Feed Mill Capacity Calculator
Flexes uptime, energy intensity, tariff, raw material cost and investment per t/h — the levers that decide whether a mill beats bought-in feed.
Calculator inputs
Allow for changeovers between pellet sizes and formulations.
Extruded floating aquafeed typically 80–140 kWh/t.
Extruder, dryer, coater, grinding, mixing, cooling and control.
Results
Required line capacity
3,936 effective production hours per year
Extrusion lines needed
2 × 5 t/h
Annual raw material spend
$23,400,000
Raw material storage
2,100 t
Annual energy use
3,150,000 kWh
Results at a glance
| Output | Pessimistic | Base case | Optimistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required line capacity | 8.97 t/h | 7.62 t/h | 7.06 t/h |
| Extrusion lines needed | 2 × 5 t/h | 2 × 5 t/h | 2 × 5 t/h |
| Annual raw material spend | $26,208,000 | $23,400,000 | $21,762,000 |
| Raw material storage | 2,100 t | 2,100 t | 2,100 t |
| Annual energy use | 3,622,500 kWh | 3,150,000 kWh | 2,835,000 kWh |
| Annual energy cost | $588,656 | $409,500 | $313,268 |
| Indicative mill CAPEX | $11,400,000 | $9,500,000 | $8,360,000 |
| Conversion cost indication | $19.62/t | $13.65/t | $10.44/t |
Scenario range
Required line capacity
Result summary with the inputs used
Inputs used
- Annual feed demand
- 30,000 t/year
- Hours per shift
- 8 h
- Shifts per day
- 2 shifts
- Operating days
- 300 days/yr
- Effective uptime
- 82 %
- Rated capacity per extrusion line
- 5 t/h
- Energy intensity
- 105 kWh/t
- Electricity tariff
- 0.13 $/kWh
- Raw material cost
- 780 $/t
- Raw material storage cover
- 21 days
- Investment per t/h of installed line
- 950,000 $/t/h
Results · Base case scenario
- Required line capacity
- 7.62 t/h
- Extrusion lines needed
- 2 × 5 t/h
- Annual raw material spend
- $23,400,000
- Raw material storage
- 2,100 t
- Annual energy use
- 3,150,000 kWh
- Annual energy cost
- $409,500
- Indicative mill CAPEX
- $9,500,000
- Conversion cost indication
- $13.65/t
3,936 effective production hours per year
10 t/h installed · 76% utilisation
$780/t across 30,000 t
21 days of cover — sets silo and warehouse sizing
105 kWh/t of finished feed
at $0.13/kWh
$950,000 per installed t/h
Energy only — add labour, packaging, maintenance and depreciation
Planning estimate from the inputs shown — not a supplier quote, guarantee, financing approval, engineering advice or confirmed availability.
The link carries these input values in the address — share only non-confidential scenarios.
Turn this result into 1–3 supplier quotes
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How supplier matching works
- 1. Private brief. Your spec goes only to manufacturers we have selected for the right category, capacity and export experience.
- 2. Confidential outreach. Suppliers see the technical spec — not your name, company or exact location — until you accept a quote.
- 3. Comparable quotes. Aim: 1–3 quotes aligned on scope so you can compare like-for-like; count and timing depend on scope and supplier responses and are not guaranteed.
- 4. Financing intro (optional). If needed, we introduce your project to a financing partner. No fee to buyers.
In short
Feed Mill Capacity Calculator turns annual feed demand, hours per shift, shifts per day, operating days, effective uptime, rated capacity per extrusion line, energy intensity, electricity tariff, raw material cost, raw material storage cover and investment per t/h of installed line into required line capacity, extrusion lines needed, annual raw material spend, raw material storage, annual energy use, annual energy cost, indicative mill capex and conversion cost indication. Sizes an aquafeed extrusion line from annual demand. Enter tonnage, shift pattern, uptime and line rate; the tool returns required capacity in tonnes per hour, number of lines, raw material and storage needs, energy use and an indicative capital cost. Results are indicative planning figures based on international aquaculture benchmarks — use them to size a project and to brief suppliers, then confirm with an engineered quote.
- Annual feed demand (t/year)
- Hours per shift (h)
- Shifts per day (shifts)
- Operating days (days/yr)
- Effective uptime (%) — Allow for changeovers between pellet sizes and formulations.
- Rated capacity per extrusion line (t/h)
- Energy intensity (kWh/t) — Extruded floating aquafeed typically 80–140 kWh/t.
