Biology

Biological Efficiency & Yield Calculator

Biological efficiency (BE) is the ratio of fresh mushroom yield to the dry weight of the substrate, expressed as a percentage. This calculator converts your BE and dry substrate weight per block into the fresh yield you can expect, in grams and pounds, and splits it across each flush. As a mushroom yield calculator it doubles as a substrate weight calculator, since BE is only meaningful against an accurate dry weight. It is the root of the Mycelocity model — yield feeds revenue, margin, break-even and capacity downstream.

Formula yield_g = (BE / 100) × dryWeight · yield_lb = yield_g / 453.592 · flush_i = yield_g × distribution_i

Inputs

Dry substrate weight / block

Fed in from Grow profile ↑

Biological efficiency85%

Yield per block

Yield

850 g

Yield (lb)

1.87 lb

Per-flush yield

Flush 1

425 g

50% of total

Flush 2

255 g

30% of total

Flush 3

170 g

20% of total

Explore all 10 connected calculators

On the hub, every calculator shares one grow profile — change a value once and yield, cost, profit, break-even and ROI all recompute together.

Learn the concept

Guides that explain the numbers behind this calculator.

Mushroom Growing Business Tools The tools a mushroom growing business actually runs on — from biological efficiency and contamination tracking to cost, profit and ROI — and which free calculators cover each one.
The Most Profitable Mushrooms to Grow Comparing oyster, shiitake, lion's mane and king oyster on biological efficiency, price per pound, cycle speed and difficulty — to find the best balance of yield and value for a new farm.
Understanding Biological Efficiency What biological efficiency (BE) really measures, why it is quoted against dry substrate weight, and how to read the yield it predicts per block.
Substrate Moisture & Hydration Basics How to measure substrate moisture from wet and dry weight, what field capacity means, and why hydration sits upstream of both yield and contamination.
Preventing and Managing Contamination The common sources of contamination, how to estimate a realistic contamination rate, and what "effective yield" means once losses are applied.