Cost per tonne, margin, break-even and payback of an extruded pet food plant for dogs, cats or fish.
Adjust the parameters and click “Calculate”. The basic result is free; with a free account you see the full one and your Meelko line.
Extruded pet food leaves more margin than livestock feed, but it has costs that are easy to miss: fat and palatant, printed bags, steam and drying. This calculator takes your production, the type of feed and your prices, and returns cost per tonne, margin, monthly result, break-even and investment payback.
Each tonne of kibble at 8% moisture takes a little more than a tonne of dry mix; the extrudate leaves at 25% and the dryer evaporates about 230 kg of water per tonne, plus the conditioning steam. For cats and fish the extruder yields less because of the small die, and that shows in the investment. Fixed costs are spread over the month's tonnes: with few running hours the cost per tonne soars.
With a free account you see the cost breakdown, the sensitivity and the Meelko dog, cat or fish extruder that covers your capacity, with mill and mixer, and you request a quote. Belt dryer, coater and boiler are estimated separately.
More than livestock feed, because it is sold under a brand and in small bags. But quality raw material, fat and packaging take a good share of the price. The calculator shows the margin with your numbers and how it changes if price or raw material move 10%.
Below 20-30 t per month fixed costs weigh heavily per tonne. Look at the break-even: if it is close to your production, add running hours or a second product (cat, fish) on the same extruder.
The automatic investment adds the recommended Meelko extruder, mill, mixer and conveying, plus 15% for peripherals, and an estimate for belt dryer, coater and boiler, which are quoted separately. You can also enter your own investment.