Maize mill sizing: 30 vs 60 vs 240 tonnes per day.
TL;DR: Size the mill to your monthly off-take, not your ambition. Up to ~700 t/month → 30 tpd (US$250–400k mill + packaging capex). 1,500–4,000 t/month with real distribution → 60 tpd (US$700k–1.1M). Only industrial-scale distribution justifies 240 tpd (US$2.0–3.5M). Then apply the landed-and-installed factor (×1.25–1.45 coastal, ×1.45–1.60 landlocked) and budget grain working capital on top — the mill that fails is almost never the wrong machine; it's the right machine two sizes too big.
The only number that sizes a mill
Not the population of your country. Not the brochure's proud output figure. The number is: how many tonnes of maize meal can you actually sell, per month, through channels you can name? Distributors who've committed, shops you supply today, institutions with contracts. Divide it by roughly 25 milling days and you have your realistic daily requirement — and in our experience it is usually one tier below what the buyer first asked about.
The three tiers, honestly compared
| Dimension | 30 t/day | 60 t/day | 240 t/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Realistic monthly off-take | ≤ 700 t | 1,500–4,000 t | 6,000+ t |
| Shift pattern | 1–1.5 shifts | 2–3 shifts | 3 shifts continuous |
| Capex band (mill + packaging) | US$250–400k | US$700k–1.1M | US$2.0–3.5M |
| Building footprint (mill hall, indicative) | ~150–250 m² | ~400–600 m² | ~1,200–1,800 m² |
| Operator + maintenance team | 3–6 | 8–14 | 25–40+ |
| Inbound grain storage required | 1–2 weeks | 2–4 weeks | 4–8+ weeks |
| Power demand (indicative installed) | ~80–140 kW | ~180–280 kW | ~600–900 kW |
| Best supported by | Local market or captive demand | Regional brand + structured distribution | Industrial-scale distribution + logistics |
Bands are indicative equipment capex ex-China; your written feasibility firms them for your specification. Remember the site-wide rule: equipment is only 35–55% of the real project — apply ×1.25–1.45 (coastal) or ×1.45–1.60 (landlocked) for the landed-and-installed total, and budget grain working capital separately: even a 30 tpd mill ties up serious cash in the silo.
What each tier really demands
30 tpd is the honest first mill: one-and-a-bit shifts, a small trained team, simple bran handling, and a building most industrial plots can offer. It suits a miller with local or captive demand — and it's the tier where a first-time owner learns the trade without the trade bankrupting him.
60 tpd is a different business, not a bigger mill: two to three shifts mean shift supervision, maintenance discipline, and 2–4 weeks of grain buffer — which means silos and procurement skill. The step up only pays when a regional brand and structured distribution already pull 1,500+ tonnes a month.
240 tpd is industrial milling: continuous operation, bulk grain logistics, multiple pack SKUs, a 25–40 person operation and utilities to match. In our six markets this tier belongs to established groups — if you're reading a sizing guide, it is probably not your next step, and we'll say so to your face.
The failure mode — the two-sizes-too-big mill: a buyer with 500 t/month of real demand builds the 60 tpd mill "for growth". It runs two days a week; fixed costs, finance charges and an under-used team eat the margin; maintenance is deferred because cash is short; and three years later the "growth" mill is for sale at half price — usually to someone who reads tables like the one above. Buy the mill your demand supports; upgrade when the demand is proven. The capital ladder exists precisely so that path is cheap.
Tanzania note — the strongest milling market we serve
Tanzanian imports of Chinese milling equipment (HS 8437) grew 68.4% in 2024 to US$12.5M — the sharpest milling signal of our six markets 2024 · UN Comtrade. Grain logistics through Dar es Salaam and a national push on agro-processing are behind it. If you're sizing a mill for Tanzania, see the Tanzania page for the landed factor and port specifics.
What a CISH mill project includes
Every mill we deliver is commissioned to an agreed output on your grain — not the brochure's grain — with your operators trained during run-up, written procedures left behind, and the wear-part kit (screens, beaters, belts, bearings, sifter parts) specified and priced on day one, supplied through our China–Africa channel.
What's your real monthly off-take?
Bring that one number to a free feasibility call — we'll size the mill, the building, the power and the honest budget around it.