Feed mill capacity planning

Short answer

A quoted tonnes-per-hour figure only means something against a stated recipe, pellet diameter and operating-hour basis. Size the plant from your own demand, apply derates for hard recipes and small diameters, then require every supplier to quote capacity against one identical basis.

Plan feed mill capacity before requesting quotes: what 5, 10, 20 and 50 TPH really mean in annual tonnage, process scope, storage, power, staffing and the capacity basis every supplier must quote against.

Capacity basis

How to size feed mill capacity before you request quotations

Size a feed mill from demand, recipes, pellet diameters and operating hours before requesting quotes, and state one capacity basis that every supplier must answer against.

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Capacity planning

5 TPH feed mill: what the capacity really means before you request quotes

What a 5 tonnes-per-hour feed mill actually means: annual tonnage at realistic operating hours, process line scope, storage, connected load, staffing and the capacity basis your RFQ must state.

Read the guide

Capacity planning

10 TPH feed mill: what the capacity really means before you request quotes

What a 10 tonnes-per-hour feed mill actually means: annual tonnage at realistic operating hours, process line scope, storage, connected load, staffing and the capacity basis your RFQ must state.

Read the guide

Capacity planning

20 TPH feed mill: what the capacity really means before you request quotes

What a 20 tonnes-per-hour feed mill actually means: annual tonnage at realistic operating hours, process line scope, storage, connected load, staffing and the capacity basis your RFQ must state.

Read the guide

Capacity planning

50 TPH feed mill: what the capacity really means before you request quotes

What a 50 tonnes-per-hour feed mill actually means: annual tonnage at realistic operating hours, process line scope, storage, connected load, staffing and the capacity basis your RFQ must state.

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Questions buyers ask

What does a 10 TPH feed mill actually produce per year?

Annual tonnage depends on operating hours and utilisation, not on the nameplate rating alone. A 10 TPH line running 16 hours a day, 25 days a month at realistic utilisation produces far less than the theoretical figure, so plan from your own demand curve and stated operating hours.

Why do suppliers quote different capacities for the same plant?

Because capacity is only meaningful against a basis: reference recipe, pellet diameter, die open area, moisture and hours per day. Small diameters and hard recipes derate throughput. Require every supplier to quote against one identical capacity basis.

Should I size for today's demand or future growth?

Size the process line for realistic near-term demand and design civil works, storage, power and layout so a later capacity step is possible. Oversizing the whole plant raises capital and energy cost per tonne at low utilisation.

What else has to scale with tonnes per hour?

Raw-material and finished-feed storage days, intake and dispatch rate, boiler and electrical capacity, staffing shifts, and maintenance windows. Capacity planning that covers only the pellet mill usually produces bottlenecks elsewhere.

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