Batch Yield Estimator
Enter a fresh weight and food type to project the dried-weight range you’ll end up with, and optionally how many trays the batch will need.
Estimated yield
Planning a batch
Every food type has a typical low–high yield-percent range — the dried weight as a share of the trimmed fresh weight. Multiplying your fresh weight by that range gives a realistic finished-weight estimate before you’ve dried a single tray, which is useful for deciding how much raw ingredient to buy or how many jars and bags you’ll need.
The tray count is a rough capacity check: your fresh weight divided by how much you can load onto one tray, rounded up. Different dehydrator models and tray sizes vary, so treat it as a starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does meat lose so much more weight than vegetables?
Meat is mostly water by weight, and jerky is dried aggressively to reach a low final moisture content, so a lean cut often finishes at only a quarter to two-fifths of its trimmed starting weight. Dense vegetables like sliced tomatoes or peppers are also mostly water, but low-density leafy herbs and delicate produce can vary widely depending on how much of the fresh weight is water versus fiber.
Does trimming affect the yield?
Yes — these ranges assume a reasonably trimmed starting weight (fat, gristle, stems, or cores already removed). Weighing untrimmed meat or unprepped produce will make your actual yield percentage look lower than the range shown, simply because more of the starting weight was never going to dry into finished product.
How is the tray count calculated?
It's a simple division: your fresh weight divided by how much fresh food you can comfortably spread on one tray without overlapping pieces, rounded up to a whole tray. It's meant as a quick shopping-list and prep-planning aid, not an exact loading diagram.
Can I use this to plan how much fresh food to buy?
That's the reverse question this tool doesn't directly answer, but you can get there: divide your desired finished (dried) weight by the yield percentage (as a decimal) to back into roughly how much fresh food to start with.
General planning estimate only. Actual yield depends on trim, slice thickness, and how far a batch is dried.