Once a steam-flaked corn production line is running, how much does it cost to process one tonne of finished product?
This is a question we often hear when discussing steam-flaked corn projects with customers.
For example, how much electricity, steam and water does a 10 TPH production line use each day? And once you apply local prices to those consumption figures, what would the processing cost per tonne be?
Electricity rates, steam prices, labor costs and packaging expenses vary considerably between countries, so the processing cost will differ from project to project.
We can start with the line's reference consumption figures and use a few simple calculations to estimate the cost based on your local prices.
What Does a Steam-Flaked Corn Production Line Consume?
For a complete steam-flaked corn production line covering cleaning, soaking, steam conditioning, flaking, drying, cooling and packaging, there are several main types of consumption and operating expenses to consider.
Electricity
Electricity powers equipment throughout the line, from corn cleaning, conveying, water addition and flaking to the fans in the drying and cooling system and the packaging equipment.
Some equipment, such as cleaning, conveying and soaking equipment, starts and stops according to production needs.
So when calculating electricity costs, we look at how much electricity the line consumes during operation, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
Steam
Steam is mainly used to condition the corn before flaking. In systems with steam-heated dryers, steam also provides heat for the drying air.
Steam consumption across the production line depends on the process and the equipment using steam.
We've explained steam usage, requirements and boiler selection in more detail in How Much Steam Does a Steam-Flaked Corn Production Line Need?
Water
In lines with a separate soaking stage, water is usually added to the corn through a water-addition system before the soaking bins, preparing the corn for soaking and subsequent steam conditioning.
Water consumption depends on the corn's initial moisture content, the required processing conditions and the line's configuration.
Labor and Packaging
Along with electricity, steam and water, you'll also need to consider the cost of operating staff.
If the finished corn flakes are packed into bags, packaging costs should be included. For example, with 50 kg bags, one tonne of finished product requires 20 bags.
For bulk discharge, the packaging bag cost can be set to zero.
Labor and packaging expenses depend on the level of automation, working shifts and how the finished product is handled.
What Are the Reference Consumption Figures for a 10 TPH Line?
Let's look at the reference consumption figures BellaEx has compiled for a complete 10 TPH steam-flaked corn production line.
These figures are based on operating feedback collected in 2026 from 10 large customer facilities using BellaEx equipment. The electricity and steam references draw on metered consumption data reported by these facilities.
The reference line includes cleaning, soaking, steam conditioning, flaking, drying, cooling and packaging.
Here, 10 TPH means 10 tonnes of finished product per hour. At this output, running continuously for 24 hours gives a reference daily production of 240 tonnes.
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Consumption item
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Per tonne of finished product
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Per hour
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Over 24 hours
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|---|---|---|---|
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Electricity
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6.25 kWh
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62.5 kWh
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1,500 kWh
|
|
Steam
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0.4 tonnes
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4 tonnes
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96 tonnes
|
|
Water
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0.125 tonnes
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1.25 tonnes
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30 tonnes
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The reference configuration also includes the following conditions:
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Installed power: Approximately 270 kW. The reference electricity use takes into account equipment that operates intermittently.
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Steam conditions: Approximately 0.8 MPa saturated steam. The 4 tonnes per hour cover steam conditioning and the steam-heated drying section.
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Water consumption: The reference value of 1.25 tonnes per hour is the midpoint of a 1–1.5 tonnes per hour range.
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Electricity measurement scope: Consumption covers production-line equipment. Boilers and shared auxiliary equipment are accounted for separately according to the project setup.
These figures provide a starting point for estimating processing expenses during project planning.
In practice, consumption varies with the season, ambient temperature, corn moisture and the operating load of the equipment.
For example, corn entering the line at a lower temperature in winter may require more heat during steam conditioning. Changes in the target finished-product moisture can also affect how the drying system operates.
The number of starts and stops, along with actual production output, can also change the average consumption per tonne.
For a line already in operation, readings from the electricity meter and steam flow meter, together with the amount of qualified finished product made over the same period, can give you a more accurate picture of your actual consumption.
How Do You Calculate the Processing Cost per Tonne?
With the reference consumption figures available, you can now enter your local prices.
BellaEx provides reference figures for electricity, steam and water consumption. You can combine them with your local utility prices, labor costs and packaging requirements to estimate the processing cost per tonne of finished product.
The steam price per tonne is often one of the key figures to confirm.
Some factories have their own boilers, while others purchase steam from an external supplier. Fuel type, boiler efficiency and local energy prices all affect the cost of producing steam.
You can ask your local boiler supplier for the cost per tonne of steam or calculate it using operating data from your existing boiler.
In the BellaEx cost calculator, we use the total cost per tonne of steam delivered to the point of use, including the relevant boiler operating and steam distribution expenses.
Here's how the five processing expenses are calculated per tonne of finished product.
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Cost item
|
Calculation per tonne of finished product
|
|---|---|
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Electricity
|
6.25 kWh × local electricity price per kWh
|
|
Steam
|
0.4 tonnes × local cost per tonne of steam
|
|
Water
|
0.125 tonnes × local water price per tonne
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|
Labor
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Total labor cost for 24 hours ÷ 240 tonnes (reference conditions)
|
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Packaging
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Price per bag × number of bags used per tonne
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For example, suppose your local electricity price is 0.80 per kWh in your chosen currency.
The reference electricity cost per tonne of finished product would be:
6.25 × 0.80 = 5.00
Under the same reference conditions:
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Producing 10 tonnes of finished product would cost approximately 50.00 in electricity.
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Running for 24 hours and producing 240 tonnes would cost approximately 1,200.00 in electricity.
The price of 0.80 is just an example. You can enter your own electricity rate in the calculator.
Steam, water, labor and packaging expenses can be calculated using the formulas in the table.
Then add the five expenses together:
Processing cost per t + Steam + Water + Labor + Packaging costs per tonne
This gives you an estimated processing cost per tonne of steam-flaked corn under the reference operating conditions.
If your actual daily production differs from 240 tonnes, labor costs can be divided by the actual amount of qualified finished product. You can also update the energy figures using meter readings from the same operating period.
The calculation covers these five processing expenses. Raw corn purchases, equipment depreciation, maintenance, transportation and other auxiliary expenses can be calculated separately according to your project.
Download the BellaEx Operating Cost Calculator
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One tonne of finished product;
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10 tonnes of finished product;
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240 tonnes of finished product over 24 hours of continuous operation.
