How Much Silage do I have?

If you have an existing bunker silo use this calculator to determine how much silage you have on hand.

Before doing the calculation please read the following.

Silage moisture content and density

Silage density is proportional to moisture content; the dryer the silage, the lower its density. The "dry-matter density", however, reflects the true density of silage independent of moisture content. Dry-matter density is independent of moisture content within the range of 50 to 70% wet basis. Research has also shown that dry-density does not vary significantly with depth.

Silage moisture content

Moisture content of silage can vary greatly and careful attention must be paid to daily feeding programs to ensure that animals always receive the planned amount of feed. Silage moisture levels should be monitored over the feeding season - especially in large bunker silos where moisture levels can vary substantially within a short distance. Moisture content can be obtained from a feed analysis report.

Silage density

Silage density is proportional to moisture content: the dryer the silage, the lower its density. Dry matter density for silage in bunker silos is quite consistent ranging from 235 to 260 kg/m³ (14.7 to 16.2 Ib/ft³) for cereal and grass silages respectively.

Dry matter density is used to calculate silo size because it is independent of moisture content within a range of 50 to 70%. Also, research has shown that dry matter density does not vary significantly with depth.

Silage Capacity Calculator (Inputs)

Silage moisture content :		%
Silage dry density :		kg/m³ lb/ft³
End Slope :		to 1
Number of End Slopes (1 or 2)** :
Bunker silo height :		m ft
Bunker silo width :		m ft
Bunker silo length :		m ft
** Some silage pits have a slope on each end, others have only one end slope.