Aluminum Extrusion & Profile Manufacturing calculator

Aluminum Billet Yield Calculator

Billet yield is the single most important loss metric on an extrusion press: it tells you what fraction of the aluminum billet weight you charged into the container actually leaves the line as sellable profile. Process engineers, plant managers and cost estimators track it because every yield point lost is scrap, butt, transverse-weld and tongue waste that you paid full ingot price for. On a press running 6063 at high volume, a 1.5-point yield miss can be tens of thousands of pounds of remelt per month. This calculator returns both your actual yield and how far you sit from a target recovery you set.

What this calculator does

  • Calculate billet-to-profile yield from recovered extruded weight, billet input weight, and the target recovery rate for an aluminum extrusion run.
  • an extruder needs to compare actual billet recovery with the target yield for a profile run
  • Computes actual billet-to-profile yield as recovered good profile weight divided by total billet input weight, times 100, and the point gap to your target recovery yield.

Formula used

  • Actual billet-to-profile yield = recovered good profile weight ÷ total billet input weight × 100
  • Yield gap to target = actual billet yield - target billet recovery yield

Inputs explained

  • Recovered good profile weight:
  • Total billet input weight:
  • Target billet recovery yield:

How to use the result

  • Use it at shift end or per billet lot to track scrap loss, compare dies, or qualify a new alloy/profile before quoting it.
  • It is a weight-based yield only — it does not separate where the loss went (butt end, front/back scrap, transverse weld, stretcher grip, saw kerf), so a low number tells you that loss occurred, not the root cause.

Current U.S. benchmarks

  • The producer price index for aluminum mill shapes stands at 404.859 (BLS, May 2026), up 36.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
  • The U.S. has 3,569 primary metal manufacturing establishments employing about 354,911 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

  • How do you calculate aluminum billet yield? Divide the weight of good, sellable profile recovered by the total billet weight charged, then multiply by 100. With 8,650 lb recovered from 10,000 lb of billet, yield is 86.5%.
  • What is a good billet yield for aluminum extrusion? Soft alloys like 6063 on simple solid dies often run 85-92% recovery; hard alloys (6061, 7000-series) and complex hollows can fall to 75-85%. The 86.5% in the example is solid for a mid-complexity 6063 profile.
  • Why is my extrusion yield lower than target? The biggest losses are the butt end left in the container, front/back scrap cut at the saw, transverse-weld removal between billets, and stretcher grip ends. A 1.5-point gap like the example usually traces to a slightly long butt or extra back-end scrap.
  • Does billet yield include the butt? Yes — total billet input weight includes the butt that stays in the container, which is why butt length discipline is one of the fastest yield levers you have. Shorter, consistent butts directly raise the recovered fraction.
  • Billet yield vs recovery rate — are they the same? They describe the same thing here: recovered good weight over input weight. Some plants quote 'recovery' net of remelted scrap returns, but for primary metal cost this gross billet-to-profile yield is what drives margin.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.