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True Cashew KOR Calculator

Updated June 15, 2026

Cashew processing floor scale used to weigh raw cashew nut batches for stage-by-stage KOR tracking

Every cashew trader and processor talks about “outturn,” but the number that actually gets quoted on a contract — Kernel Output Ratio, or KOR — only means something if it comes from real measurements. A KOR figure pulled from a rough end-of-week estimate, or copied from what a machine supplier promised in a brochure, is not the same thing as a KOR calculated from weights taken at each stage of your own production line. This calculator is built for the second kind: a genuine, stage-by-stage mass balance from your factory floor.

What KOR Actually Measures

KOR expresses how many kilograms of finished white kernel come out of one standard 80 kg unit of raw cashew nut (RCN) — the trading unit the cashew industry has used for generations. The formula is simple: take your finished kernel weight in grams per kilogram of RCN processed, divide by 1,000, and multiply by 80. A batch yielding 275 g of finished kernel per kg of RCN gives a KOR of 22.0.

What makes KOR a useful number in day-to-day operations, rather than just a trade term, is tracking where the mass actually goes between raw nut and finished kernel — not just the two endpoints.

Why the Five-Stage Breakdown Matters

Between the raw cashew nut going in and the finished white kernel coming out, mass is lost at five distinct points: steaming, shelling (the cutting stage), drying, peeling, and re-heating. Adding those five losses to your finished kernel weight should land close to the 1,000 g/kg RCN you started with — that’s the mass-balance check. When it doesn’t, something in your measurement process needs a second look, not necessarily your equipment.

Tracking each stage separately, instead of only weighing RCN in and kernel out, is what turns KOR from a single number you report into a diagnostic tool. A KOR drop that shows up as unusually high shelling loss points somewhere very different than one that shows up as unusually high drying loss.

Yield Diagnostics

The Number That Defines Processing Efficiency

Kernel Outturn Ratio is the industry's real measure of processing efficiency — how much finished white kernel you recover per kilogram of RCN processed. Log your stage-by-stage mass loss to get your KOR, yield percentage, and a mass-balance check that flags measurement errors before they cost you.

Up to 77%

Whole-kernel outturn OUTTURN machines are engineered to enable

True Cashew KOR Calculator

Enter one batch's stage-by-stage mass loss (grams per kg of RCN processed) to get your Kernel Output Ratio (KOR), yield %, and a mass-balance check.

Reading Your Results

Once you have real numbers entered, compare your KOR against what’s typical for your RCN grade rather than a single universal target. W-210, the most widely traded kernel grade, should land in the 20-22 range on a well-run line with good cutting equipment; W-180, being a larger kernel, can reach 22-24. Mixed African-origin RCN tends to run lower — 18-21 — which usually reflects more variable raw material rather than a processing shortfall.

The mass-balance deviation matters as much as the KOR figure itself. A KOR that looks reasonable but comes with a mass-balance deviation outside ±5 g/kg RCN is a sign to recheck your measurements before trusting the number.

Where the Cutting Stage Fits In

Of the five processing stages, shelling is consistently the largest single source of mass loss, which makes the cutting machine the single highest-leverage piece of equipment for improving KOR. A cutter with sharp, well-aligned blades produces a clean split with minimal fines and minimal kernel breakage; a worn or misaligned one drives both waste and damaged kernel upward. This is also where OUTTURN’s name comes from — “outturn” is the industry’s own word for KOR, and the case for a better cutting machine is, in the end, the case for a better outturn number.

Use this calculator weekly against your own production data rather than as a one-off exercise. A single batch tells you very little; a run of weekly averages tells you whether your process — and your equipment — is actually performing the way it should.

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as a good KOR?
For W-210, the most widely traded kernel grade, a well-run factory with good cutting equipment should be achieving a KOR of 20-22, with anything above 22 considered excellent and anything below 19 pointing to significant processing losses somewhere in the line. W-180 kernels, being larger, tend to yield higher — 22-24 is achievable with good equipment. Mixed African-origin RCN grades typically land lower, around 18-21 KOR, reflecting more variable raw material rather than worse processing.
How exactly is KOR calculated?
KOR = (finished white kernel weight in grams per kg of RCN processed ÷ 1000) × 80. The 80 comes from the cashew trade's standard 80 kg RCN unit — KOR is, historically, how many kilograms of finished kernel one 80 kg bag of raw cashew nut yields. As an example, recovering 275 g of finished white kernel per kg of RCN gives KOR = (275 ÷ 1000) × 80 = 22.0.
Why does my KOR vary from day to day?
Some day-to-day movement is normal and comes from RCN moisture and size variation within a grade, small changes in steaming time or temperature, blade wear building up across a shift, operator sorting decisions, and even when in the process a batch gets weighed. Because of this, the week-average KOR is the more operationally meaningful figure to track and report on, not any single day's number. If your daily KOR is swinging by more than about ±1.5 points consistently, that is worth investigating rather than dismissing as normal noise.
How does KOR relate to white kernel yield percentage?
They are the same underlying ratio expressed in different units. Yield % = KOR ÷ 80 × 100, so a KOR of 22 is the same result as a 27.5% white kernel yield. Which figure a buyer or factory manager quotes is mostly a matter of local convention — KOR is the traditional trade unit, yield percentage is the more intuitive one for anyone outside the industry.
Does higher RCN moisture content help or hurt KOR?
It hurts. Raw cashew nut above roughly 12% moisture steams unevenly and cuts poorly, which shows up as higher shelling loss and more kernel damage at the cutting stage. The optimal intake moisture range for consistent steaming and clean cuts is 8-10%. If your incoming RCN is running wetter than that, expect your KOR to come in lower than the equipment is actually capable of, and consider adjusting intake specifications or pre-drying before steaming.
Why is CNSL left out of the mass-balance calculation?
CNSL — cashew nut shell liquid, the caustic phenolic oil held in the shell — is physically part of the shell weight removed at the cutting stage, not a separate loss of kernel. It's tracked on its own because recovered CNSL has real by-product value, but including it inside the 1,000 g/kg mass-balance total alongside the five kernel-processing losses would double-count mass that the shelling-loss figure already accounts for.
What does a mass-balance deviation of more than ±5g usually mean?
It's almost always a measurement error rather than a real processing anomaly. The most common causes are weighing the RCN batch after steaming instead of before it (which picks up steam moisture gain and throws off every downstream percentage), recording CNSL inside the shell-removed weight instead of tracking it separately, using an inconsistent per-kg-RCN basis across different stages, or a simple data-entry mistake. Recheck those four things first before assuming the process itself is the problem.
How much does the cutting machine itself affect my KOR?
More than any other single stage — shelling is typically the largest mass-reduction step in the whole process. A precision cutter with sharp, well-aligned blades produces a clean split with minimal fines and minimal kernel damage, while a worn or poorly aligned cutter drives both waste and breakage up. Moving from a standard cutting machine to a precision cutter, such as OUTTURN's, typically brings shelling-stage loss down from around 25-35 g/kg RCN to 10-20 g/kg RCN — worth roughly 0.5 to 1.2 points of KOR on its own.

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