Free Grain Conversion Calculator - Bushels, Pounds, Metric Tons
Convert agricultural yields between bushels, pounds, and metric tons for corn, wheat, soybeans, and oats.
Choose a grain, enter an amount in any unit, and get the equivalent in bushels, pounds, and metric tons.
Grain math looks simple until the units start crossing systems. A local cash bid may be quoted in dollars per bushel. A storage invoice may use pounds. An export table may use metric tons. A yield report may use bushels per acre, while an agronomy paper uses metric tons per hectare. The Grain Conversion Calculator gives you a clean way to move between those units for corn, wheat, soybeans, and oats without rebuilding the same formulas every time.
The important detail is that a bushel is not handled the same way for every crop. In grain marketing, a “bushel” is usually a weight-based trading unit tied to a standard bushel weight, not a basket you physically fill and carry. This calculator uses the standard conversion weights shown in the parent tool: corn at 56 lb/bu, wheat at 60 lb/bu, soybeans at 60 lb/bu, and oats at 32 lb/bu. Those are planning and marketing conversions, so they are useful for yield comparisons, budget work, recordkeeping, and rough contract checks.
Use the result as a unit conversion, not as a grain-quality inspection. Test weight, dockage, foreign material, moisture, damage, grade, and elevator discount schedules can still change the payable value of a load. The calculator helps you translate one unit into another; it does not decide whether a specific truckload meets a buyer’s grade, moisture, or quality requirement.
The calculator converts one entered amount into three outputs: bushels, pounds, and metric tons. You choose the grain, enter the amount you know, and select the unit that amount is already in. The calculator then applies the crop’s bushel weight and the metric-ton conversion.
For corn, it uses 56 pounds per bushel. For wheat and soybeans, it uses 60 pounds per bushel. For oats, it uses 32 pounds per bushel. These weights match common U.S. commodity conversion practice; USDA ERS conversion tables list corn at 56 lb/bu and oats at 32 lb/bu, among other agricultural commodity weights (USDA ERS conversion factors). Penn State Extension also summarizes common grain discount schedule standards with corn at 56 lb/bu, soybeans at 60 lb/bu, wheat at 60 lb/bu, and oats at 32 lb/bu (grain discount schedules).
The metric side is mass-based. A metric ton, also called a tonne, is 1,000 kilograms; NIST lists 1,000 kilograms as one metric ton in its mass-unit reference (NIST mass units). Because one pound is exactly 0.45359237 kilograms in U.S. conversion practice, one metric ton is about 2,204.62 pounds. The calculator rounds display values for readability, but the underlying direction is the same: convert bushels to pounds first, then convert pounds to metric tons.
The calculator does not grade grain. It does not adjust a load for moisture shrink. It does not estimate foreign material, damaged kernels, splits, heat damage, odor, dockage, test-weight discounts, or storage loss. It also does not decide which moisture level your buyer will use for settlement.
That boundary matters because “bushel” can mean different things in different conversations. In a field-yield discussion, bushels often mean standardized crop yield. In a grain-elevator settlement, the payable bushels may be calculated from scale weight after moisture and quality adjustments. In a grade report, test weight is a measured density-like quality factor rather than the same thing as the calculator’s conversion weight. NIST describes test weight per bushel as the weight of grain needed to fill a level Winchester bushel measure of 2,150.42 cubic inches, and notes that USDA uses it in grain grading (test weight per bushel).
Think of this tool as a translator. It tells you what a quantity means under standard conversion assumptions. If you need to settle a sale, resolve a quality dispute, file a crop-insurance record, or reconcile an elevator ticket, use the buyer’s scale ticket, discount schedule, and official inspection rules.
The calculator uses two linked formulas:
pounds = bushels x standard pounds per bushel
metric tons = pounds / 2,204.62
If you start with pounds, it reverses the first formula:
bushels = pounds / standard pounds per bushel
If you start with metric tons, it first converts metric tons to pounds:
pounds = metric tons x 2,204.62
Then it divides by the crop’s pounds per bushel. The crop choice is what prevents a bad result. Ten thousand pounds of corn is not the same bushel count as ten thousand pounds of oats, because the calculator divides those pounds by different bushel weights.
Corn uses 56 lb/bu. USDA corn standards list 56 pounds as the minimum test weight per bushel for U.S. No. 1 corn and lower minimums for lower grades (USDA corn standards). For market conversion, Purdue Extension explains that U.S. corn is marketed on a 56-pound bushel basis even though actual test weight can vary by load (Purdue corn test weight).