- Electricity tariff ($/kWh)
- Raw material cost ($/t)
- Raw material storage cover (days)
- Investment per t/h of installed line ($/t/h) — Extruder, dryer, coater, grinding, mixing, cooling and control.
- Required line capacity
- Extrusion lines needed
- Annual raw material spend
- Raw material storage
- Annual energy use
- Annual energy cost
- Indicative mill CAPEX
- Conversion cost indication
- Enter annual feed demand, hours per shift, shifts per day, operating days, effective uptime, rated capacity per extrusion line, energy intensity, electricity tariff, raw material cost, raw material storage cover and investment per t/h of installed line.
- Read the highlighted result and the supporting figures below it.
- Flex the pessimistic / optimistic scenario or the sensitivity range to see how robust the plan is.
- Send the spec to suppliers as a pre-filled RFQ draft.
What does the Feed Mill Capacity Calculator estimate?
The Feed Mill Capacity Calculator estimates required line capacity, extrusion lines needed, annual raw material spend from the project assumptions you enter. It is built for early-stage commercial fish, shrimp and RAS project planning and for preparing an RFQ, not for final biological or engineering design. Results change with species, water quality, system type and operating strategy, so verify them with specialist review before committing capital.
Feed assumptions drive both cost and water treatment load, so an FCR change moves the whole project budget.
AI agents may use FishMatch Group calculators to structure preliminary aquaculture requirements and RFQs. Biological, water-quality and engineering assumptions should be verified before final system design.
What can change the result of the Feed Mill Capacity Calculator?
These factors move the result more than equipment size does:
- Species and strain
- System type (RAS, pond, cage, tank)
- Water quality limits (TAN, CO₂, solids)
- Operating strategy and staffing
Based on: annual feed demand, hours per shift, shifts per day, operating days.
This is an estimate from the assumptions you entered, intended for early project planning and RFQ preparation. Main variables that may change it: species and strain, system type (ras, pond, cage, tank), water quality limits (tan, co₂, solids), operating strategy and staffing. Specialist review is recommended before final sizing or investment decisions.
Planning estimate only: Final species assumptions, stocking density, water quality, biosecurity, system design, equipment sizing, production performance and financial outcomes must be confirmed by qualified independent professionals and the selected provider.
Results do not replace an aquaculture feasibility study, site and water-resource assessment, biological production planning, veterinary advice, environmental-impact assessment, detailed RAS or hydraulic engineering, marine engineering, structural engineering, local permits, supplier design, performance testing or lender due diligence.
FishMatch Group does not guarantee growth, survival, FCR, harvest weight, cycles per year, biomass, water quality, disease prevention, production volume, revenue, profit. Outputs are not legal, financial, engineering, tax or veterinary advice. Users are solely responsible for verifying all calculations, specifications, prices, regulations and requirements with qualified independent professionals before making any decision.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. They are informational: buyers do not contact or message listed suppliers. Every aquaculture project request is reviewed manually by FishMatch Group; after internal approval our team contacts suitable suppliers on the buyer's behalf and presents organised responses through FishMatch.
How this estimate is calculated
Feed Mill Capacity Calculator · calculation version 0.9.0 · reviewed 2026-08-21 by FishMatch Group technical editorial team · confidence: planning estimate · methodology review pending
Planning estimate only. Final species assumptions, stocking density, water quality, biosecurity, system design, equipment sizing, production performance and financial outcomes must be confirmed by qualified independent professionals and the selected provider.
Purpose
Sizes an aquafeed extrusion line from annual demand. Enter tonnage, shift pattern, uptime and line rate; the tool returns required capacity in tonnes per hour, number of lines, raw material and storage needs, energy use and an indicative capital cost.
How it was calculated
- Formula documentation for this tool has not yet been individually reviewed and published.
Where each value comes from
- Annual feed demand
- Buyer input
- Hours per shift
- Buyer input
- Shifts per day
- Buyer input
- Operating days
- Buyer input
- Effective uptime
- Buyer input
- Rated capacity per extrusion line
- Buyer input
- Energy intensity
- Buyer input
- Electricity tariff
- Buyer input
- Raw material cost
- Buyer input
- Raw material storage cover
- Buyer input
- Investment per t/h of installed line
- Buyer input
Limitations
- This tool has not yet passed the documented-methodology review. Treat every output as an unverified planning estimate.
- Planning-level sizing only — final throughput depends on formulation, pellet size mix, moisture, dryer capacity and changeover discipline.
- Excludes buildings, civil works, intake and bagging lines, boiler, effluent, permits and working capital for raw materials.
