GIFSQ Tools · Module 5 — Cereal, Grain, Flour & Milling Technology · Tool 82 of 500
Bulk density of grain from a chondrometer measure. Enter the grain mass and the measure volume to get test weight in kilograms per hectolitre, grams per litre, and pounds per bushel.
Try sample values — fills the form with the worked example below.
Standard chondrometer measures are 0.5 L or 1 L. Fill level, without tamping, and strike off level before weighing.
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Test weight (kg/hL)
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Bulk density (g/L)
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Test weight (lb/bu)
Equation: Bulk density (g/L) = grain mass (g) ÷ measure volume (L). Test weight (kg/hL) = bulk density ÷ 10. Test weight (lb/bu) = test weight (kg/hL) × 0.8036.
Method: ISO 7971-3 (cereals — determination of bulk density, called "mass per hectolitre", part 3: routine method) using a chondrometer; the routine 0.5 L or 1 L measure is filled, struck off level, and weighed.
Assumptions: the measure is filled without tamping and struck off level; the grain is at the stated moisture; the measure volume is as marked.
Limitations: test weight falls as moisture rises and as foreign material or shrivelled kernels increase, so it is a grading aid, not a direct measure of milling yield; the routine method reads slightly lower than the reference 1 L method.
Rounding: test weight to 2 decimal places; bulk density to 1 decimal place. Intermediate values are not rounded.
This is a calculation aid, not a laboratory report — confirm against your accredited method before citing a value.
Method: ISO 7971-3 (cereals — determination of bulk density, called "mass per hectolitre", part 3: routine method) using a chondrometer; the routine 0.5 L or 1 L measure is filled, struck off level, and weighed.
Assumptions: the measure is filled without tamping and struck off level; the grain is at the stated moisture; the measure volume is as marked.
Limitations: test weight falls as moisture rises and as foreign material or shrivelled kernels increase, so it is a grading aid, not a direct measure of milling yield; the routine method reads slightly lower than the reference 1 L method.
Rounding: test weight to 2 decimal places; bulk density to 1 decimal place. 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: 380 g of wheat in a 0.5 L measure. Bulk density = 380 ÷ 0.5 = 760 g/L; test weight = 760 ÷ 10 = 76.00 kg/hL; in pounds per bushel = 76.00 × 0.8036 = 61.07 lb/bu, which meets the No. 1 grade minimum of 75 kg/hL.
Enter values above to see results.
Canada Western Red Spring wheat: No. 1 minimum 75 kg/hL, No. 2 minimum 73 kg/hL. One kilogram per hectolitre equals 0.8036 pounds per bushel. Tool 82 of 500 — GIFSQ Tool 82 of 500 — GIFSQ
