Grain Drying Shrink & Moisture Calculator

Calculate exact physical water loss, commercial elevator handling shrink deductions, net delivered bushels, and drying fuel expenses.

Initial Wet Harvested Bushels Scale gross delivered bushels

Cash Grain Price ($ / Bushel)

Initial Wet Moisture (%) Moisture tester reading at harvest

Target Dry Moisture (%) Corn standard = 15.0%; Beans = 13.0%

Shrink Calculation Method

Drying Charge ($ / Point / Bu) Elevator drying tariff or on-farm fuel

Net Dry Bushels Remaining

9,126 Bushels

Lost 874 Bushels to Moisture & Handling (-8.74%)

Total Shrinkage

8.74%

7.0 Points Moisture Out

Net Grain Value

$40,198

Gross: $47,500

Pure Water Evaporated: 46,120 lbs Water (5,536 Gallons)

Total Drying Cost (Fuel/Tariff): $3,150 ($0.315 / Wet Bushel)

Moisture Shrink Dollar Loss: $4,152 Lost Value

Handling Loss Component (0.5%): 50 Bushels ($238)

Effective Net Price Received: $4.02 / Wet Bu Harvested

Grain Commerce Standard: Moisture shrink conforms to Minary grain industry weight conversion formulas.

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Grain Moisture Shrink, Commercial Dockage & The Minary Tables

When grain is delivered to a commercial grain terminal or dried on-farm, moisture must be removed down to base market specifications (15.0% for yellow corn, 13.0% for soybeans, 13.5% for wheat) to prevent fungal mold spoilage and insect infestation. Removing water reduces both the weight and volume of the grain, resulting in Moisture Shrink.

The Minary Formula & Commercial Elevator Factors

Pure Water Shrink (Minary Table Formula):
Water weight loss is non-linear because removing water increases the percentage concentration of dry matter:
Water Shrink % = [ (Initial Moisture % - Target Moisture %) / (100 - Target Moisture %) ] × 100
Invisible / Handling Loss:
During drying and high-speed auger handling, particulate dust, broken kernel tips, and beeswings are lost through dryer exhaust screens. Commercial standards add 0.5% handling loss to the Minary water shrink.
Rule-of-Thumb Fixed Shrink Factors:
Many commercial elevators use simplified fixed multipliers per point of moisture removed:
Total Shrink % = Points Removed × Factor (1.35% to 1.40%)
Net Bushels Delivered:
Net Bushels = Wet Bushels × [ 1 - (Total Shrink % / 100) ]

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does removing 5% moisture result in more than 5% weight loss?

When 20% moisture corn is dried to 15%, water loss is calculated against the remaining 85% dry matter. Under the Minary formula: (20 - 15) / (100 - 15) = 5 / 85 = 5.88% water loss. Adding 0.5% handling loss yields a total shrink of 6.38% (1.28% per point).

What is the standard base moisture for commercial grain trading?

No. 2 Yellow Corn: 15.0%; Soybeans: 13.0%; Hard Red Winter Wheat: 13.5%; Sunflowers: 10.0%. Delivering grain above these moisture levels incurs drying charges and moisture shrink deductions.

What happens if you deliver grain that is overly dry (e.g. 11% soybeans)?

Elevators do not pay a premium for grain delivered below base moisture. Selling soybeans at 11% moisture instead of 13% gives away 2.3% of your crop weight for free, costing farmers thousands of dollars in uncompensated water weight.

What is typical on-farm propane fuel consumption for grain drying?

A modern high-efficiency continuous-flow grain dryer consumes approximately 0.018 to 0.022 gallons of propane per bushel per point of moisture removed.