Compost Mixture Carbon Nitrogen and Moisture Calculator
Balance entered ingredient masses, wet-basis moisture and dry-basis elemental composition without relying on a material catalogue.
YOUR CALCULATION
Result
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Calculation steps
Work through one step at a time or reveal the complete calculation. The steps use your current inputs.
How to calculate
Sum wet mass, water mass and dry-basis carbon/nitrogen masses separately. Divide total carbon by total nitrogen; solve a pure-water balance for an optional target.
Dry mass=m(1−w); mixture C:N=Σdry×C / Σdry×N; added water=(target×mass−water)/(1−target)
Worked example
10 kg at 60% moisture and 5 kg at 20% contain 7 kg water in 15 kg mixture: 46.6667% moisture. Raising it to 55% requires 2.77778 kg water.
Assumptions and input details
Enter measured or independently sourced composition; illustrative material labels are not a species database. Carbon and nitrogen percentages use dry mass, moisture uses wet mass. Negative water adjustment means ideal water removal; it cannot be achieved by adding water. No composting-time, temperature or nutrient-availability prediction. Up to 30 rows.
References: Cornell Composting: mixture carbon/nitrogen balance
Using this calculator
Can I enter my own problem?
Yes. Replace the example values with your own inputs. The result, calculation steps, tables and applicable diagrams update from those inputs. Blank or invalid values clear the result; example values are never silently substituted for missing inputs.
Are the results exact?
Results use floating-point arithmetic and displayed rounding. Read the formula, assumptions and any stated data precision before interpreting the result.
Is my input uploaded?
The calculation runs in your browser. No account, file upload or external AI service is required. Inputs are not saved between page reloads.
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