The Importance of Calculating Grain Bin Measurements
How to Calculate For Grain Bin Measurements
Running a successful business means keeping track of everything from costs, needs, and potential revenue. For grain farmers, this means measuring grain bins.
It determines the potential revenue each harvest can yield and become a basis for future crop needs. But, before grabbing measuring tools and calculators, there are things to consider.
To accurately calculate grain bin measurement, we need to know the type of grain bin, the features it has installed (hoppers, sidewall height, etc.), and the roof height to name a few.
Without further ado, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to measure your grain bins.
Grain Bin Capacity Measurement: A Step-by-step Guide
Measuring the capacity of your grain bins is basic geometry. You just need to know the proper dimensions to insert in a formula and do simple conversions. The units we’re going to end up with will be in cubic feet. We then convert that into bushels.
Convert Cubic Feet Into Bushels
A bushel is a measurement used for the volume of agricultural products such as grains. It was the British that started using bushels to define the volume of a large corn gallon.
To find the bushel capacity of our grain bins, we multiply the cubic feet with the conversion constant for bushels (UK Dry) 0.7786. The formula will then be, Bu = cubic feet x conversion constant. This determines how to calculate bushels and measure yield.
Now that we know the conversion constant, it’s time to measure capacity. Most grain bins are uniform. However, there are several types of grain bins that require different formulas.
Calculating Grain Bin Capacity for Different Bin Shapes
Before getting into the formulas, you need to know the dimensions required. These include the following:
Radius (grain bin diameter divided by 2).
Height
H1 = body height.
H2 = Height of top fill conical or piled.
H3 = Height of the bottom (if the grain bin has a hopper).
Body Length
Width
Conversion Constant = 0.7786 bushels per cubic foot
Once you’ve found the measurement for each, insert them into the following formulas for each bin type:
Round Bins: Bu (bushels) = (π(R)^2)(H)(Conversion Constant)).
Round bins with peaked top and hopper: Bu = (π(R)^2)(H)(Conversion Constant)) + (⅓ π(R)^2(H2))(Conversion Constant)) + (⅓ π(R)^2(H3))(Conversion Constant)).
Round grain bins with curved tops and hopper: Bu = (π(R)^2)(H)(Conversion Constant)) + ((π(R)^2)(H)(⅔ R + H2))(Conversion Constant)) + (⅓ π(R)^2(⅔ R + H3)(Conversion Constant).
Rectangle grain bins: (L)(W)(H)(Conversion Constant)
Rectangle grain bins with peaked top: (L)(W)(H)(Conversion Constant) + ⅓ (L)(W)(H2) (Conversion Constant).
Rectangle grain bins with curved top: (L)(W)(H)(Conversion Constant) + (L)(W)(⅔ + H2) (Conversion Constant).
Grain Bin Measurement Examples
Source: Pixabay
Example 1: Let’s say we have a grain bin 50m in diameter and 30m tall. That means we use the formula: Round Grain Bin = (Pi)(r^2)(H) to get 58,904 cubic meters.
Next, multiply it by 0.7786 bushels per cubic foot. Since we measured it in cubic meters, we have to convert it to cubic feet first. This gives us 20,80175.1 cubic feet.
Afterward, multiply it by 0.7786 to get 1,619,624.333 bushels per cubic foot.
Example 2: In this example, we’re going to use the same size bin as the first example, the only difference is, the bin has a conical roof and hopper, both 9 meters tall.
We need to use the formula: (Pi)(r^2)(H1) + (1/3)(Pi)(r^2)(H2) + (1/3)(Pi)(r^2)(H3). H1 is the height of the bin, H2 is the height of the conical roof, and H3 is the height of the hopper.
Each of the addends represents the volume of each part of the grain bin. As such, we need to multiply each by the constant 0.7786.
The bin’s capacity becomes 70685 cubic meters and we can have 1,943,545 bushels.
Why We Need to Measure Grain Bin Capacity
Having an estimated measurement of bushels allows you to strategize on how to move forward on key aspects of your business such as the following:
Estimation of Bushel Sales
Grain bins allow you to store the grain to sell for later when prices are higher. But, this can also be a double-edged sword.
There won’t be solid indications that the price of grain will increase. In some cases, it might even lower depending on several factors such as grain quality or market volatility.
If you get an estimate on how much your bushels will sell for, you can weigh the pros and cons of selling your bushels now or later. It provides you with an opportunity to take calculated risks.
Feeding Livestock
Caring for livestock requires you to invest in a feed storage solution. You need to know how much grain you have to feed the livestock and how long it lasts. Without proper measurements, it’ll be like a guessing game.
Crop Insurance
Source: Pexels
No farmer wants to go through losses. However, there will be cases when external factors out of your control cause significant damage to your grain. Farmers insure their crops to mitigate damage from natural catastrophes, price volatility, or pest damage.
In most states, crop insurance is divided into two categories—federal subsidized multiple-peril crop insurance and state-regulate private crop insurance. But, whichever one you go for, you need to know the volume of crops you want to be insured to apply.
Key Takeaways
Grain bin measurements can get complicated. If there isn’t any documentation regarding the dimensions, you’d need to measure manually. But, that doesn’t mean you need to calculate it manually. There are several calculators online that can help with this.
If you want to be accurate with your measurements, doing things yourself might not be such a bad idea. Before calculating your grain bin measurements, consider the following:
There are several types of grain bin calculations.
We need to convert the volume inside our grain bins to bushels.
Grain bin measurement is necessary for estimating sales, livestock food supply, and crop insurance.
To streamline the measurement process, you need an intuitive monitoring system that allows you access to your crops wherever you are. Wall Grain Solution can do this for you! Contact us today and get a free quote from our professionals.