GIFSQ Tools · Module 1 — Food Composition & Proximate Analysis · Tool 2 of 500
Dry matter is what is left after the water is gone. Enter the sample weight before and after drying, or enter a known moisture % instead.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
Or enter moisture % directly
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Dry matter (%)
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Dry matter mass (g)
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Moisture, wet basis (%)
Equation: Dry matter % = mdry ÷ mwet × 100 = 100 − Moisture % (wet basis)
Dry matter mass = mdry (the weight left after drying).
Method: Oven drying to constant weight, AOAC 925.10 / ISO 1442 (105 °C) — the same drying step as Tool 1, Moisture Content Calculator.
Assumptions: all mass lost on drying is water; no volatile compounds lost; sample dried to constant weight.
Limitations: volatile substances other than water inflate the moisture and shrink the dry matter; dry matter by this method is a convention of the drying conditions, not an absolute property — the same sample dried at a different temperature gives a slightly different dry matter.
Rounding: results to 2 decimal places; intermediate values are not rounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Dry matter mass = mdry (the weight left after drying).
Method: Oven drying to constant weight, AOAC 925.10 / ISO 1442 (105 °C) — the same drying step as Tool 1, Moisture Content Calculator.
Assumptions: all mass lost on drying is water; no volatile compounds lost; sample dried to constant weight.
Limitations: volatile substances other than water inflate the moisture and shrink the dry matter; dry matter by this method is a convention of the drying conditions, not an absolute property — the same sample dried at a different temperature gives a slightly different dry matter.
Rounding: results to 2 decimal places; intermediate values are not rounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: 5.000 g flour dried to 4.350 g. Dry matter = 4.350 ÷ 5.000 × 100 = 87.00 %; dry matter mass = 4.350 g; moisture = 100 − 87.00 = 13.00 %. The other way: moisture 13.00 % gives dry matter 100 − 13.00 = 87.00 %.
Enter values above to see results.
Dry matter is the basis for comparing foods fairly: nutrients are usually quoted per 100 g dry matter so that a wet and a dry sample can be compared. Flour is about 86–88 % dry matter; milk powder about 96–98 %. Tool 2 of 500 — GIFSQ
