AgricultureID

Calculator · post-harvest

Water removal calculator

Estimates the water that leaves a lot, and the mass left behind, when it is dried from one moisture content to another.

Both figures are read on the basis chosen here.

A label only — the mass balance is unit-agnostic.

Required

Result

Enter values to see a result.

Formula & assumptions

Dry-matter mass

formula v1.0.0 · calc v1 · reviewed 2026-07-16

DM = M × (100 − M_wb) ÷ 100

Applies to: Any commodity with a stated wet-basis moisture.

Assumptions

  • The mass entered is the whole lot, including its water.
  • Dry matter is conserved by drying — this quantity is what every downstream drying result is anchored to.

Limitations

  • Unit-agnostic: the output carries whatever mass unit the input used.

Scope

Arithmetic on the numbers entered. It does not replace representative sampling or a calibrated, correctly-referenced moisture meter, and it cannot detect that an input was wrong.

Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (opens in a new tab), USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) (opens in a new tab)

Water mass from wet-basis moisture

formula v1.0.0 · calc v1 · reviewed 2026-07-16

W = M × M_wb ÷ 100

Applies to: Any commodity with a stated wet-basis moisture.

Assumptions

  • Wet basis: the percentage is denominated on total mass.

Limitations

  • The complement of dry-matter mass; the two always sum to the total mass entered.

Scope

Arithmetic on the numbers entered. It does not replace representative sampling or a calibrated, correctly-referenced moisture meter, and it cannot detect that an input was wrong.

Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (opens in a new tab), USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) (opens in a new tab)

Mass after drying to a target moisture

formula v1.0.0 · calc v1 · reviewed 2026-07-16

M₁ = M₀ × (100 − M₀_wb) ÷ (100 − M₁_wb)

Applies to: Commodities dried without a change of identity (grain, seed, dried produce).

Assumptions

  • Dry matter is conserved: only water leaves. This is the whole derivation — M₀ × DM₀ = M₁ × DM₁.
  • Drying only; the target moisture must not exceed the initial moisture.

Limitations

  • Ideal mass balance. Real drying also loses solids — as fines, dust, broken material, and handling loss — so the actual outturn is typically lower than this figure.
  • Says nothing about how to dry: no temperature, airflow, time, or energy is implied or computed.

Scope

Not a drying recommendation. It computes what the mass would be if only water were removed; it does not prescribe drying conditions, which depend on the commodity, equipment, and end use, and which the wrong choice of can damage a lot irreversibly.

Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (opens in a new tab), USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) (opens in a new tab), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (opens in a new tab)

Water removed by drying to a target moisture

formula v1.0.0 · calc v1 · reviewed 2026-07-16

ΔW = M₀ × (M₀_wb − M₁_wb) ÷ (100 − M₁_wb)

Applies to: Commodities dried without a change of identity (grain, seed, dried produce).

Assumptions

  • Dry matter is conserved; the difference between initial and final mass is water only.

Limitations

  • The water that must leave for the lot to reach the target. Not the mass the lot will actually lose, which also includes solids as fines and handling loss.
  • No drying time or energy is implied: that requires an air-condition model this platform does not publish.

Scope

Not a drying recommendation and not an energy estimate. It states a mass of water, not how to remove it.

Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (opens in a new tab), USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) (opens in a new tab), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (opens in a new tab)

Moisture: dry basis → wet basis

formula v1.0.0 · calc v1 · reviewed 2026-07-16

M_wb = M_db ÷ (100 + M_db) × 100

Applies to: Any commodity whose moisture is reported on a stated basis.

Assumptions

  • Water and dry matter are the only components; nothing else is present or is being tracked.

Limitations

  • A conversion between two denominators, not a measurement.
  • The result approaches but never reaches 100%, which is the definitional ceiling of wet basis.

Scope

Arithmetic on the numbers entered. It does not replace representative sampling or a calibrated, correctly-referenced moisture meter, and it cannot detect that an input was wrong.

Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (opens in a new tab), USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) (opens in a new tab)

About this tool

  • A mass balance in which only water leaves. Real drying also loses solids as fines, dust, and broken material, so the actual outturn is typically below the final mass shown.
  • Nothing here describes how to dry: no temperature, airflow, time, or energy is implied or computed.
  • Dry matter is unchanged by drying, so the dry-matter figure below anchors every other number on this page.

Educational reference — not a prescription

Not a drying prescription and not an energy estimate. It states what the masses would be if only water were removed; drying conditions depend on the commodity, the equipment, and the end use, and the wrong ones can damage a lot irreversibly.

  • These calculators are for education and reference. The quality of any result depends entirely on the accuracy of the values you enter.
  • Local agronomic conditions, legal requirements, product labels, and professional advice may override a general calculation.
  • Results are not pesticide, fertilizer, irrigation, or veterinary prescriptions, and are not a substitute for advice from a qualified agronomist or your local extension service.