Dried Flower Weight Calculator

The fresh weight of flowers needed for a target weight of dried flowers, from the weight loss the flower type gives.

Dried flowers are bought and sold by weight, and the fresh material that goes into a kilo of dried flowers is several times that weight. Most flowers lose 75 to 85 percent of their weight as they dry, so one kilogram of dried flowers needs roughly four to seven kilograms of fresh. This calculator takes the target dried weight and the loss for the flower type you are drying and returns the fresh weight, the weight that leaves as water, and the cost per kilo dried.

At a glance

What you enter: What are you drying?, Target weight of dried flowers, How many batches or lots, Weight loss you measured on a test bunch, Fresh stems in one kilogram, Price per kilogram fresh
What you get: Dried weight needed in total, Fresh weight needed, Weight that leaves as water, Kilograms fresh per kilogram dried, Share of the weight left after drying, Fresh stems needed, Cost of the fresh material, Cost per kilogram dried, Fresh weight at a 75 percent loss, Fresh weight at an 85 percent loss, Spread between the two ends of the range
Formula shown: Yes, every step, right below your results.
Cost and privacy: Free, no account needed, and nothing you type is stored.

See worked examples ↓ Read the FAQ ↓ Share this calculator ↓

What are you drying?

The option value is the weight loss percentage. Pick the closest, or measure your own loss and enter it below.

Target weight of dried flowers kg

What you need to end up with, after drying.

How many batches or lots

Multiply the whole calculation for a repeated order.

Weight loss you measured on a test bunch %

Optional. Weigh a bunch fresh, dry it properly, weigh it again and enter the loss. Leave at zero to use the flower type figure.

Fresh stems in one kilogram stems

A planning figure for your own material. Lavender is around 150 to 200 stems to the fresh kilogram, a rose head far fewer.

Price per kilogram fresh

What you pay the grower or the market for fresh material.

Reset

Results are estimates for general information only, always verify with a professional or official source before acting on them.

How to use the Dried Flower Weight Calculator

1 Enter What are you drying?, The option value is the weight loss percentage. Pick the closest, or measure your own loss and enter it below.
2 Enter Target weight of dried flowers (kg), What you need to end up with, after drying.
3 Enter How many batches or lots, Multiply the whole calculation for a repeated order.
4 Enter Weight loss you measured on a test bunch (%), Optional. Weigh a bunch fresh, dry it properly, weigh it again and enter the loss. Leave at zero to use the flower type figure.
5 Enter Fresh stems in one kilogram (stems), A planning figure for your own material. Lavender is around 150 to 200 stems to the fresh kilogram, a rose head far fewer.
6 Enter Price per kilogram fresh, What you pay the grower or the market for fresh material.
7 Press Calculate. You get Dried weight needed in total, Fresh weight needed, Weight that leaves as water, Kilograms fresh per kilogram dried, Share of the weight left after drying, Fresh stems needed, Cost of the fresh material, Cost per kilogram dried, Fresh weight at a 75 percent loss, Fresh weight at an 85 percent loss, Spread between the two ends of the range, and every intermediate step stays visible under "How is this calculated?"
8 Change one number at a time to see what moves the result, that is usually the most useful thing a calculator can tell you.

Worked examples

Real numbers run through this calculator. Open any example to load it into the form above and change it.

One kilogram of dried lavender

A standard 80 percent weight loss and about 150 stems to the fresh kilogram.

You enter

What are you drying?: 80
Target weight of dried flowers: 1 kg
How many batches or lots: 1
Weight loss you measured on a test bunch: 0%
Fresh stems in one kilogram: 150 stems
Price per kilogram fresh: $8.00

You get

Dried weight needed in total: 1.00 kg
Fresh weight needed: 5.00 kg
Weight that leaves as water: 4.00 kg
Kilograms fresh per kilogram dried: 5.00
Share of the weight left after drying: 20.0%
Fresh stems needed: 750
Cost of the fresh material: $40.00
Cost per kilogram dried: $40.00
Fresh weight at a 75 percent loss: 4.00 kg
Fresh weight at an 85 percent loss: 6.67 kg
Spread between the two ends of the range: 2.67 kg

Five kilograms of fresh material, four of which leaves as water, from about 750 stems. The dried material costs 40 a kilogram at 8 a kilogram fresh.

Open this example in the calculator →

Ten kilograms of dried flowers for a market stall

Thin petalled material at an 85 percent loss.

You enter

What are you drying?: 85
Target weight of dried flowers: 10 kg
How many batches or lots: 1
Weight loss you measured on a test bunch: 0%
Fresh stems in one kilogram: 150 stems
Price per kilogram fresh: $8.00

You get

Dried weight needed in total: 10.00 kg
Fresh weight needed: 66.67 kg
Weight that leaves as water: 56.67 kg
Kilograms fresh per kilogram dried: 6.67
Share of the weight left after drying: 15.0%
Fresh stems needed: 10,000
Cost of the fresh material: $533.33
Cost per kilogram dried: $53.33
Fresh weight at a 75 percent loss: 40.00 kg
Fresh weight at an 85 percent loss: 66.67 kg
Spread between the two ends of the range: 26.67 kg

About 66.7 kilograms of fresh material for 10 kilograms dried, and 56.7 kilograms of water to remove. A measured loss of 80 percent instead would bring the fresh weight down to 50 kilograms, so the test bunch is worth the ten minutes.

Open this example in the calculator →

How to Calculate the Amount of Yarn You Need

You are about to start a project and the pattern says "6 skeins of worsted weight." Or worse, you are designing something yourself and there is no pattern at all. You want to buy once, not make three...

How to Fix Common Handmade Crafting Mistakes

You just finished a project and something went wrong. Maybe a seam puckered, a wood joint gaps, glue oozed where it shouldn't, or the paint dried with brush marks. This guide walks you through the fix...

How to Measure Wood Correctly for DIY Handcraft Projects

You bought a board, measured twice, cut once, and it still came up short. Or worse, the "1 x 6" you ordered arrived looking nothing like an inch thick or six inches wide. If that sounds familiar, the...

Frequently asked questions

How many kilos of fresh flowers make a kilo of dried flowers?

Between about four and seven, and the flower type decides which end of that range you are at. At an 80 percent weight loss, one kilogram dried needs five kilograms fresh. A dense flower that loses only 75 percent needs four kilograms, and a thin petalled flower that loses 85 percent needs about 6.7. Seed heads and grasses hold far less water and need much less fresh material for the same dried weight.

How much weight do flowers lose when they are dried?

Most flowers lose 75 to 85 percent of their weight, which is mostly water. Thin petalled flowers with a lot of surface area lose the most, around 85 percent, and dense fleshy heads lose the least at around 75. Seed heads and grasses are drier to begin with and lose about 60 to 70 percent. Weigh a small test bunch before and after drying to get the figure for your own material, because the season and the condition of the flowers move it.

How dry do flowers need to be before I weigh them?

Dry enough that a stem snaps rather than bends and the heads feel papery. Material weighed before that point is still carrying water that will leave the bag later, so an order weighed early comes up light. Dried flowers also take up moisture from humid air, which means a batch weighed on a wet day can gain a few percent afterwards, so store the material dry and weigh it once it has settled.

Is it cheaper to dry my own flowers?

Only when the fresh material is cheap, in season or a byproduct of something else. Fresh material at 8 a kilogram with an 80 percent loss works out at about 40 a kilogram dried before any labour, drying space, packaging or wastage, and ready dried flowers are often bought in at a comparable price. The case for drying your own is usually about variety, colour and control rather than cost, and the cost per kilogram line here is what tells you which case you are in.