The Scrap Recovery Yield Loss Estimator quantifies how much incoming scrap fails to become usable recovered material. It compares processed scrap mass with accepted recovered mass, then reports both the lost mass and the percentage loss. This is useful when contamination, fines, moisture removal, sorting rejects, melt loss, or other process losses reduce the amount that can be returned to production or sold.
Tracking loss as both kilograms and a percentage makes comparisons easier across batches of different sizes. The result can support material-balance reviews, supplier or feedstock comparisons, and improvement work aimed at increasing usable recovery without confusing material yield with processing speed.
1. Enter scrap input mass
Use the measured mass entering the defined recovery process boundary.
2. Enter usable recovered mass
Enter only material accepted as recovered output under your quality standard.
3. Keep the boundary consistent
Do not compare input measured before one process step with output measured after a different set of steps unless that is intentional.
4. Review loss and yield
Use the percentage for normalized comparison and the lost kilograms for material-balance impact.
Input and recovered output must use the same mass unit. This calculator labels values in kilograms and assumes recovered mass cannot exceed the entered input mass within the defined process boundary.
The main percentage is the share of incoming scrap mass that is not represented in usable recovered output.
A measured loss can include true process loss as well as moisture change, sampling differences, scale error, or material stored between measurement points.
Given
Calculation
Yield loss mass = 2,000 − 1,740 = 260 kg. Yield loss = 260 ÷ 2,000 × 100 = 13.00%. Recovery yield = 1,740 ÷ 2,000 × 100 = 87.00%.
Result
Estimated yield loss = 13.00% (260 kg).
For every 1,000 kg processed at the same material balance, about 130 kg is not captured as usable recovered output.
Not within a closed material balance using the same dry or wet basis. If it appears higher, check scale readings, moisture basis, added materials, and where the process boundary was measured.
Count it only if your definition of usable recovered material accepts it at the output point. Keep the rule consistent between periods.
Wet-to-dry changes can look like yield loss even when solid material is retained. For moisture-sensitive processes, compare both input and output on the same moisture basis.
No. Production scrap rate typically measures defective production output, while this metric measures unrecovered mass from a scrap-recovery input stream.
It converts the percentage into an intuitive normalized mass. That helps estimate material impact when batch sizes vary or when planning larger recovery volumes.