Buyer target versus safe storage target
The buyer or sale target controls this calculator. A safe storage target is separate and depends on crop condition, temperature, aeration, and storage duration. Presets are U.S. planning references; use the current contract or bid sheet.
| Grain | Common planning test weight | Typical sale-moisture range |
|---|---|---|
| Corn | 56 lb/bu | 15–15.5% |
| Soybeans | 60 lb/bu | 13–14% |
| Wheat | 60 lb/bu | 13–13.5% |
| Sorghum | 56 lb/bu | 14% |
| Barley | 48 lb/bu | 14–14.5% |
| Oats | 32 lb/bu | 14% |
| Canola | 50 lb/bu planning conversion | 8–10% |
| Dry beans | 60 lb/bu planning conversion | 14–18% |
Warning: buyer standards vary by class, grade, region, season, and contract. Canola test weight is only a conversion aid here, not a U.S. grading factor.
How to use this grain moisture calculator
- Choose the grain: select a planning preset, then replace its sale target with the buyer’s contract target.
- Enter the wet quantity: use wet bushels, pounds, short tons, or metric tonnes.
- Enter moisture readings: add harvest moisture and buyer or sale target moisture.
- Add optional terms: choose a drying-cost mode and enter any buyer shrink, dockage, discount, fees, basis, and rounding.
- Calculate and compare: review payable bushels, settlement deductions, on-farm-dried value, break-even price, and substituted formulas.
Worked examples
Corn: exact versus 1.4% buyer shrink
1,000 wet bu at 20.5% to 15%: 1,000 × 79.5 ÷ 85 = 935.29 exact dry bu, a 64.71 bu loss. A 1.4% schedule gives 1,000 × [1 − (5.5 × .014)] = 923.00 payable bu. Drying at $0.048/bu/point is $264. The 12.29-bu difference is the buyer factor above water-only shrink.
Soybeans
800 wet bu at 16% to 13%: 800 × 84 ÷ 87 = 772.41 dry bu; loss is 27.59 bu. At $0.04/bu/point, drying is $96.
Wheat
500 wet bu at 18% to 13.5%: 500 × 82 ÷ 86.5 = 473.99 dry bu; loss is 26.01 bu. At $0.05/bu/point, drying is $112.50.
Commercial elevator settlement
The corn buyer factor leaves 923 bu. At $5/bu, gross is $4,615. If the $264 drying quote is assigned to the elevator deduction, net is $4,351 before handling, storage, basis, or other deductions.
Methodology and review
Calculator version: 2.0.0
First published: July 31, 2026
Last reviewed: August 31, 2026
Page author: Starlight Robotics Editorial Team
External methodology provenance: the water-shrink and handling methods follow Purdue-hosted NCH-61 by D. R. Hicks and H. A. Cloud. Its listed academic reviewers include R. Nielsen of Purdue University. Those experts reviewed that publication, not this calculator; this page does not claim an independent expert review.
Order of operations: (1) remove dockage; (2) calculate water or buyer shrink; (3) subtract handling once for the physical method; (4) round payable bushels; (5) apply adjusted price; (6) subtract moisture discount, handling, storage, and other deductions. Drying cost is separate and subtracted only in the on-farm scenario.
- Purdue Extension NCH-61 supports water shrink, handling loss, and constant-factor comparison.
- Iowa State University Extension supports wet-bushel × points × rate and the corn example.
- University of Minnesota Extension supports separating fuel and electricity and using actual dryer performance.
- USDA NASS methodology supports common U.S. planning values and warns individual firms vary.
FAQs
How do I convert wet bushels to dry bushels?
Multiply wet bushels by (100 − starting moisture), then divide by (100 − buyer target moisture).
How many bushels are lost per moisture point?
It depends on the target. At 15%, exact water shrink is 100 ÷ 85 = about 1.176% of wet quantity per point.
Is shrink calculated from wet or dry bushels?
Shrink percentages and per-point charges are commonly based on original wet bushels.
What is the difference between shrink and a moisture discount?
Shrink reduces payable quantity; a moisture discount reduces price or payment. Buyers may apply either or both.
What is a typical corn sale-moisture target?
15% to 15.5% is a common U.S. planning range, but the buyer contract controls.
How does commercial shrink differ from water shrink?
Water shrink follows dry-matter balance. Commercial shrink multiplies points by the buyer factor, which may include handling.
How does drying cost per point work?
Multiply wet bushels × points removed × rate per wet bushel per point.
Does test weight change the result?
It does not change shrink percentage; it converts pounds or tons into bushel equivalents.
What if grain is already at or below target moisture?
Moisture points, moisture shrink, moisture discount, and drying cost are zero. Other entered deductions can still apply.