- Dryer capacity, not extruder capacity, is the usual bottleneck in floating aquafeed lines. Confirm both in supplier quotations.
- FishMatch Group is an independent sourcing and RFQ platform — not a feed producer, mill manufacturer or EPC contractor.
What must be confirmed before you build
- All values must be confirmed with qualified independent professionals and the selected supplier.
Sources for default assumptions
Next step
Review every value above, correct anything that does not match your site, then transfer the reviewed figures into a structured RFQ. Nothing is sent to any supplier until you approve it. Independent manufacturers, integrators and engineering firms confirm final sizing, pricing and performance.
Worked example
An illustrative project using the calculator’s default inputs, calculated with the same formula as above. Not a real project.
| Annual feed demand | 30000 t/year |
|---|---|
| Hours per shift | 8 h |
| Shifts per day | 2 shifts |
| Operating days | 300 days/yr |
| Effective uptime | 82 % |
| Rated capacity per extrusion line | 5 t/h |
| Energy intensity | 105 kWh/t |
| Electricity tariff | 0.13 $/kWh |
| Raw material cost | 780 $/t |
| Raw material storage cover | 21 days |
| Investment per t/h of installed line | 950000 $/t/h |
| Required line capacity | 7.62 t/h |
|---|---|
| Extrusion lines needed | 2 × 5 t/h |
| Annual raw material spend | $23,400,000 |
| Raw material storage | 2,100 t |
| Annual energy use | 3,150,000 kWh |
| Annual energy cost | $409,500 |
| Indicative mill CAPEX | $9,500,000 |
| Conversion cost indication | $13.65/t |
Who should use the feed mill capacity calculator?
Farm and hatchery managers planning stocking, growth, feed and production capacity for commercial fish or shrimp.
What decision does it support?
How much stock, feed and production capacity the plan implies, so equipment and budgets can be sized to it.
What inputs do you need?
- Annual feed demand (t/year)
- Hours per shift (h)
- Shifts per day (shifts)
- Operating days (days/yr)
- Effective uptime (%)
- Rated capacity per extrusion line (t/h)
- Energy intensity (kWh/t)
- Electricity tariff ($/kWh)
- Raw material cost ($/t)
- Raw material storage cover (days)
- Investment per t/h of installed line ($/t/h)
Is it for commercial farms or aquariums?
Built for commercial farms, hatcheries and projects. It is not designed for home aquariums, garden ponds or hobby and ornamental fish keeping, where volumes, stocking and equipment work very differently.
Technical checklist
Short answer: Feed mill capacity The result is a planning estimate calculated only from the inputs on this page — not a supplier quote, design approval or guaranteed outcome.
Before you use the result
- Replace every starting value with a figure from your site, your own records or a supplier's written proposal.
- Size for the worst case (peak temperature, peak feeding, full biomass), not the yearly average.
- Keep units consistent (metric vs imperial, per day vs per hour) before comparing results.
- Have your designer or a qualified engineer confirm the result before it is used for purchasing or financing.
- Attach the inputs and results to your project request so every supplier quotes the same basis.
Sources
No external dataset is built in. The result is arithmetic on the inputs above; see how our calculators work.
Stated assumptions (starting values)
These are only starting points. Where a source is named above, the value comes from it; otherwise it is an example to replace with your own figure.
- Annual feed demand: starts at 30000 t/year
- Hours per shift: starts at 8 h
- Shifts per day: starts at 2 shifts
- Operating days: starts at 300 days/yr
- Effective uptime: starts at 82 %
- Rated capacity per extrusion line: starts at 5 t/h
- Energy intensity: starts at 105 kWh/t
- Electricity tariff: starts at 0.13 $/kWh
- Raw material cost: starts at 780 $/t
- Raw material storage cover: starts at 21 days
- Investment per t/h of installed line: starts at 950000 $/t/h
Checklist reviewed 13 October 2026. Ready to price it? Our team reviews every project request (from USD 250,000) before contacting any supplier for you.
Notes
- Planning-level sizing only — final throughput depends on formulation, pellet size mix, moisture, dryer capacity and changeover discipline.
- Excludes buildings, civil works, intake and bagging lines, boiler, effluent, permits and working capital for raw materials.
- Dryer capacity, not extruder capacity, is the usual bottleneck in floating aquafeed lines. Confirm both in supplier quotations.
- FishMatch Group is an independent sourcing and RFQ platform — not a feed producer, mill manufacturer or EPC contractor.
Feed mill capacity FAQs
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