Testing Pellet Quality
Borregaard LignoTech recommends the New Holmen Pellet Tester, as it provides a more rigorous test and accurately predicts the degradation that pellets experience during transport and handling.
The New Holmen Tester is based on a design by Borregaard LignoTech. It is smaller, faster, and more sporty than previous commercial testers. 100 g of pellets are placed in the chamber, blown about from 30 to 120 seconds by a jet of air, and then weighed, giving a direct read of pellet durability. Fines are removed during the blowing process. Air pressure and run time are adjustable.
The New Holmen Pellet Tester is manufactured and sold by UK-based company Tekpro. More information about the product can be found at their website.
Figure 1: New Holmen Pellet Tester compared to other pellet testers (pellet durability)
Table 1: New Holmen Pellet Tester compared to other pellet testers (pellet durability)
| Feed Type | Tumbling Can | Tumbling Can + Nuts |
Old Holmen Pellet Tester |
New Holmen Pellet Tester |
| Rabbit | 98.4 | 96.5 | 96.5 | 97.7 |
| Dairy, 18% | 97.9 | 95.3 | 94.6 | 97.2 |
| Dairy, 38% | 96.7 | 91.0 | 90.2 | 93.6 |
| Beef, 16% | 96.1 | 91.6 | 89.0 | 94.0 |
| Turkey grower | 94.7 | 82.0 | 84.6 | 87.2 |
| Pig starter | 95.5 | 83.8 | 80.5 | 82.4 |
| Broiler, 2% fat | 89.1 | 68.2 | 68.5 | 64.9 |
Seven different types of feed were tested to learn how the various pellet testers compared. The New Holmen Pellet Tester is more severe than the Tumbling Can; the New Holmen Pellet Tester gave a durability of 64.9 in broiler pellets while the Tumbling Can gave 89.1. Adding two ¾-inch hex nuts to the Tumbling Can dropped durability to 68.2. Experience suggests the more severe test better reflects conditions in the industry.