Paddy Parboiling & Milled & Head Rice Yield
Yields milled rice
Enter your paddy and the parboiled recovery to get the milled rice, head rice and brokens — parboiling raises milling recovery and head-rice yield and improves nutrition.
Milled-rice yield
Next: parboiling toughens the grain, so expect a higher head-rice fraction (92% here) and fewer brokens — sell whole rice at a premium and brokens separately.
Recovery and head-rice percentages depend on variety, drying and parboiling quality. Over-dried or cracked paddy mills into more brokens, which fetch a lower price.
Parboiling recovery — key facts
- Process
- soak → steam → dry → mill
- Milled rice
- paddy × recovery
- Parboiled recovery
- ≈ 68–72%
- Head rice
- whole grains (premium)
- Brokens
- fragments (lower value)
- Benefit
- more head rice, better nutrition
- Splits as
- head rice + brokens
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing uploaded
A little heat, a lot more whole rice
Raw paddy is brittle: when the husk and bran come off, many kernels shatter into low-value brokens. Parboiling fixes that. Soaking, steaming and drying the paddy before milling gelatinises the starch and toughens the grain, so it survives dehusking and polishing far better — milling recovery rises, the prized head-rice share jumps, and B-vitamins migrate inward to make the grain more nutritious. It is the single biggest lever a rice mill has on outturn quality.
This tool turns your paddy into its expected milled rice, head rice and brokens at the parboiled recovery you set. Use it to plan throughput, value a paddy lot, and see how much whole rice your batch should produce. Pair it with the Rice Milling Recovery, Dal Milling Recovery and Crop Drying Time tools to manage the whole post-harvest chain.
More whole rice
See the head-rice yield parboiling delivers.
Fewer brokens
Estimate the low-value fraction before milling.
Plan throughput
Know the milled rice from a paddy lot.
Value a batch
Split outturn into priced fractions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is paddy parboiling?+
Parboiling is a hydrothermal treatment — soaking, steaming and drying paddy before milling. The heat gelatinises the starch inside the husk, hardening the grain so it resists breaking during milling. The result is higher milling recovery, far more whole (head) rice, and better nutrition because vitamins move from the bran into the kernel.
How is parboiled milling recovery calculated?+
Milled rice = paddy × milling recovery; parboiled paddy typically mills at a higher recovery (often ~68–72%) than raw paddy. The milled rice then splits into head rice (whole grains) and brokens by the head-rice ratio. This tool applies your recovery and head-rice ratio to give the milled rice, head rice and brokens from your paddy.
What is head rice yield?+
Head rice is the whole, unbroken milled grains — the most valuable fraction because consumers and markets pay a premium for whole rice. Head rice yield is head rice as a share of paddy (or of milled rice). Parboiling sharply raises it because the toughened grain survives dehusking and polishing with fewer breaks.
Why does parboiling raise recovery?+
During parboiling the starch gelatinises and the grain becomes harder and less brittle, so fewer kernels shatter when the husk and bran are removed. Cracks in the endosperm are sealed, loose grains are firmed up, and the overall milling outturn — especially the head-rice portion — climbs compared with raw milling.
What are brokens and why do they matter?+
Brokens are the fragmented grains produced during milling. They fetch a much lower price than head rice and are used for products like rice flour, brewing or animal feed. Minimising brokens — which parboiling helps do — directly raises the value of a paddy lot, so the broken share is a key quality figure.
Does parboiling improve nutrition?+
Yes — during soaking and steaming, water-soluble vitamins and minerals in the bran layer migrate inward into the endosperm. The milled parboiled grain therefore retains more thiamine and other B-vitamins than raw-milled white rice, which is one reason parboiled rice is valued in many diets.
What recovery should I expect?+
It varies with variety, drying, equipment and grain condition, but parboiled paddy commonly mills at roughly 68–72% total recovery with a high head-rice share. Raw paddy with cracked or immature grains mills lower with more brokens. Enter your own measured recovery for the most accurate result.
Does this work for any paddy variety?+
Yes — the milled-rice, head-rice and brokens split applies to any rice variety. Long, medium and short grains differ in their typical recovery and breakage, so enter the recovery and head-rice ratio that match your variety and mill for the closest estimate.
Are the figures exact?+
They are solid planning estimates. Actual outturn depends on paddy moisture, drying method, the parboiling process, mill settings and grain maturity. Re-measure recovery on your own lots and equipment, and use this tool to plan and to compare batches rather than as a guaranteed yield.