ANSI/ASAE D241.

4 OCT1992 (R2008)
Density, Specific Gravity, and Mass-Moisture
Relationships of Grain for Storage

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ANSI/ASAE D241.4 OCT1992 (R2008)
Approved February 1993; reaffirmed February 2008 as an American National Standard

Density, Specific Gravity, and Mass-Moisture

Relationships of Grain for Storage

Approved by the ASAE Committee on Technical Data; adopted by ASAE
1948; revised 1954, 1962; revised by the Electric Power and Processing
Division Technical Committee December 1967; reconfirmed December
1972; revised December 1973; revised editorially March 1975;
reconfirmed December 1978, December 1983; revised by the ASAE
Physical Properties of Agricultural Products Committee; approved by the
ASAE Food and Process Engineering Institute Standards Committee
April 1987; reconfirmed December 1991; revised October 1992;
approved as an American National Standard February 1993; revised
editorially February 1997; reaffirmed by ASAE December 1997;
reaffirmed by ANSI November 1998; revised editorially May 2000;
reaffirmed by ASAE and ANSI February 2003; revised editorially,
reaffirmed by ASABE and ANSI February 2008.
Keywords: Grain, Physical properties

Table 1 Approximate bulk density of grains and seeds

Grain or seed kg/m3 lb/bu* ) Grain or seed kg/m3 lb/bu* )

Alfalfa 772 60 Peanuts, unshelled:

Barley 618 48 Virginia type 219 17
Beans: runners, southeastern 270 21
lima, dry 721 56 Spanish:
lima, unshelled 360412 2832 southeastern 322 25
snap 360412 2832 southwestern 322 25
other, dry 772 60 ) 476515 3740
Perilla seed
Bluegrass) 180386 1430 Popcorn:
Broomcorn seed 566644 4450 ear, husked 901 70)
Buckwheat 618 48 shelled 721 58
) 669 52 Poppy seed 592 46
Canola (rapeseed)
Castor beans 528 41 Redtop seed,#) 348451 2735
Clover seed 772 60 Rice, rough 579 45
Corn: Rye 721 56
ear, husked 901 70) Sesame 592 46
shelled 721 56 Sorgo seed 644 50
Cottonseed 412 32 Sorghum grain 721 56
Cowpeas 772 60 Soybeans 772 60
Flaxseed 721 56 Spelt (p. wheat) 515 40
Hempseed 566 44 Sudangrass seed 515 40
Hickory nuts 644 50 Sunflower seed (non-oil) 309 24
Kapok seed 451515 3540 Sunflower seed (oil) 412 32
Lentils 772 60 Timothy seed 579 45
Millet 618644 4850 Velvet, beans, hulled 722 60
Mustard seed 747772 5860 Vetch 772 60
Oats 412 32 Walnuts, black 644 50
Orchard grass seed 180 14 Wheat 772 60
*)
Except where otherwise specified, source of lb/bu mass: USDA, 1990. A standard US bushel has a volume of 1.244456 ft3 (or 2150.42 in.3). The bulk density in bins
and other enclosures will vary with moisture and method of filling.
)
Bulk density of grass seeds can increase substantially as purity increases. For both bluegrass and redtop, the major contaminant is sterile flora.
)
Sources: Jayas, et al., 1989; Stroshine, 1988[a].
)
The standard mass of 70 lb is usually recognized as being about 2 measured bushels of corn, husked, on the ear, because 70 lb would normally yield 1 bu, or 56 lb
of shelled corn.
#)
Data from a commercial seed company. Range is for 96 to 98% purity (Stroshine, 1988[b]).

ASABE STANDARDS 2008 ANSIASAE D241.4 OCT1992 R2008 1

 Table 2 Specific gravity and percentage of voids in bulk grain
(source: Zink, 1935)

Moisture Air space or Kernel

constant voids* ) in specific
Grain Variety (% wet basis) bulk, % gravity

Barley Coast (6 rows) 10.3 57.6 1.13

Barley Hannchen 9.7 44.5 1.26
Barley Synasota 9.8 45.4 1.21
Barley Trebi (6 rows) 10.7 47.9 1.24
Barley White hulless 10.4 39.5 1.33
Buckwheat Japanese 10.1 41.0 1.10
Canola) Tobin 6.5 38.4 1.15
Canola) Westar 6.7 38.9 1.10
Corn, mixed Yellow and white 9.0 40.0 1.19
Corn, shelled Yellow, dent 25.0 44.0 1.27
Corn, shelled Yellow, dent 15.0 40.0 1.30
Flaxseed 5.8 34.6 1.10
Grain sorghum Blackhull kafir 9.9 36.8 1.26
Grain sorghum Yellow milo 9.5 37.0 1.22
Millet Siberian 9.4 36.8 1.11
Oats Iowar 9.7 51.4 0.95
Oats Kanota 9.4 50.9 1.06
Oats Red Texas 10.3 55.5 0.99
Oats Victory 9.8 47.6 1.05
Rice Honduras 11.9 50.4 1.11
Rice Wataribune 12.4 46.5 1.12 Figure 1 (A) Relationship between cob moisture and kernel moisture for
Rye Common 9.7 41.2 1.23 ear corn; (B) Mass of ear corn required to yield 1 bu (1 bu 56 lb) of
Soybeans Manchu 6.9 36.1 1.18 shelled corn containing 15.5% moisture. This is based on a dry matter mass
Soybeans Wilson 7.0 33.8 1.13 of 47.32 lb for grain and 9.94 lb for cobs at the cob-grain moisture shown
(source: Iowa State, 1945)
Wheat, hard Turkey, winter 9.8 42.6 1.30
Wheat, hard Turkey, winter (yellow) 9.8 40.1 1.29
Wheat, soft Harvest, queen 9.8 39.6 1.32

*)
This is also equal to the % porosity.
)
Values for porosity given by Jayas, et al. 1989. Specific gravity values were
calculated from their values of porosity and loose fill bulk density.

