One of the most common mistakes first-time co-packing brands make is ordering ingredients and film for exactly the number of pouches they want. They get back fewer pouches than expected and think something went wrong. Usually, nothing went wrong. Yield loss happened.
What Is Yield Loss?
Yield loss is the gap between the amount of input materials you put into a production run and the amount of sellable finished product you get back. In powder co-packing, it comes from several sources:
- Machine startup and calibration: The first runs through the machine aren't always to spec. The operator calibrates fill weight, checks seal quality, and discards pouches that don't meet standard. This uses product without producing sellable output.
- Product in the fill system: Powder coats the inside of the auger, the hopper, and the fill path. Some never makes it into a pouch — it stays in the machine.
- Fill weight variance: Not every pouch fills to exactly the target weight. Pouches that fall outside acceptable tolerance are discarded. On a 30g fill with ±1g tolerance, some fills end up at 28.5g or 31.5g and get pulled.
- Film waste: Roll stock film has a startup section that runs through the machine before pouches form correctly. The tail end of a film roll may also produce incomplete pouches.
- Seal rejects: Occasionally a seal doesn't close completely. These pouches are pulled at QC and discarded.
- Cleanout between changeovers: If you're running multiple flavors, some product remains in the fill path during changeover and is discarded to prevent cross-contamination.
How Much Yield Loss Should You Expect?
At Overgang, we tell brands to plan for:
- Small runs (1,000–5,000 pouches): Budget for approximately 10% yield loss. On a 5,000-pouch order, expect 4,500 sellable pouches.
- Medium runs (5,000–15,000 pouches): Budget for 7–8% yield loss. Machine efficiency improves as the run continues.
- Large runs (15,000+ pouches): Budget for approximately 5% yield loss. Startup losses become a smaller percentage of total output at higher volumes.
These are planning numbers, not guarantees. Actual yield depends on your powder's flow characteristics, your fill weight, your film, and run conditions on the day. For hygroscopic powders or unusual formulas, budget conservatively.
The 110% Rule
The simple way to handle yield loss: order every material at 110% of your expected finished output.
If you want 5,000 finished sachets, order ingredients for 5,500 units and film for 5,500 pouches. If your yield loss is lower than expected, great — you have a small buffer of excess materials. If your yield is toward the high end, you don't end up short.
Running short on materials mid-run is worse than having excess. A run that stops because the hopper ran dry produces a partial batch, a rescheduled second run, and a 50% late materials charge if the issue is on the customer side.
What Happens to the Product That Doesn't Make It?
The product lost to yield is gone — it can't be recovered. Material that coats the inside of the blender and auger isn't salvageable. Discarded out-of-spec pouches are disposed of. This is why the 110% rule exists: you're accounting for this loss upfront rather than discovering it when you count finished pouches.
Film waste is also gone. The startup section of each roll and any tail waste get discarded with the rest. Order film at 110% just as you would ingredients.
Yield Loss and Your Formula
Some formulas have higher yield loss than others. Factors that increase yield loss:
- Highly hygroscopic ingredients that cause clumping or bridging in the fill system
- Very fine or lightweight powders that create more dust in the fill zone
- Formulas with a wide particle size range that can segregate in the hopper
- Very dense or heavy powders that affect auger fill accuracy
If your formula is unusual, ask your co-packer for a yield estimate specific to your product. At Overgang, we'll tell you if your formula is likely to run toward the higher end of the yield loss range so you can order materials accordingly.
Yield Loss Planning Calculator
| Target Pouches | Budget at 10% loss | Budget at 7% loss | Budget at 5% loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | 2,222 units | 2,151 units | 2,105 units |
| 5,000 | 5,556 units | 5,376 units | 5,263 units |
| 10,000 | 11,111 units | 10,753 units | 10,526 units |
| 15,000 | 16,667 units | 16,129 units | 15,789 units |
| 20,000 | 22,222 units | 21,505 units | 21,053 units |
Order your ingredients and film at the "budget" quantity in whichever column matches your expected run size. The 110% rule maps roughly to the 10% loss column — conservative for small runs, a bit more than needed for larger ones where 5–7% is more typical.