Wood Shavings Bedding Pellet Plant for Cattle in Sri Lanka

RICHI MACHINERY

Why Sri Lanka? 

Sri Lanka provides two conditions that matter for this project: a real livestock market and a steady stream of wood-processing residues. Official 2025 statistics report about 1.13 million cattle nationwide, including roughly 350,000 cows currently in milk, while the national chicken population is about 19 million. Gampaha District alone accounts for about 2.57 million chickens, giving a bedding producer close access to poultry customers as well as the western-region dairy market.

The opportunity is not based on the assumption that pellet bedding is automatically cheaper than every local material. Coconut coir, loose sawdust and other agricultural materials can remain lower-cost options. Wood-shaving pellets compete where farms value compact storage, controlled moisture, screened low-fines material and more predictable handling.

Customer Segment	Relevant Need	Plant Positioning
Dairy farms	Dry resting areas and easier litter handling	Wood bedding pellets for cubicles, loose housing and recovery areas
Broiler / breeder farms	Consistent litter with controlled loose fines	Screened bedding pellets supplied in bags or bulk
Horse stables	Clean, manageable bedding with repeatable supply	Small-bag and premium bedding grades
Farm-supply distributors	Compact stock with repeatable specification	25 kg and 50 kg packaged product

The client is in Gampaha, close to Colombo’s industrial and logistics zone. That location reduces equipment-delivery distance from the Port of Colombo and gives the plant access to farms, dealers, sawmills and furniture processors across Western Province.

The page does not rely on an assumed 30–40% price premium, a fixed breakeven tonnage, a guaranteed operating margin or a claim that Sri Lanka has no competing bedding producer. Those commercial figures need current contracts and market evidence.

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Raw Materials: Wood Shavings and Sawdust

The plant is organized around clean pre-consumer wood residues rather than mixed demolition or household waste. Furniture factories and sawmills provide shavings and sawdust from solid wood processing, and every supplier is approved by material type before deliveries are accepted.

Raw Material	Annual Planning Volume	Typical Receiving Moisture	Processing Decision
Clean wood shavings	Approx. 12,000 T/A	About 10–16%	Screen, grind as required, dry only wet lots
Clean sawdust	Approx. 8,000–9,000 T/A	About 12–20%	Screen and magnet; drying depends on moisture
Gross annual intake	Approx. 20,000–21,000 T/A	Supplier-dependent	Supports 19,000 T/A finished bedding after moisture/loss adjustment

Furniture residues are accepted only when they come from untreated solid wood. MDF, particleboard, OSB, plywood with adhesive-rich layers, painted or varnished timber, preservative-treated wood, laminated boards and mixed demolition wood are excluded from animal-bedding production.

• Incoming loads are checked for moisture, visible mold, plastic, metal and chemically treated material.
• Magnets protect the hammer mill and pellet mills from nails, screws and incidental ferrous contamination.
• Very fluffy shavings are reduced to a consistent particle size before pelleting; sawdust can bypass part of the grinding route when it already meets the size target.
• Material stored in humid or rain-exposed conditions is segregated for drying rather than blended directly with dry stock.
• Covered storage uses FIFO rotation to limit moisture regain and biological deterioration.

The backup dryer is therefore a moisture-management tool, not a permanent full-load process stage. When supplier moisture stays within the direct-pelleting range, the dryer is bypassed and the plant saves both heat and electricity.

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The Site and Building

The 3,505 m² leased site is retained because the project is a retrofit rather than a greenfield factory. About 1,600 m² is covered by three existing production and storage buildings, leaving roughly 1,900 m² for truck access, unloading, fire separation, parking and short-term handling.

Building / Area	Approx. Size	Use
Production building 1	600 m²	Screening, grinding, moisture control, two pellet mills, cooler and dust collection
Production building 2	500 m²	Covered shavings and sawdust buffer storage
Production building 3	500 m²	Finished product, final bagging and dispatch
Outdoor circulation	Approx. 1,900 m²	Truck turning, unloading, fire access and service routes

The 6–8 m building height favors a horizontal layout with selected bucket elevators and low-profile conveyors. Two high-capacity pellet mills are easier to maintain in this space than a row of many small machines, and the cooler and screener are positioned close to finished-product storage.

