A press pays for itself out of two products: the oil you sell and the cake you sell. This tool puts your own prices into that arithmetic and returns gross profit, payback period and the oil price at which the plan breaks even. We publish no prices of our own — every figure below is yours, and nothing is sent to us.
If you have not sized the press yet, start with thecapacity calculator and bring the yearly seed figure back here.
All amounts in one currency — no conversion is applied.
Production
From the capacity calculator, or your own plan.
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Prices
Running costs (per year)
Investment
Financial
Result
Enter seed per year, yield, the oil and seed price and the machine price — the result appears here.
How the calculation works
The same formulas run in the tool above. Nothing is hidden and nothing is rounded away.
Oil per year (kg) = seed per year × net yield (yield entered as a low–high range)
Cake per year (kg) = seed per year × (1 − net yield)
Revenue per year = oil × oil price + cake × cake price
Running cost / year = seed cost + electricity + labour + maintenance + other
Gross profit / year = revenue − running cost
Payback (years) = total investment ÷ gross profit
Break-even oil price = (running cost − cake income) ÷ oil per year
Payback and profit are shown as ranges because yield is a range. Where the pessimistic end of your own inputs produces a loss, the tool says so plainly instead of hiding the result — a calculator that only ever returns good news is a brochure, not a tool.
What the numbers cannot tell you
This is a planning model, not a business plan. It assumes you can sell what you produce at the price you entered, that your seed supply is steady, and that cake finds a buyer. Those three assumptions break more oil businesses than the machine choice does. Test them with real buyers before you commit, and treat a payback figure under one year as a sign that an input is wrong rather than a sign that the business is exceptional.
ROI version: v1.0
Frequently asked questions
Why do I have to enter the machine price myself?
Because we do not publish prices. Voltage, spare parts, packing and delivery terms all change the figure, so a number on a web page would be wrong for most readers. Put the price from your own quotation into the calculator — ours or anyone elses — and the arithmetic works the same.
The result says my plan makes no profit. Is the tool broken?
No. It is telling you something valuable before you spend money. When running costs exceed revenue, the tool shows the break-even oil price: the price per kilogram your oil must reach before the plan works. Most often the fix is a lower seed price, a better yield, or a different product mix rather than a bigger machine.
What is the break-even oil price?
It is the oil selling price at which revenue exactly covers running costs, after the income from press cake is taken into account. Below it you lose money on every batch; above it you start paying back the investment. It is calculated from the pessimistic end of your yield range, so it is a cautious figure.
Why is payback shown as a range?
Because your yield is a range, and yield drives both the oil you sell and the cake you sell. The shorter figure assumes the high end of your yield, the longer figure the low end. A single payback number would hide the assumption doing all the work.
What do the pessimistic and optimistic scenarios assume?
Pessimistic drops the oil price by 20 percent, raises the seed price by 20 percent and runs the plant at 70 percent of planned capacity. Optimistic raises the oil price by 20 percent, lowers the seed price by 10 percent and runs at full capacity. The assumptions are printed above the table so you can judge whether they fit your market.
Should I include working capital in the investment?
Include whatever you actually have to fund before the first sale: seed stock, packaging, deposits. The calculator adds up whatever you enter under investment, so the payback figure is only as complete as your inputs.
Can I send this to my bank or my partner?
The calculation runs in your browser and nothing is sent to us. Print the page to keep a copy of the figures with the assumptions visible. If you need the machine side of the numbers confirmed, request a quote and our engineers will check the capacity and power figures against your plan.