What is the difference between water-removal and handling shrink?

Water-removal shrink is the real weight you lose when drying grain down to the standard moisture, because the water physically leaves. Handling or invisible shrink is an extra percentage the elevator charges for dust, fines, and dry-matter loss during the drying process.

How is wet weight converted to standard-moisture bushels?

The dry weight equals wet weight times (100 minus field moisture) divided by (100 minus standard moisture). Dividing that net weight by the test weight per bushel gives standard-moisture bushels. This is the same formula elevators use on settlement tickets.

What is a typical standard moisture?

Corn is usually traded at 15 percent and soybeans at 13 percent in the US, though contracts vary. Wheat standards differ by class. Always use the standard stated in your delivery contract because the discount is calculated against it.

Should I dry my own grain or take the elevator discount?

Compare your on-farm drying cost per bushel against the moisture discount the elevator charges. If drying costs less per point removed than the elevator docks, drying yourself nets more money. The tool shows the break-even drying cost to make this call.

Does the calculation account for test weight?

Yes. Bushels are weight divided by the test weight per bushel, so a low test weight produces fewer bushels from the same pounds. Enter the actual test weight from your sample, not the nominal 56 or 60 pounds, for an accurate bushel count.

Harvest Moisture Loss & Shrink Calculator

At harvest, grain almost never comes off the field at the exact moisture it is sold at. Wet grain weighs more because of the extra water, so it must be shrunk to the standard moisture before it can be priced. This calculator converts your wet field weight into standard-moisture bushels, applies the elevator’s moisture discount, and tells you whether drying it yourself pays.

How it works

Two shrink steps and a discount combine into the settlement:

dry_weight   = wet_weight × (100 − field_moisture) / (100 − standard_moisture)
net_weight   = dry_weight × (1 − handling_shrink/100)
bushels      = net_weight / test_weight_per_bushel
discount     = wet_bushels × points_over_standard × discount_per_point
net_payment  = bushels × price − discount

The first line removes the water; the second removes handling shrink; the third converts to bushels; the discount docks dollars for every moisture point above the standard.

Worked example

100,000 lb of corn at 18 percent moisture, sold at a 15 percent standard with a 0.5 percent handling shrink and a 56 lb test weight, shrinks to roughly 96,470 lb dry. That is about 1,714 net bushels rather than the 1,786 the wet scale suggests — a real 72-bushel difference, plus the moisture discount in dollars.

Notes

Discount schedules, handling shrink factors, and standard moistures differ by elevator and crop, and some buyers use a flat shrink-per-point factor instead of the volumetric formula. Always reconcile against your actual delivery ticket.