A 500 m² raw-material building cannot hold months of loose shavings for a 19,000 T/A plant, so the operating model relies on frequent contracted deliveries and limited factory inventory. Supplier-side storage and scheduled collection are part of the logistics plan.

The existing wood pellet mill area is reused where foundations and access remain suitable, while heavier replacement equipment receives checked foundations and electrical capacity before installation.

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Equipment Configuration

The client already operated a basic wood pellet production plant. The retrofit retains serviceable auxiliary equipment but replaces the capacity-limiting pelletizing arrangement with two MZLH768 units and adds the finishing equipment needed for commercial bedding production.

Equipment	Configuration	Role in Retrofit
Raw-material screener	1 set, retained/upgraded	Removes oversize foreign material and controls feed consistency
Magnetic separator	Multiple points	Protects grinder and pellet mills
Wood-shavings hammer mill	1 set, approx. 75–90 kW class	Reduces fluffy shavings and oversize particles to a controlled few-millimeter feed
Moisture-control dryer	1 bypassable set	Used only for rain-affected or high-moisture material
Wood pellet extruder machine / MZLH768	2 × 315 kW	3–4 T/H each; 6–8 T/H installed bedding-pellet capacity
wood pellet press die and roller sets	Project-specific	Commissioned for bedding friability and 6–8 mm product
Counterflow cooler	1 × 8 T/H class	Mechanical cooling before final screening
Pellet screener + fines return	1 set	Removes loose fines and recycles clean material
Bagging station	1 set	25 kg / 50 kg bags with provision for bulk dispatch
Dust collection	Multi-point bag-filter system	Grinding, transfer, screening and packing extraction

The fixed RICHI retrofit and machinery package is USD 212,000. Together with building modifications, electrical work, foundations, local installation, inland logistics and working capital, the completed project investment is USD 285,000.

The retained dryer uses clean wood residues through a hot-air furnace rather than relying on a large electric heater. That avoids a major peak electrical load and lets the client use dry shavings directly whenever possible.

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Process Flow

This pellet machine line uses a selective process route: dry sawdust and correctly sized material bypass unnecessary preparation, while oversized shavings and wet lots receive the additional treatment they need.

Step 1: Receiving and Supplier Segregation

Shavings and sawdust arrive loose or in large bags and are stored by supplier and moisture class. Loads with treated board, paint, plastic, excessive metal or visible mold are rejected before they enter production.

Step 2: Screening and Magnetic Protection

The receiving screen removes large foreign objects and separates abnormal oversize material. Magnetic protection is installed before high-speed equipment. Fine clean sawdust can proceed toward buffering without unnecessary coarse crushing.

Step 3: Grinding When Required

Fluffy shavings and oversize material pass through a hammer mill so the pellet mills receive a controlled few-millimeter feed. This improves feeding stability and reduces the risk of bridging. Already suitable sawdust can bypass this step.

Step 4: Moisture Control

Material within the required moisture window bypasses the dryer. Wet-season or rain-exposed material uses the retained hot-air drying system, normally targeting about 10–14% moisture before pelletizing. Dryer temperature and residence time are adjusted to inlet moisture rather than fixed at one recipe.

Step 5: Pelletizing for Bedding

Prepared material enters two wood granulator machine units in the MZLH768 biomass configuration. Typical bedding diameter is 6–8 mm. Die compression, roller gap and moisture are tuned during commissioning so pellets survive conveying and bagging but break down readily after use as bedding.

Step 6: Counterflow Cooling

Fresh pellets leave the dies hot and relatively soft. A counterflow cooler reduces temperature close to ambient before screening. Short conveyor travel and warehouse-floor cooling are not used as the main cooling method for a 19,000 T/A commercial line.

Step 7: Final Screening and Fines Return

Cooled pellets pass through a final screen. Loose fines and clean broken pellets are returned through a controlled recycle route. This improves bag cleanliness without publishing an unsupported universal dust percentage.