Table 3 Approximate bulk density, D ( kg m 3 ), of several grains as a function of the decimal wet basis moisture content, M (M % moisture wet
basis/100). Multiple sources are provided to illustrate variations caused by different growing conditions, hybrid or variety, etc.

Bulk density
Grain kg/m3 Source

Wet basis moisture of 15 to 40%:

Barley D 705.4 1142 M 1950 M 2 Brusewitz, 1975
Corn (shelled) D 1086.3 2971 M 4810 M 2 Brusewitz, 1975
Oats D 773.0 2311 M 3630 M 2 Brusewitz, 1975
Rye D 974.8 2052 M 2850 M 2 Brusewitz, 1975
Sorghum (grain) D 829.1 643 M 660 M 2 Brusewitz, 1975
Soybeans D 734.5 219 M 70 M 2 Brusewitz, 1975
Wheat D 885.3 1631 M 2640 M 2

Wet basis moisture of 3 to 24% (wheat) and 10 to 35% (shelled corn):

Wheat D 774.4 703 M 18 510 M 2 148 960 M 3 311 600 M 4 Nelson, 1980
Corn (shelled) D 701.9 1676 M 11 598 M 2 18 240 M 3 Nelson, 1980

Other sources of information (tables and graphs):

Canola (rapeseed) (wet basis moisture 6.5 to 14.5%) Jayas, et al., 1989
Corn (shelled) (wet basis moisture 10 to 40%) Miles, 1937
Corn (shelled) (wet basis moisture 12 to 32%) Hall, 1972
Corn (shelled) (wet basis moisture 12 to 32%) Hall and Hill, 1974
(includes effects of mechanical damage)
Wheat, barley, oats (wet basis moisture 10 to 30%) Browne, 1962

2 ANSIASAE D241.4 OCT1992 R2008 ASABE STANDARDS 2008

 Figure 2 Relation of kernel moisture content and shelling percentage to total moisture content of ear corn and to mass of ear corn
required to yield 1 bu (1 bu 56 lb) of shelled corn with 15.5% moisture content (source: Schmidt, 1948)

NOTE For any lot of corn the characteristic index number may be determined by measuring kernel moisture and shelling percentage. The corn
characteristic index is useful when it is desirable to get successive samples for a field as the corn matures and dries. For a given lot of corn standing
in the field the index remains approximately constant as the moisture content drops and other factors change. Once established for a field of corn,
the index permits making estimates from measurement of kernel moisture only. Corn with a characteristic index of 4 or 5 has well-filled ears. Corn
with ears only partly filled or having extensive insect damage will have a higher index number. Figure 1 applies to corn having a characteristic of
5 to 7.

Annex A Jayas, D. S., S. Sokhansanj, and N. D. G. White. Bulk density and

(informative)
Bibliography
The following documents are cited as reference sources used in
development of this Data:
Browne, D. A. Variations of bulk density of cereals with moisture content.
Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research 7(4):288290; 1962
Brusewitz, G. H. Density of rewetted high moisture grains. Transactions
of the ASAE 18(5):935938; 1975
Hall, G. E. Test-weight changes of shelled corn during drying. Transac-
tions of the ASAE 15(2):320323; 1972
Hall, G. E. and L. D. Hill Test weight adjustment based on moisture
content and mechanical damage of corn kernels. Transactions of the
ASAE 17(3):578579; 1974
Iowa State, Conversion Table (revised 1945). Prepared by the Agronomy
Dept., Iowa State Univ., 1945
porosity of canola. Transactions of the ASAE 32(1):291294; 1989
Miles, S. R. The relation between moisture content and test weight of
corn. Journal of the American Society of Agronomy 19:412418; 1937
Nelson, S. O. Moisture-dependent kernel-and bulk-density relationships
for wheat and corn. Transactions of the ASAE 23(1):139143; 1980
Schmidt, J. L. How to reduce ear corn to bushels of shelled corn.
Agricultural Engineering 29(7):294296; 1948
Stroshine, R. L. Personal communication with Allen Earle, Canola
Council of Canada, Winnipeg; 1988(a)
Stroshine, R. L. Personal communication with John Sours, Jacklin Seed
Co., Post Falls, ID; 1988(b)
USDA. Table of Weights and Measures. Agricultural Statistics, 1990. U.S.
Government Printing Office; 1990. p vvii
Zink, F. J. Specific gravity and air space of grains and seeds. Agricultural
Engineering 16(11):439440; 1935

ASABE STANDARDS 2008 ANSIASAE D241.4 OCT1992 R2008 3