FREE Calculator for Production Line Profitability

Why Use this Production Line Profitability Calculator

Running a potato processing line involves many costs that are easy to miss. Chips, fries and patties may look similar at first, but each product uses raw potatoes, oil, labour, power and packing in different ways. Small changes in yield, oil use, or machine output can change profit a lot.

The Production Line Profitability Calculator helps you estimate cost, revenue, profit and return on investment for potato chips, fries and patties. It brings all key inputs into one place and shows results for daily, monthly and yearly periods. This guide explains how to use the calculator step by step and how to read the results clearly.

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What This Calculator Is Designed For

This calculator is made only for potato-based products:

• Potato chips
• Potato fries
• Potato patties

It helps you calculate:

• Cost per kilogram
• Daily production output
• Daily, monthly and yearly profit
• Depreciation and maintenance impact
• ROI in months based on machine cost

All results appear only after clicking the Calculate Profitability button.

Step 1: Select Product Type and Output

Start with Product Type. Choose chips, fries, or patties.

Each option changes how the calculator treats yield and oil use:

• Chips use a fixed raw ratio (4 kg raw to 1 kg chips)
• Fries and patties use yield percentage

Next, enter Machine Output (kg/hr).
This is how many kilograms of finished product your line produces in one hour. Use an average number, not peak output.

Step 2: Enter Oil Use and Oil Price

Oil is a major cost in potato processing.

Oil Use works differently by product:

• For chips: enter litres of oil used per 100 kg of finished chips
• For fries and patties: enter oil uptake as a percentage

Oil Price (₹/litre) is the cost you pay for oil. Enter the current purchase rate.

The calculator converts these values into oil cost per kilogram.

Step 3: Set Yield and Raw Potato Price

For fries and patties, enter Yield (%).
Yield means how much finished product you get from raw potatoes after peeling, cutting and cooking.

Typical values:

• Fries: around 60%
• Patties: around 75%

For chips, yield is fixed and this field stays disabled.

Next, enter Raw Material Price (₹/kg).
For all three products, this is the potato buying price per kilogram.

Step 4: Add Seasoning and Packaging Cost

Seasoning Cost (₹/kg finished) includes salt, spices, or coating materials.

Packaging Cost (₹/kg finished) includes pouches, trays, or wrappers used for the final product.

These costs are added directly to cost per kilogram.

Step 5: Enter Selling Price and Machine Cost

Selling Price (₹/kg) is the price at which you sell the finished product.

Machine / Capex Cost (₹) is optional but needed for ROI calculation.
Enter the total machine or line cost used for this product.

If you leave this blank, ROI will show as not available.

Step 6: Add Utilities and Labour

Energy Cost (₹/hr) includes electricity cost per hour.

Gas / Steam Cost (₹/hr) is optional and applies if you use fuel or steam.

Water Cost (₹/day) covers daily water use.

Labour Cost per Shift (₹) includes all workers involved in one shift.

These values are spread across production output.

Step 7: Set Shifts, Hours and Asset Life

Enter Hours per Shift, usually 8 hours.

Select Shifts per Day based on your operation.

For long-term cost planning:

• Machine Life (years) is used for straight-line depreciation
• Maintenance (% of capex per year) adds yearly upkeep cost
• Production Days per Year defines how many days you run the plant

Optional wastage fields let you add loss in raw potato or oil use.

Step 8: Click Calculate Profitability

Once key fields are filled, click Calculate Profitability.

The summary section appears with full results. Charts below the summary give a simple visual view of cost versus revenue and profit trend.

Understanding the Results

Output and Cost

• Daily Output (kg) shows total production per day
• Cost per kg includes raw, oil, utilities, labour, seasoning, packing, depreciation and maintenance
• Depreciation per kg and Maintenance per kg show asset impact clearly

Revenue and Profit

• Total Cost per Day shows daily spending
• Revenue per Day shows daily sales value
• Net Profit per Day is the difference between the two
• Profit per kg helps compare products or price levels

Long-Term View

• Estimated Profit per Month uses average monthly production days
• Estimated Profit per Year uses total yearly production days
• ROI (months) shows how long it may take to recover machine cost from profit

Practical Tips

• Update potato and oil prices often
• Use realistic yield and wastage values
• Compare chips, fries and patties using the same output
• Review profit per kg before fixing selling price

Even small input changes can shift profit sharply.

The Production Line Profitability Calculator helps potato processors see the full cost and profit picture in one place. By entering accurate data and reviewing the summary, users can make better decisions on pricing, capacity use and machine investment. This reduces guesswork and supports clearer planning.