Feed mill planning tool
Feed Mill Machine Sizing Calculator
Size each feed mill machine from your target output: mixer batch size, hammer mill and pellet mill throughput, cooler holding capacity and bagging rate — a scope to put in a supplier RFQ.
How do you size the machines in a feed mill?
Start from target output in tonnes per hour and divide by expected availability to get the design rate. The mixer batch is the design rate multiplied by the batch cycle time. The hammer mill and pellet mill are sized on the share of product that is ground and pelleted. The cooler must hold pelleted throughput for its residence time, and the packer must handle the bagged share in bags per hour.
Reviewed October 2026. Planning estimate — not a quotation.
Run the numbers
Result
- Design rate
- 23.5 t/h
- Mixer batch size
- 1,961 kg
- Hammer mill capacity
- 16.5 t/h
- Pellet mill capacity
- 23.5 t/h
- Cooler holding capacity
- 3.14 t
- Bagging rate
- 282 bags/h
Total — may be split across several pellet mills.
- Source
- Calculated from the values you entered — no external price, nutrient or supplier database is used.
- Date
- Calculator reviewed October 2026; result calculated now from your inputs
- Currency
- USD — money figures are in US dollars as entered
- Reliability
- Preliminary planning estimate — not a quotation, not a guarantee.
Your inputs travel with the request so you never retype them. Nothing is sent until you review and submit the RFQ yourself.
What this tool calculates
- Converts target output into a design rate using your availability.
- Sizes mixer batch, hammer mill, pellet mill, cooler holding and bagging rate.
- Hands the figures to a feed mill project RFQ.
What it cannot do
- It does not select models or motor power — capacity per machine varies with formula, die and particle size.
- It does not size dryers, boilers or extruders; use the aquafeed extrusion planner for extrusion.
Who this is for
- Buyers writing a feed mill RFQ
- Mills planning an upgrade of one section
- Engineers checking a supplier's equipment list
Input definitions
- Target output (t/h)
- Entered by you. Default used for the worked example: 20 t/h.
- Availability (%)
- Entered by you. Default used for the worked example: 85 %.
- Mixer batch cycle (min)
- Entered by you. Default used for the worked example: 5 min.
- Share ground (%)
- Entered by you. Default used for the worked example: 70 %.
- Share pelleted (%)
- Entered by you. Default used for the worked example: 100 %.
- Cooler residence time (min)
- Entered by you. Default used for the worked example: 8 min.
- Share bagged (%)
- Entered by you. Default used for the worked example: 60 %.
- Bag size (kg)
- Entered by you. Default used for the worked example: 50 kg.
Methodology
Design rate = target t/h ÷ availability. Mixer batch (kg) = design rate × 1,000 × cycle minutes ÷ 60. Hammer mill = design × ground share. Pellet mill = design × pelleted share. Cooler holding (t) = pelleted t/h × residence minutes ÷ 60. Bags per hour = design × bagged share × 1,000 ÷ bag kg.
Assumptions
- All inputs come from your process basis.
- Availability covers changeovers, cleaning and stops.
Worked example — illustrative inputs
Inputs
- Target 20 t/h, availability 85%
- Batch cycle 5 min, 70% ground, 100% pelleted
- Cooler residence 8 min, 60% bagged in 50 kg bags
Outputs
- Design rate about 23.5 t/h
- Mixer batch about 1,960 kg
- Hammer mill about 16.5 t/h, pellet mill about 23.5 t/h
- Cooler holding about 3.1 t, about 282 bags/h
How to read it. Example inputs only. Pellet capacity per machine depends heavily on formula — specify the formula basis in the RFQ.
Limitations
- Indicative scope for supplier discussion. Final sizing depends on formula, raw materials and supplier engineering.
All figures are indicative planning estimates for budgeting and supplier discussion. They are not quotations, guarantees or professional engineering, nutritional, legal or financial advice. Have results reviewed by the responsible professionals before you commit capital.
Sources and data
- Inputs: every number comes from what you enter. Default values are illustrative only, not market data.
- Method: the arithmetic described under "Methodology" above, applied to your inputs. No external price, nutrient or supplier database is used.
- Last reviewed: October 2026, by FeedMatch Group.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Why divide by availability?
Is pellet mill capacity fixed by model?
Should I use one large or two smaller pellet mills?
Does this cover extrusion?
Related tools
Equipment and market context
Turn the result into comparable quotations
FeedMatch Group is a supplier-neutral B2B procurement platform. Describe the requirement once and we qualify relevant manufacturers and suppliers, normalise offers to the same battery limits and guarantees, and return a like-for-like comparison. FeedMatch does not manufacture feed or feed-mill machinery.