GBIR

Agriculture

Grain Bin Input Rate Calculator

Size grain-bin volume, fill height, safe usable capacity, aeration demand, and fan margin from grain mass, bulk density, geometry, and airflow rate.

Bin loading and aeration

Check fill height, safe capacity, and fan airflow before assigning grain to a round bin

Mass is converted through measured bulk density, then compared with usable cylindrical volume and the selected safety fill limit.
Grain volume815.8 m³
Calculated fill height7.21 m
Safe mass capacity711.6 t
Safe-capacity utilization87.1%
Required aeration0.074 m³/s
Fan margin0.016 m³/s

Bin section

Fill surface, safe headspace, and airflow path

The cross-section scales the grain column to calculated fill height; arrows compare installed fan flow with the mass-based airflow requirement.

Detailed calculation process

Convert grain mass to geometry before checking aeration

General symbolic formulas

Vg = 1000M / ρAbin = πD² / 4hfill = Vg / AbinMsafe = ρ Abin H s / 1000qreq = aM / 1000Δq = qfan − qreq

The fill calculation treats the grain surface as level and uses the cylindrical wall volume. Roof-cone storage is deliberately excluded unless included in usable wall height.

Symbols and units

M grain mass (t)ρ bulk density (kg/m³)D bin diameter (m)H usable height (m)s safe-fill fractiona airflow target (L/s/t)q airflow (m³/s)Δq fan margin (m³/s)

Worked substitution with current inputs

Capacity and airflow check

CheckRequired / usedAvailable / limitMarginStatus

Use steps

  1. Use an actual test weight or bulk-density result.
  2. Measure inside diameter and usable vertical height.
  3. Enter fan delivery at operating static pressure.

Examples

Low-density grain: the same tonnes occupy more bin volume.

Deep fill: fan nameplate flow may fall as static pressure rises.

Limitations

The model excludes roof cone, hopper geometry, grain angle of repose, compaction, wall loads, moisture shrink, duct losses, static-pressure curves, and structural certification.

Grain-bin FAQ

Why exclude roof space?

Usable roof storage depends on geometry and loading limits; the conservative cylinder is easier to verify.

Is fan margin enough for drying?

No. Drying airflow, heat, weather, moisture migration, and static pressure require a dedicated design.

Can bushels be entered?

Convert bushels to mass using the actual commodity test weight before using this mass-volume model.