Agriculture, Soil, Fertilizer & Farm Operations worked example

Hay Bale Storage with hay bales to store of 180 bales: a worked example

Suppose hay bales to store falls to 180 bales. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate hay storage volume from bale count, bale size, stack factor, and storage allowance.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Hay bales to store: 180 bales (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 350)
  • Volume per bale: 45 cu ft / bale (held at the documented default)
  • Stacking density factor: 1 x (held at the documented default)
  • Aisle and ventilation allowance: 1.1 x (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Hay storage volume = bales x bale volume x stacking factor x allowance.
  • Hay storage volume required works out to 8,910 cu ft at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Stacked hay volume works out to 8,100 value at these inputs.
  • Aisle and ventilation allowance works out to 1.1 x at these inputs.
  • Total bale volume works out to 8,100 value at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where hay bales to store sits at 350 bales and the headline result is 17,325 cu ft, this scenario comes in 48.57% below the baseline at 8,910 cu ft.
  • It computes the total storage volume in cubic feet needed for a set of hay bales, accounting for stacking tightness and an aisle and ventilation buffer. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Hay storage volume required: 8,910 cu ft (headline result)
  • Stacked hay volume: 8,100 value
  • Aisle and ventilation allowance: 1.1 x
  • Total bale volume: 8,100 value

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Hay Bale Storage calculator, set hay bales to store to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.