Wheat uses 60 lb/bu. USDA wheat standards use test weight per bushel as a grade factor, with 60 pounds appearing as the No. 1 minimum for several common wheat classes (USDA wheat standards). The calculator treats all wheat entered in the tool as a 60-pound commodity bushel because that is the standard planning conversion.
Soybeans use 60 lb/bu. Iowa State University Extension describes soybeans as being marketed on a trade standard of 13 percent moisture and a test weight of 60 pounds per bushel (Iowa State soybean moisture). USDA soybean standards separately define grades and grading factors for soybeans, which is why a conversion result is not the same thing as a grade certificate (USDA soybean standards).
Oats use 32 lb/bu in this calculator. That is a common commodity conversion weight, and Penn State’s grain discount schedule table lists oats at 32 pounds per bushel with 14 percent standard moisture (Penn State oats standard). USDA oat grade standards also use test weight per bushel as a quality factor, with grade minimums that differ from the simple 32-pound conversion value (USDA oat standards).
Suppose you harvested 185 bushels of corn per acre and want to compare that yield with a metric report. Start with the corn bushel weight:
185 bu/ac x 56 lb/bu = 10,360 lb/ac
Then convert pounds to metric tons:
10,360 lb/ac / 2,204.62 = 4.70 metric tons/ac
That result is metric tons per acre, not metric tons per hectare. If you need metric tons per hectare, multiply the metric tons per acre by 2.47105 because one hectare is 2.47105 acres:
4.70 metric tons/ac x 2.47105 = 11.61 metric tons/ha
The shortcut is the same idea in one line:
bu/ac x lb/bu x 2.47105 / 2,204.62 = metric tons/ha
For corn, each bushel per acre is about 0.0628 metric tons per hectare when using 56 lb/bu. That is why 185 bu/ac lands near 11.6 metric tons per hectare.
Suppose a wheat shipment is listed as 25 metric tons and you want the approximate U.S. bushel equivalent. First convert metric tons to pounds:
25 metric tons x 2,204.62 lb/metric ton = 55,115.5 lb
Then divide by the wheat bushel weight:
55,115.5 lb / 60 lb/bu = 918.59 bu
For a planning estimate, you would call that about 919 bushels of wheat. If the same 25 metric tons were corn, the answer would be different:
55,115.5 lb / 56 lb/bu = 984.21 bu
That gap is not an error. It is the reason the calculator asks for the crop before it converts. Metric tons are fixed mass. Bushels are crop-specific marketing units.
Suppose an elevator ticket, bin estimate, or spreadsheet line gives you 132,000 pounds of soybeans. Divide by the soybean bushel weight:
132,000 lb / 60 lb/bu = 2,200 bu
Then convert the same pounds to metric tons:
132,000 lb / 2,204.62 = 59.88 metric tons
This is a useful cross-check when one document uses bushels and another uses metric tons. If the buyer’s settlement sheet says 2,200 bushels and your export-style spreadsheet says about 59.9 metric tons, the unit conversion is internally consistent before any separate quality or price adjustments.
Oats show why generic bushel calculators can mislead. If you enter 32,000 pounds of oats, the calculator divides by 32:
32,000 lb / 32 lb/bu = 1,000 bu
If you accidentally leave the crop set to wheat or soybeans, the same 32,000 pounds would become:
32,000 lb / 60 lb/bu = 533.33 bu
That is not a rounding issue; it is a crop-selection issue. Oats have a lower standard conversion weight because oat grain is bulkier and lighter per unit volume than wheat or soybeans. Always set the grain first, then enter the amount.
The calculator is most useful when you already know the total amount, but the same math can help with yield units. For bushels per acre to pounds per acre, multiply by the crop’s bushel weight. For pounds per acre to metric tons per acre, divide by 2,204.62. For metric tons per acre to metric tons per hectare, multiply by 2.47105.
Here are the common one-bushel-per-acre factors:
1 bu/ac x 56 / 2,204.62 x 2.47105 = 0.0628 metric tons/ha1 bu/ac x 60 / 2,204.62 x 2.47105 = 0.0673 metric tons/ha1 bu/ac x 60 / 2,204.62 x 2.47105 = 0.0673 metric tons/ha1 bu/ac x 32 / 2,204.62 x 2.47105 = 0.0359 metric tons/haThose factors are unit conversions, not yield recommendations. USDA NASS publishes crop production and yield statistics separately, and those reports use survey and reporting methods rather than a simple unit-conversion calculator (USDA NASS reports).
Moisture is the biggest reason a clean conversion can still differ from a settlement number. A pound of wet grain contains more water and less dry matter than a pound of dry grain. Buyers usually want to pay for grain at a standard moisture basis, not extra water in the load.
