Municipal Waste Sorting Equipment worked example

Baler Capacity at 98% baler availability: a worked example

Push baler availability up to 98% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when sizing a baler for a fiber or container line, scheduling outbound truck loads, or checking whether the baler can keep up with sort line output.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Bales completed per baler cycle: 1 bales / cycle (unchanged)
  • Available baler cycles per shift: 120 cycles (unchanged)
  • Baler availability: 98 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 85)
  • On-spec bale density and weight rate: 95 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross baler output = bales per cycle x available baler cycles per shift) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 112 bales / shift for on-spec bales per shift, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 120 bales / shift for gross bales per shift.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2.4 bales / shift for availability loss.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5.88 bales / shift for off-spec bale loss.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where baler availability sits at 85% and the headline result is 96.9 bales / shift, this scenario comes in 15.29% above the baseline at 112 bales / shift.
  • It computes on-spec bales per shift by derating gross cycle output for baler availability and the share of bales that meet density and weight spec. 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

  • On-spec bales per shift: 112 bales / shift (headline result)
  • Gross bales per shift: 120 bales / shift
  • Availability loss: 2.4 bales / shift
  • Off-spec bale loss: 5.88 bales / shift

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.