Grain Milling, Dry Bulk Food & Feed Handling worked example

Bin Capacity at 99% bin loading uptime: a worked example

Push bin loading uptime up to 99% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when checking whether a storage bin, day bin, ingredient hopper, or silo can cover a run without overfilling, starving the line, or causing extra transfers.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Tons loaded per cycle: 22 tons / cycle (unchanged)
  • Available loading cycles: 12 cycles (unchanged)
  • Bin loading uptime: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 92)
  • Usable storage yield: 88 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross bin capacity = tons loaded per cycle × available loading cycles) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 230 tons for usable bin capacity, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 264 tons for gross loaded bin capacity.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2.64 tons for bin loading downtime loss.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 31.36 tons for unusable storage allowance.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where bin loading uptime sits at 92% and the headline result is 214 tons, this scenario comes in 7.61% above the baseline at 230 tons.
  • It computes usable bin capacity in tons by multiplying tons-per-cycle by available cycles for a gross figure, then derating by loading uptime and usable storage yield. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Usable bin capacity: 230 tons (headline result)
  • Gross loaded bin capacity: 264 tons
  • Bin loading downtime loss: 2.64 tons
  • Unusable storage allowance: 31.36 tons

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Bin Capacity calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.