UF/IFAS Extension explains the standard moisture adjustment as a dry-matter calculation: adjusted yield equals harvest yield multiplied by (1 - harvest moisture) and divided by (1 - standard moisture) (UF/IFAS moisture adjustment). That is a different calculation from this tool’s simple bushel-pound-metric-ton conversion. If corn is harvested at 20 percent moisture and needs to be standardized to 15.5 percent, you should adjust for moisture first, then convert units.
Penn State Extension lists common standard moisture values used in discount schedules: corn 15.5 percent, soybeans 13 percent, wheat 13.5 percent, and oats 14 percent (standard moisture values). Those values are not universal contract law for every sale, but they are common reference points in U.S. grain marketing.
Test weight and conversion weight are related but not identical. Conversion weight is the fixed number the calculator uses to translate pounds into market bushels. Test weight is a measured quality factor for a grain sample. A corn sample can test at 54 lb/bu or 60 lb/bu, but marketing math may still express the load in 56-pound bushels.
This distinction prevents a common mistake. If a truckload of corn has a measured test weight of 54 lb/bu, you should not automatically divide the truck’s scale weight by 54 to calculate market bushels. Purdue Extension gives the practical example that corn is marketed on a 56-pound bushel basis while test weight can affect buyer discounts and grade treatment (corn marketed on 56 lb).
Use the calculator’s fixed weights for standard conversions. Use official grade factors, the buyer’s discount schedule, and inspection documents for quality settlement.
If you have an actual scale weight, pounds should usually be your starting point. Scale weight is the direct measured mass before any conversion. From there, the calculator can produce bushels and metric tons using the selected crop’s standard weight.
Pounds-first thinking is especially useful for bin estimates, trucking, storage reconciliation, and ticket checks. If you know a truck delivered 52,640 pounds of corn, the market-bushel conversion is:
52,640 lb / 56 lb/bu = 940 bu
If the same scale weight were soybeans, it would be:
52,640 lb / 60 lb/bu = 877.33 bu
The scale did not change. The crop-specific bushel unit changed.
Use bushels first when you are working from yield maps, field averages, crop budgets, cash bids, or U.S. farm records. A farmer may think in bushels per acre because seed, fertilizer, storage, and marketing decisions are often planned around that unit. A buyer, analyst, or international reader may need the same number in metric tons.
For example, a 70 bu/ac soybean yield converts like this:
70 bu/ac x 60 lb/bu = 4,200 lb/ac
4,200 lb/ac / 2,204.62 = 1.91 metric tons/ac
1.91 metric tons/ac x 2.47105 = 4.71 metric tons/ha
That gives you a comparable metric yield without changing the underlying agronomic result.
Use metric tons first when you are reading export data, global production tables, import requirements, bulk commodity summaries, or research written outside the U.S. International grain trade and crop statistics often use metric tons because they are mass-based and crop-neutral.
Metric tons are also cleaner when comparing crops by total mass. Ten metric tons is ten metric tons whether the crop is corn, wheat, soybeans, or oats. The bushel count changes only after you apply the crop’s standard bushel weight.
For quick checks, one metric ton equals about:
Those numbers come from 2,204.62 / lb per bushel.
The first mistake is using the wrong grain. A 60-pound bushel is correct for wheat and soybeans, but not for corn or oats. If the crop setting is wrong, every converted bushel number will be wrong.
The second mistake is mixing short tons and metric tons. A U.S. short ton is 2,000 pounds. A metric ton is about 2,204.62 pounds. That 10.23 percent difference is large enough to distort bids, freight math, and production comparisons.
The third mistake is treating a conversion as a settlement statement. A conversion can tell you that 56,000 pounds of corn equals 1,000 standard bushels. It cannot tell you how many payable bushels remain after moisture shrink, damage discounts, drying charges, or dockage.
The fourth mistake is rounding too early. If you are chaining conversions, keep at least a few decimal places until the final result. Rounding each step can create avoidable drift, especially on large totals.
The calculator is only as accurate as the input and the assumption behind the input. If you enter an estimated bin weight, the result inherits the bin estimate’s uncertainty. If you enter a yield monitor number that has not been calibrated, the result inherits the yield monitor’s error. If you enter a settlement weight after deductions, the result is no longer the same as gross scale weight.
The calculator also assumes the four grain categories are broad enough for your use. It does not distinguish durum from soft red winter wheat, yellow from mixed soybeans, food-grade from feed-grade oats, or specialty corn from standard shelled corn. For most high-level conversions, that is acceptable. For contracts, official inspection, crop insurance, and specialty markets, use the exact contract language and the official documents attached to the lot.
