Rice Milling Recovery Calculator & Rice & By-Products from Paddy

Milling recovery (out-turn ratio) is the total rice obtained as a percentage of the paddy milled — typically 65–68% for raw milling. So 1,000 kg of paddy yields about 650–680 kg of rice, with the rest as husk, bran and losses. This tool computes the rice and by-products from your recovery.

Head rice is the whole, unbroken milled grains (and large pieces), the most valuable fraction. Head rice as a percentage of total rice is usually 50–60% in raw milling, higher in parboiled. The rest are brokens, worth less. The tool splits total rice into head rice and brokens.

Total rice = paddy × milling recovery %, then head rice = total rice × head-rice %. For 1,000 kg paddy at 67% recovery and 55% head: total rice = 670 kg, head rice = 368.5 kg, brokens = 301.5 kg. Enter your figures and the tool does it instantly, with husk and bran too.

Husk (about 20% of paddy) — used as fuel, in board/brick making and as bedding; bran (about 8%) — valuable for rice-bran oil and animal feed; and brokens — sold cheaper or used for flour, brewing and snacks. The tool estimates each so you can value the whole out-turn.

Dry paddy gently to about 14% moisture (avoid cracking from fast/over-drying), temper it, mill at the right moisture, keep the huller/polisher well-adjusted and not over-polished, and mill clean, mature, uniform paddy. Small head-rice gains add up because whole rice sells for much more than brokens.

It depends on the variety (grain size, chalkiness), maturity and cleanliness of the paddy, its moisture, how well it was dried, and the mill's type and condition. Parboiling raises both recovery and head rice. The tool lets you enter your own recovery so it matches your mill and paddy.

Parboiling (soaking, steaming and drying paddy before milling) hardens the grain, raising total recovery and especially head-rice yield, and moving some nutrients into the grain. Raw milling is simpler but gives more brokens. Use the recovery and head-rice figures appropriate to your process.

Multiply head rice by its price and brokens by theirs (brokens fetch much less), and add by-product value if you sell husk and bran. The tool computes the rice value when you enter rice and brokens prices, helping you decide between selling paddy or milling and selling rice.

Compare the paddy price against the value of the rice plus by-products minus milling cost. Milling captures the head-rice premium and by-product income but adds cost and effort. Use the tool's rice and value outputs against your local paddy and rice prices to decide.

It's tuned for paddy/rice with husk and bran fractions, but the recovery and head/brokens logic applies to other dehulled grains too. For wheat flour milling the by-products differ (bran, germ, middlings), so treat those cases approximately. Use crop-appropriate recovery percentages.