form.
- Cattle: forage contribution, fibre and the complete ration reviewed by a ruminant nutritionist.
- Aquaculture: exact species/stage, digestibility basis and floating/sinking requirement.
- All species: dated ingredient analyses, units, permitted use and nutritionist approval before production.
Your inputs
Results
Enter your own figures — this tool contains no default prices, nutrient values or benchmarks.
Preliminary arithmetic only. A qualified nutritionist must review any formulation before use; this is not nutritional or veterinary advice.
Worked example: costing a simple four-ingredient mix
A buyer prices a mix of 60% maize, 30% soybean meal, 7% wheat bran and 3% mineral/vitamin premix, using the delivered price per tonne and the crude protein (CP %) and energy (ME, kcal/kg) values from each supplier's certificate of analysis.
| Mix cost per tonne | 338 |
|---|---|
| Crude protein of mix | 19.69 % |
| ME of mix (kcal/kg) | 2,740 |
| Cost per point of CP | 17.17 |
| Cost share: Maize | 46.2 % |
| Cost share: Soybean meal | 41.7 % |
| Cost share: Wheat bran | 4.1 % |
| Cost share: Mineral/vitamin premix | 8 % |
Soybean meal is 30% of the mix but over 40% of its cost, so it is where a price change matters most. This only costs a mix; it does not check that the mix meets the animals' nutrient needs, which is your nutritionist's job.
All figures are invented to show the method; they are not market prices, quotes or a recommended diet. Use your own quotes and certificates.
Units by country and convention
Inclusion is % of the mix (must total 100). Prices are per metric tonne delivered. CP is % as fed.
- Energy in MJ/kg (EU, Australia)
- kcal/kg = MJ/kg × 239.0. Use one unit for every ingredient.
- Energy in kcal/kg (Americas, Asia)
- Poultry tables usually use AMEn or ME in kcal/kg; pig tables may use NE. Do not mix systems in one calculation.
- Dry matter vs as fed
- Certificates may report on dry-matter basis; convert to as fed: as fed = DM value × DM% ÷ 100.
- Bags
- Premix and minerals are often sold in 20, 25 or 50 kg bags: price per tonne = bag price × 1,000 ÷ bag weight.
What to do with your result
More buyer questions
- Does this tool formulate a diet?
- No. It costs a mix you enter and reports its average protein and energy. Nutrient requirements, amino acids, minerals and safe inclusion limits must be set by a qualified nutritionist.
- Why is cost per point of protein useful?
- It shows how much you pay for each percentage point of crude protein in the mix, which helps compare protein sources at different prices and protein levels.
- Where do the ingredient values come from?
- Use the certificate of analysis for the lot you are buying. Book values are only a starting point; real lots vary in moisture and protein.
Questions
Does this tool tell me what formula to feed?
Where should the prices come from?
How to use this result
Compare ingredient offers on the same basis — cost per unit of protein, energy or dry matter — using the prices and analyses you enter, so the cheapest tonne is not mistaken for the best value.
Assumptions and limits
- Prices and nutrient analyses are your inputs from each supplier's quote and certificate of analysis.
- Compare offers on the same delivered Incoterm and currency.
- The tool does not check supplier reliability or quality claims.