Use this calculator when the main problem is unit conversion. If your next question is how many plants fit in a field, the plant population calculator is a better fit. If the job shifts from grain yield to irrigation planning, use the drip irrigation calculator. If you are planning soil volume, compost, or amendments around a garden bed rather than a field crop, the soil volume calculator and compost calculator will be more relevant.
The useful pattern is to keep each tool in its lane. Use planting tools to plan stand count, agronomy tools to plan field setup, and this grain conversion tool to translate harvested or reported grain quantities between common units.
The Grain Conversion Calculator is a practical unit translator for corn, wheat, soybeans, and oats. Choose the crop, enter the amount you know, and read the equivalent bushels, pounds, and metric tons. The key is remembering that bushel conversions are crop-specific: corn uses 56 lb/bu, wheat and soybeans use 60 lb/bu, and oats use 32 lb/bu.
For planning, comparison, and recordkeeping, those conversions are enough to keep spreadsheets, yield reports, bids, and metric summaries aligned. For payment, grading, storage, and disputes, go one step further: check moisture, test weight, dockage, grade factors, and the buyer’s discount schedule before treating the converted number as final.
This Grain Conversion Calculator was researched and written by . Logic, safety notes, and result copy for Grain Conversion are reviewed against LeafyPixels plant-care data, extension references, and veterinary toxicity sources where pet safety is involved.
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The LeafyPixels editorial team then reviews the draft for clarity, step-by-step usefulness, and fit with real apartment and home conditions-not ideal greenhouse setups. When guidance changes materially, we update the page and note the revision date.
Standard US legal bushel weights: corn 56 lb/bu, wheat 60 lb/bu, soybeans 60 lb/bu, oats 32 lb/bu. 1 metric ton = 2,204.62 lb. 1 short ton = 2,000 lb. 1 US bushel = 1.2445 cu ft. Conversion: bu = lb / bushelWeight; lb = bu x bushelWeight; MT = lb / 2,204.62. The calculator picks the bushel weight for the chosen grain and computes all three unit equivalents (bu, lb, MT) from the user’s input. Moisture content is assumed at the standard (corn 15.5 percent, wheat 13.5 percent, soybeans 13 percent); wet grain is heavier and gets docked at the elevator.
The long-form review for this page covers Grain Conversion Calculator. Its bottom source list includes 12 external citations pulled from the long-form guide, then deduplicated with the tool’s frontmatter sources.
A bushel of corn is 56 pounds at the standard 15.5 percent moisture content. This is the legal bushel weight set by the USDA and used by every US grain elevator. Corn above 15.5 percent moisture is discounted at the scale because excess water adds weight without adding saleable grain; corn below 13 percent moisture is also discounted for shrink losses in drying.
A bushel of wheat is 60 pounds at 13.5 percent moisture. Hard red winter wheat, soft red winter wheat, and hard red spring wheat all use the same 60 lb/bu standard. Durum wheat is also 60 lb/bu. White wheat sometimes gets a slight premium but is sold on the same 60 lb basis.
Soybeans use a 60 lb/bu standard at 13 percent moisture. Soybeans are moisture-sensitive - they pick up or lose water faster than corn, and elevators will discount beans above 13 percent moisture. A bushel of soybeans at 13 percent moisture yields about 47.5 lb of soybean meal and 11 lb of soybean oil after crushing.
At 56 lb per bushel, one metric ton (2,204.6 lb) of corn is 39.37 bushels. One short ton (2,000 lb) is 35.71 bushels. The reverse: one bushel of corn weighs 0.0254 metric tons. Most international corn trade is priced in dollars per metric ton; US farmers selling domestically typically price in dollars per bushel.
A bushel is a unit of volume (1.2445 cubic feet, or about 35.24 liters) but is sold by weight. Each crop has a legally defined bushel weight that reflects its typical test weight (the weight of a standard volume of grain). Corn weighs 56 lb/bu because that is the test weight of clean, dry shelled corn. Oats weigh only 32 lb/bu because oats are lighter per unit volume due to the hull.
One US bushel per acre = 0.0672 metric tons per hectare (at 56 lb/bu for corn) or 0.0721 metric tons per hectare (at 60 lb/bu for wheat/soybeans). To convert bu/ac to MT/ha for any crop: multiply by 0.0672 (corn) or 0.0721 (wheat/soybeans). For oats at 32 lb/bu, multiply by 0.0385.
Test weight is the weight of one bushel of grain measured in pounds per bushel (lb/bu). It is the standard quality measure at the elevator. Standard test weight for corn is 56 lb/bu; numbers below 54 lb/bu get docked, and below 52 lb/bu the load may be rejected. Wheat test weight is 60 lb/bu; below 58 lb/bu is discounted. Low test weight usually means drought stress, immature grain, or disease.