What this calculation means
Whole-package planning calculates a raw purchase requirement and rounds the pack count upward so the entered service quantity can be covered.
The form does not value excess stock or decide whether buying a different pack size is preferable.
How to use this calculator
Enter the finished portion requirement and measured yield. Express package size in the same unit as the portion quantity, then calculate the whole package count.
Formula and variables
Packages = ceiling(Target servings × Portion size ÷ (Yield percentage ÷ 100) ÷ Package size)
- Target servingsservings
- Number of servings planned.
- Portion sizeusable unit
- Usable quantity per serving.
- Yield percentage%
- Usable proportion, such as 75 for 75%.
- Package sizesame unit as portion
- Quantity per package in the portion unit, such as 160 ounces for a 10 lb case.
The pack requirement is rounded upward to a whole package. An exact whole-package requirement remains unchanged.
Understand your result
The result is an integer number of packs. Any fractional requirement is rounded up rather than to the nearest pack.
Worked example
Produce 100 servings of 6 oz, with 75% yield and 10 lb packages.
Target servings: 100 servings
Portion size: 6 usable unit
Yield percentage: 75 %
Package size: 160 same unit as portion
- Finished requirement: 100 × 6 oz = 600 oz.
- Raw requirement: 600 ÷ 0.75 = 800 oz.
- Each 10 lb pack is entered as 160 oz. Divide 800 ÷ 160 = 5 packages; ceiling leaves 5.
Example result: 5 packages
Frequently asked questions
Why not use ordinary rounding?
Rounding a 4.2-pack requirement to 4 would leave the planned quantity short. Upward rounding gives 5 packs for an indivisible-pack purchase.
Is trim yield already included in package size?
Package size should be the purchased quantity per pack. Yield is applied separately; do not reduce the package size by the same loss again.