Capacity basis

How to size feed mill capacity before you request quotations

Short answer

Work backwards from demand, not from supplier catalogues. Take peak monthly tonnage, divide by realistic operating hours, apply a derate for your hardest recipe and smallest pellet diameter, add changeover and downtime losses, then add growth headroom. The result is your required effective capacity. Convert it into one written capacity basis — reference recipe, pellet diameter, moisture, operating hours and guaranteed rate — and require every supplier to quote against that same basis. Without it, quoted TPH figures from different suppliers describe different plants.

Most capacity disputes after commissioning trace back to a missing definition at RFQ stage. This guide sets the method for fixing capacity before any supplier is approached.

Define this capacity in a structured RFQ

Step 1 — Establish real demand

Current and projected tonnage per species and feed type
Peak month, not average month
Share of mash, pellet and crumble
Pellet diameters and their share of volume
Internal consumption versus commercial sales

Step 2 — Fix the operating model

Hours per day, days per week, weeks per year
Planned maintenance windows
Realistic availability assumption (never 100%)
Number of recipe changeovers per shift and flushing requirements

Step 3 — Apply derates before choosing a band

Small pellet diameters reduce press throughput significantly
High-fibre and high-fat recipes reduce achievable rate
Fine grinding can shift the bottleneck to the hammer mill
Hot, humid ambient conditions limit the cooler and therefore the line
Post-pelleting liquid application and screening add their own constraints

Step 4 — Write one capacity basis into the RFQ

Reference recipe, pellet diameter, conditioning temperature and target moisture
Guaranteed capacity at that reference and expected capacity on the hardest recipe
Separate rated capacities for intake, grinding, mixing, pelleting, cooling and load-out
The test method and acceptance criteria for capacity at commissioning

Capacity bands and where they usually sit

Band	Indicative annual tonnage	Typically considered by
5 TPH	12,000–30,000 t	Single-site producers, regional mills, first commercial plant
10 TPH	25,000–60,000 t	Growing integrators, mid-size commercial mills
20 TPH	50,000–120,000 t	Multi-species integrators, established commercial producers
50 TPH	125,000–300,000 t	Large integrations, national feed producers, export-oriented plants

Ranges depend entirely on shifts, uptime, recipe mix and pellet diameters. Use them for orientation, then size from your own demand data.

Questions buyers ask

Should capacity be quoted as nominal or guaranteed?

Require both. Nominal capacity describes the equipment under favourable reference conditions; guaranteed capacity is what the supplier commits to at your stated recipe and pellet diameter, with a defined test method at commissioning.

How much growth headroom should I plan for?

There is no universal figure. A frequent approach is to size buildings, civil works and storage layout for a future step while ordering the process line for present demand plus a defined margin, so expansion does not require rebuilding the site.

What is the most common capacity mistake?

Comparing a nominal rate from one supplier with a guaranteed rate from another. They are different numbers measured under different conditions, and the cheaper-looking proposal is often the one quoted under the most favourable assumptions.

Continue the decision

5 TPH feed mill planning 10 TPH feed mill planning 20 TPH feed mill planning 50 TPH feed mill planning

Define this capacity in a structured RFQ

Write the requirement once and send the same document to every supplier you are considering, including one you already prefer. FeedMatch sells nothing and takes no part in the contract.

Define this capacity in a structured RFQ

Scope and neutrality

FeedMatch Group is an independent, supplier-neutral procurement platform. It does not manufacture, install or commission feed-processing equipment and is not an EPC contractor.
FeedMatch does not sell feed, ingredients, premixes or additives and does not act as a trader.
FeedMatch is not a bank, lender, credit provider or financial adviser. Financing, where relevant, is arranged by independent third parties.
Calculator outputs and planning ranges on this site are indicative inputs for your own evaluation, not quotations, nutritional advice or performance guarantees.