Sericulture & Cocoon, Silk & Leaf From Your DFLs
Yields cocoon
Enter DFLs, cocoon yield per 100, renditta and leaf per 100 to get your cocoon yield, raw silk and the mulberry leaf your silkworm batch will need.
Enter your rearing
Next: feed ~600 kg of mulberry leaf to reach ~60 kg cocoons (~8.57 kg silk); maintain hygiene/disinfection to keep DFLs disease-free and renditta low.
Yields, renditta and leaf needs vary by race (bivoltine vs multivoltine), season and rearing skill; bivoltine gives higher silk quality.
Sericulture — key facts
- Cocoon yield
- (DFLs ÷ 100) × yield per 100
- Raw silk
- cocoon ÷ renditta
- Mulberry leaf
- (DFLs ÷ 100) × leaf per 100
- Renditta
- lower is better
- Bivoltine renditta
- ≈ 6 or below
- Rearing cycle
- ≈ 25–30 days
- Biggest input
- mulberry leaf
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing uploaded
From mulberry leaf to raw silk
Sericulture turns mulberry leaf into cocoons, and cocoons into raw silk. The chain is simple to plan: a batch of disease-free layings, fed enough leaf, spins a known weight of cocoon; that cocoon reels into silk at a ratio called renditta. Get the leaf supply and the per-100 cocoon yield right and the rest follows — but the quality of cocoon you produce, captured in the renditta, decides how much actual silk comes off the same weight.
This tool reports your cocoon yield, raw silk, mulberry leaf required and cocoon count from your DFLs, per-100 yield, renditta and leaf figures. Use it to plan DFL batches against leaf availability and to forecast silk before mounting. Two things lift the result: rigorous hygiene and disinfection to keep DFLs disease-free, and bivoltine races for higher silk quality and a lower renditta. Pair it with the Value Addition Profit and Crop Yield Estimator tools to plan the whole enterprise.
Plan the leaf
Match mulberry supply to your DFL batch.
Forecast the silk
See raw silk from cocoon and renditta.
Judge cocoon quality
Lower renditta means more silk per kilo.
Size the batch
Scale DFLs to a cocoon or silk target.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is cocoon yield calculated?+
Cocoon yield = (DFLs ÷ 100) × cocoon yield per 100 DFLs. The cocoon yield per 100 DFLs is the kilograms of cocoon a hundred disease-free layings produce under your conditions — typically 50–75 kg for good bivoltine rearing. Enter your own per-100 figure and the tool scales it to your batch size.
What is a DFL?+
A DFL is a disease-free laying — a sheet or box of silkworm eggs certified free of pebrine and other diseases, sold by grainages as the starting unit of rearing. Rearing is planned and costed in DFLs, and cocoon yield is conventionally quoted per 100 DFLs, which is why this tool works in those units.
What is renditta and why is lower better?+
Renditta is the kilograms of fresh cocoon needed to reel one kilogram of raw silk. Raw silk = cocoon ÷ renditta, so a lower renditta means more silk from the same cocoon — better cocoon quality and reeling efficiency. Multivoltine cocoons may need 7–9 kg per kg of silk, while good bivoltine cocoons can be 6 or below.
How much mulberry leaf will I need?+
Mulberry leaf required = (DFLs ÷ 100) × leaf per 100 DFLs. Feeding leaf is the single largest input in rearing — roughly the bulk of the cost — so planning the leaf supply against your DFL count is essential. Enter your own leaf-per-100 figure to match your variety and feeding practice.
What is the difference between bivoltine and multivoltine?+
Multivoltine races complete several generations a year, are hardy and suit warm climates, but give lower silk quality and higher renditta. Bivoltine races give heavier, better-quality cocoons and finer silk with a lower renditta, but need cooler conditions and stricter management. Choose the per-100 yield and renditta to match the race you rear.
Why is hygiene so important in sericulture?+
Silkworms are highly susceptible to diseases like pebrine, flacherie, grasserie and muscardine, which can wipe out a batch. Bed disinfection, clean rearing rooms, treated worms and proper spacing keep DFLs disease-free so the cocoon yield you planned actually materialises. Hygiene protects the entire calculation.
What does cocoon count tell me?+
Cocoon count estimates the number of individual cocoons in the batch, useful for grading, marketing by piece, and judging single-cocoon weight. Heavier, more uniform cocoons reel better. The tool reports it alongside total cocoon weight so you can cross-check quality against the weight you expected.
How long is one rearing cycle?+
From brushing the worms to spinning cocoons takes roughly 25–30 days, across five instars, after which cocoons are harvested in a few more days. With mulberry available year-round, several crops a year are possible. Plan DFL batches and leaf supply around these cycles to keep the rearing house productive.
Does this work for any silk region?+
Yes — the relationships (cocoon per 100 DFLs, renditta, leaf per 100) hold wherever mulberry silkworms are reared. Enter the per-100 figures and renditta typical for your race and region, and the tool gives cocoon, silk and leaf estimates for your batch anywhere.
Are the figures exact?+
They're planning estimates. Actual cocoon yield, renditta and leaf use vary with race, leaf quality, weather, mounting and disease pressure. Use the tool to plan DFL batches and leaf supply, record your real per-100 yield and renditta each crop, and re-run with your own numbers.