Pet Food Storage Container Size Calculator

When shopping for pet food, unit price is lower for a big bag. You purchase bigger bag, but it doesn’t fit in your pantry. You try throwing the food into smaller bags, but they are too small. Or you use larger bag, but they are too large.

Why? Because there’s more to it than just volume: Pet food also has density. Small, dense kibble fits into a smaller space different than large, airy chunks. If you don’t account for that, you’ll spill food on the floor or expose it to air.

Why you need the right size container

The handy dandy calculator up there do all the work for you. All it asks is how much empty space you want. How many pets are we talking about here? And what kind of kibble do they eat (i.e. It asks how many cups of food are in each pound.

It’s important that you leave at least 15% headspace. It is not just because, but because it is mandatory. You’ll have plenty of room to get your scoop in there without making the food go over edge. If you pack the canister to the top, you’ll shoot food across the floor when you scoop it out. The calculator accounts for that and tells you a size that actualy works.

The problem come from the density variable. A lot of owners think they are feeding four cups per pound of food when in fact large breed might be only three point eight cups per pound. Even a small difference mean you’ll need almost a quart more food for every 30 pounds! On the flip side, maybe it’s four point two for smaller, denser pieces. These changes in how you make the feed can change what size container you will needed, as shown in the table below. Don’t go out and purchase a five gallon bin just to learn your food requires six gallons.

Second is freshness. Because it’s a giant open bag, the food spoils quicker then if it were in a closed container. Whenever you open up the big bin, you’re bringing oxygen and moisture back into the mix. It makes sense to divide the contents of bag between one primary storage bin and a separate small container used on a day-to-day basis. You can use the calculator to model that split to determine how much food to put in each bin. This allows you to plan your sales while avoiding spoilage.

It’s inventory management. But it’s for your pet. Take good care of their food.

The Right Size It respect your time and the food. The right size kibble container keeps the food fresh (i.e. Free from pests and dry crispy). No more wrestling with leaky boxes and torn bags. Just scoop, feed, close lid.

Sounds trivial but that makes the routine better. And when the storage fits well into your routine, then you’re less likely to let the routine slip and forget about portion control. This is good for both you and your pet.

It is a small investment in long term convenince. You should of thought about it earlier.