Materials worked example

Raw Material Yield with purchased material of 3,000 lb: a worked example

What does the result look like when purchased material reaches 3,000 lb? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use when estimating raw material requirements or reducing conversion waste.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Purchased material: 3,000 lb (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 1,200)
  • Usable output: 1,035 lb (unchanged)
  • Trim loss: 85 lb (unchanged)
  • Scrap / kerf loss: 60 lb (unchanged)
  • Material cost: 1.85 $ / lb (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Yield = usable output รท purchased material) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 34.5 % for raw material yield, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,965 lb for total loss.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 145 lb for known process loss.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3,635 $ for loss cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5.36 $ / usable lb for usable material cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where purchased material sits at 1,200 lb and the headline result is 86.25 %, this scenario comes in 60% below the baseline at 34.5 %.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when purchased material is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes your usable-output figure is accurate; un-tracked losses (dust, evaporation, miscounted offcuts) show up as the gap between total loss and known process loss and can mislead if ignored.

Results at a glance

  • Raw material yield: 34.5 % (headline result)
  • Total loss: 1,965 lb
  • Known process loss: 145 lb
  • Loss cost: 3,635 $
  • Usable material cost: 5.36 $ / usable lb

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.