Tray Loading
Tray Load Planner
This tool answers "how much food goes on each tray?" From a total food weight and the number of trays it computes the average weight per tray, and an optional advanced mode lets you enter the actual weight of every tray to see the average, lightest, heaviest and the percentage difference between them.
What This Tool Does
It divides a total food weight evenly across your trays for a target average, then, in the optional advanced field, shows how far your actual per-tray weights drift from each other.
Average Weight per Tray
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Total ÷ Number of Trays
Lightest Tray
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Heaviest Tray
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Difference (heaviest vs lightest)
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Only shown when per-tray weights are entered
What the Result Means
The average is the even-split target: if 18 kg goes onto 6 trays, each tray should carry about 3 kg to keep the load balanced. The advanced comparison shows how close your real trays came: a small spread means similar loads; a large spread shows which trays were heavy or light, information worth writing into your batch record because load differences change drying times tray to tray.
The Formula
- Average per Tray = Total Food Weight ÷ Number of Trays
- Spread % = (Heaviest − Lightest) ÷ Average × 100
Important Limitations
- Equal weight does not guarantee equal drying load: thickness, density, water content, fat and sugar all change how much moisture a tray actually holds. Two trays at the same weight can dry at different speeds.
- The per-tray comparison only makes sense when every tray is from the same batch and prepared the same way.
- Weight is a planning number, not a capacity recommendation: a full machine is rarely the best load for every product.