GIFSQ Tools · Module 05 — Cereal, Grain, Flour & Milling Technology · Tool 092 of 500
Reconcile a milling run: enter the wheat in and every stream out (flour, bran, shorts, screenings) to find the unaccounted loss and the recovery.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
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Unaccounted loss (%)
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Recovery (%)
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Total out (kg)
Equation: Total out (kg) = flour + bran + shorts + screenings. Unaccounted loss (kg) = wheat in − total out. Loss (%) = loss ÷ wheat in × 100. Recovery (%) = total out ÷ wheat in × 100. Flour share (%) = flour ÷ total out × 100.
Method: Milling mass balance. A well-run mill closes the balance with a small unaccounted loss (dust, spillage, moisture change); losses up to about 0.5% are normal, 0.5–1.5% are worth checking, and above 1.5% the run should be investigated.
Assumptions: all streams are weighed over the same run; moisture change during milling is part of the unaccounted loss, not measured separately.
Limitations: the balance cannot tell where a loss happened — dust, a leaking spout and a weighing error all look the same; it does not grade flour quality.
Rounding: loss and recovery to 2 decimal places; masses to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: Milling mass balance. A well-run mill closes the balance with a small unaccounted loss (dust, spillage, moisture change); losses up to about 0.5% are normal, 0.5–1.5% are worth checking, and above 1.5% the run should be investigated.
Assumptions: all streams are weighed over the same run; moisture change during milling is part of the unaccounted loss, not measured separately.
Limitations: the balance cannot tell where a loss happened — dust, a leaking spout and a weighing error all look the same; it does not grade flour quality.
Rounding: loss and recovery to 2 decimal places; masses to 2 decimal places; intermediates unrounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Worked example: 10,000 kg of wheat in; out: 7600 kg flour, 1400 kg bran, 850 kg shorts, 100 kg screenings. Total out = 9950 kg; unaccounted loss = 50 kg (0.50%); recovery = 99.50%. A 0.50% loss is at the top of the normal range.
Enter values above to see results.
Normal unaccounted loss is up to about 0.5%; investigate above 1.5%. Tool 092 of 500 — GIFSQ
