ROM Pad Capacity Calculator
Run-of-mine (ROM) pad capacity is a bulk-storage volume converted to tonnes.
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Before you rely on this: First-pass guide only. Verify safety-critical or regulated work against the relevant standards, your project requirements and a qualified professional.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the pad's plan footprint area in m² and the average stack (or single-lift) height you can safely build to.
- Enter the loose, as-tipped bulk density of the ore in t/m³ — not the in-situ/bank density.
- Optionally add a utilisation / fill factor (0–1) to allow for repose slopes, ramps, standoffs and dead volume; leave blank for the theoretical maximum.
How it works
Run-of-mine (ROM) pad capacity is a bulk-storage volume converted to tonnes. The tool computes gross volume = footprint area × average stack height, applies an optional utilisation/fill factor, then multiplies by the loose bulk density: capacity (t) = footprint (m²) × height (m) × fill × loose density (t/m³).
Because a real pad heaps to the material's angle of repose and loses volume to access ramps, truck standoffs and a non-uniform base, the raw footprint × height product is a ceiling. A fill factor of roughly 0.7–0.9 brings the estimate toward live, workable capacity. Always use the loose (as-tipped) density rather than the in-situ density, since freshly dumped rock swells.
Worked example
A 4,000 m² tip pad at 8 m lift. Footprint 4,000 m², average stack height 8 m, loose bulk density 1.6 t/m³, utilisation 0.85. Gross volume = 4,000 × 8 = 32,000 m³; usable volume = 32,000 × 0.85 = 27,200 m³; capacity = 27,200 × 1.6 = 43,520 t of live ROM storage.
Common mistakes
- Using in-situ (bank) density instead of loose, as-tipped density — bank density overstates tonnes because tipped rock has swelled and contains voids.
- Taking footprint × height as real capacity with no fill factor — a heaped pad slopes to its angle of repose and loses volume to ramps and standoffs, so the theoretical maximum is never achievable.
- Entering a utilisation factor as a percentage (e.g. 85) instead of a fraction (0.85); the field expects a value between 0 and 1.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use loose or in-situ density for a ROM pad?
Use the loose (as-tipped) bulk density. Material on a ROM pad has been drilled, blasted, dug and dumped, so it has swelled and holds voids — its density is lower than the in-situ/bank density of the same rock. Using bank density would overstate the stored tonnes.
What utilisation or fill factor should I assume?
It depends on how the pad is built and worked, but a fill factor of about 0.7–0.9 is a common starting point for a heaped pad that slopes to its angle of repose and gives up volume to access ramps, truck standoffs and an uneven base. Survey a built pad to calibrate the factor for your site.
How is this different from a cost-per-tonne or stockpile-volume tool?
This tool sizes live storage capacity in tonnes for a flat-topped tip/ROM pad from footprint, lift height and loose density. A stockpile-volume tool models a specific heaped geometry (cone, wedge, windrow), and cost-per-tonne converts a total cost to a unit rate — neither answers 'how many tonnes will this pad hold'.
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