What is grain shrink?

Shrink is the reduction in grain weight and volume that occurs when moisture is removed during drying. As water evaporates, each bushel weighs less, so you end up with fewer bushels than you started with.

What is the standard shrink formula?

Shrink % = (Initial MC − Target MC) ÷ (100 − Target MC) × 100. For example, drying corn from 22% to 14%: (22 − 14) ÷ (100 − 14) × 100 = 9.30% shrink.

What is the standard target moisture for corn?

Most commercial standards use 15.5% for elevator transactions. For long-term on-farm storage, 14% is a common safe target. Soybeans are typically 13%, wheat 13.5%.

Does the calculator include handling loss?

No. This calculator shows only moisture-related shrink (water removal). Actual elevator deductions may include a small additional handling factor (often 0.5–1.0% added to the moisture shrink). Check your elevator's shrink table for their exact formula.

Why does shrink seem higher than I expected?

The formula accounts for the fact that as moisture content drops, the denominator (100 − Target MC) becomes larger, amplifying the effect. Drying from 25% to 14% removes proportionally more weight than just the 11 percentage-point difference suggests.

Grain Moisture Shrink Calculator

Name: Grain Moisture Shrink Calculator
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Enter your grain weight, current moisture, and target moisture to see how many bushels and pounds you lose during drying.

Grain Inputs

Grain Type

Wet Grain Weight

Starting Moisture (%)

Target Moisture (%)

Drying Cost ($/bu) — optional

Enter your grain details and click Calculate Shrink.

Shrink Factor

—

% weight lost

Water Removed

—

pounds of water

Before Drying

Weight —

Bushels —

Moisture —

After Drying

Weight —

Bushels —

Moisture —

Bushels Lost to Shrink —

Formula Used

Summary

Enter your grain weight, current moisture, and target moisture to see how many bushels and pounds you lose during drying.

How it works

Enter the total weight of wet grain (in pounds or tons).
Enter the starting moisture content as a percentage.
Enter the target storage moisture (14% for corn, 13% for soybeans, 13.5% for wheat are common targets).
Optionally enter a drying cost per bushel to see total drying cost vs. weight recovered.
The calculator applies the standard shrink formula: Shrink % = (Starting MC − Target MC) ÷ (100 − Target MC) × 100.
Results show dry weight, bushels lost, and estimated drying cost.

Use cases

Estimate bushel loss when corn comes in at 22% and needs drying to 14%.
Compare on-farm drying cost against commercial drying discounts at the elevator.
Calculate net bushels delivered after shrink adjustments at grain buyers.
Project weight loss for soybeans, wheat, or grain sorghum.
Plan storage capacity needs after accounting for moisture reduction.
Audit elevator shrink deductions against what the formula predicts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-01 · Reviewed by Nham Vu