How do you calculate yield loss cost?

Multiply lost mass by cost per kg by the attributed share, then add fixed investigation cost. With 320 kg x $9.50 x 100% = $3,040 variable, plus $450 fixed, total yield loss cost is $3,490.

What does the included yield-loss share do?

It attributes only the portion of the loss caused by the event you are costing. At 100% the full 320 kg counts; at 50% only half the variable cost ($1,520) would be charged to this cause.

What is the cost per kg lost in this example?

Total cost ($3,490) divided by mass lost (320 kg) is $10.91/kg, higher than the $9.50 material cost because the fixed $450 investigation spreads across the lost mass.

Should I include conversion cost in lost mass value?

This tool uses material cost per kg only. If the loss happens after coating or graphitization, the true cost is higher because energy and labor are already embedded, so treat $3,490 as a floor.

When is a fixed investigation cost worth it?

When the recurring variable loss exceeds it. If this 320 kg loss repeats weekly at $3,040, a one-time $450 investigation pays back in the first prevented occurrence.

How do I use the attributed share for shared losses?

When a single scrap event has multiple causes, split the share so the percentages across causes sum to 100%, keeping the total cost honest across investigations.

Graphite, Anode & Battery Materials Processing calculator

Yield Loss Cost Calculator

Yield Loss Cost puts a dollar figure on the graphite and anode material your process scraps or reworks, plus the fixed cost of investigating the loss. Quality and process engineers in battery-materials plants use it to prioritize which yield problems are worth chasing, because high-purity coated graphite can run $8-15/kg and even a few hundred lost kilograms per batch adds up fast. The calculator separates variable loss, mass times cost times the share you attribute to the event, from the fixed engineering and analysis cost of running a root-cause investigation. That split makes it easy to see when a recurring small loss justifies a one-time fix.

What this calculator does

Estimate cost of yield loss in graphite, purification, spheroidization, coating, calcination, drying, or finished anode material production using lost kg, cost per kg, loss share, and fixed investigation cost.
Use it when process loss, purification loss, spheroidization loss, fines, dust, off-spec material, or yield scrap materially changes finished anode powder cost.
It computes total yield loss cost as variable material loss plus a fixed investigation cost.

Formula used

Variable yield loss cost = yield-loss material mass × material cost per lost kg × included yield-loss share
Total yield loss cost = variable yield loss cost + fixed loss investigation cost

Inputs explained

Yield-loss material mass:
Material cost per lost kg:
Included yield-loss share:
Fixed loss investigation cost:

How to use the result

Use it to rank yield problems by dollar impact and to build the business case for a corrective action.
It values lost mass at material cost only; it omits the conversion value already added (energy, labor, furnace time) to that scrapped material.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for copper and brass mill shapes stands at 559.593 (BLS, May 2026), up 76.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,484 per tonne (IMF via FRED, May 2026).
The U.S. has 5,397 electrical equipment and appliances establishments employing about 369,437 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate yield loss cost? Multiply lost mass by cost per kg by the attributed share, then add fixed investigation cost. With 320 kg x $9.50 x 100% = $3,040 variable, plus $450 fixed, total yield loss cost is $3,490.
What does the included yield-loss share do? It attributes only the portion of the loss caused by the event you are costing. At 100% the full 320 kg counts; at 50% only half the variable cost ($1,520) would be charged to this cause.
What is the cost per kg lost in this example? Total cost ($3,490) divided by mass lost (320 kg) is $10.91/kg, higher than the $9.50 material cost because the fixed $450 investigation spreads across the lost mass.
Should I include conversion cost in lost mass value? This tool uses material cost per kg only. If the loss happens after coating or graphitization, the true cost is higher because energy and labor are already embedded, so treat $3,490 as a floor.
When is a fixed investigation cost worth it? When the recurring variable loss exceeds it. If this 320 kg loss repeats weekly at $3,040, a one-time $450 investigation pays back in the first prevented occurrence.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.