Step 8: Bagging and Dispatch

Finished bedding is packed mainly in 25 kg and 50 kg bags. Larger cattle and poultry customers can receive bulk or large-bag formats when their unloading system allows. Batch records identify raw-material source, production date and product grade.

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Utilities and Consumption

The main electrical load comes from two 315 kW pellet mills, the hammer mill, cooler, aspiration and conveying system. Because the dryer is bypassed for correctly dried shavings, annual electricity depends strongly on supplier moisture and the proportion of material that needs grinding.

Utility	Practical Planning Range	Engineering Note
Electricity	Approx. 1.8–2.3 million kWh/year	Roughly 95–120 kWh per ton depending on grinding and drying duty
Electrical service	Approx. 1,000–1,250 kVA	Supports two MZLH768 mills plus preparation and auxiliaries
Dryer fuel	Clean wood residues, project-controlled	Used only when wet material requires drying
Process water	Minimal	Dry biomass process; no routine water addition required
Domestic / cleaning water	Approx. 250–400 m³/year	Staff welfare and housekeeping
Compressed air	Small auxiliary demand	Bagging and pneumatic controls where used

The plant operates about 10 production hours per day for 300 days per year. This provides a daily maintenance window for die inspection, lubrication, screen checks, dust cleaning and housekeeping rather than forcing the retrofit line into continuous operation.

Backup generation, if installed, is sized from a defined critical-load list. A small 20 kVA generator cannot run a 315 kW pellet mill; it is suitable only for controls, lighting and safe shutdown unless the client installs a substantially larger generator.

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How RICHI Customized This Line for Bedding Pellets (Converting from Fuel)

The client already had a biomass pellet plant, so the engineering objective was to reuse serviceable assets while changing the parts that determine bedding quality and reliable output. The project is therefore a retrofit rather than a completely new plant.

1. The pelleting section uses two MZLH768 machines, giving a 6–8 T/H integer capacity range that matches the 19,000 T/A production target.
2. A hammer-mill stage is included for fluffy shavings and oversize particles instead of assuming all shavings are immediately pellet-ready.
3. The existing moisture-control system is retained as a bypassable backup for wet-season material rather than running continuously.
4. Die and roller settings are selected from actual shavings/sawdust trials; one fixed fuel-versus-bedding compression ratio is not applied to every wood species.
5. Counterflow cooling and final screening are added so finished pellets reach storage at a stable temperature with loose fines removed.
6. Existing conveyors and electrical distribution are reused only after load, wear and safety checks confirm they match the new 6–8 T/H duty.

The plant employs about 12 people across receiving, operation, bagging, warehouse, maintenance, supervision and administration. The 10-hour production schedule allows one primary operating shift plus preparation, cleaning and maintenance coverage without forcing a small retrofit team into round-the-clock production.

Training focuses on moisture decisions, hammer-mill screen control, die and roller service, pellet softness, cooler operation, dust housekeeping and lockout. Operator readiness is confirmed through supervised production rather than an unsupported claim that every worker becomes fully proficient within a fixed number of weeks.

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Product Specifications (Bedding Pellets)

The bedding product is specified by practical farm performance rather than by fuel-pellet standards. There is no single universal Sri Lankan bedding-pellet standard that fixes one density, PDI, absorbency or dust percentage for every cattle, horse and poultry application.

Property	Project Target	Quality-Control Approach
Diameter	6–8 mm	Selected for spreading, transport and breakdown after use
Length	Typically 10–25 mm	Controlled to reduce bridging and improve distribution
Finished moisture	About 8–12%	Checked before storage and bagging
Pellet strength	Controlled, not maximized	Must survive handling but remain suitable for bedding
Loose fines	Kept low by cooling and screening	Measured by agreed sampling method
Absorbency	Verified by test method	Depends on wood species, particle structure and final moisture
Ash / contaminants	Low for clean untreated wood	Monitored through supplier approval and cleanliness checks
Bulk density	Measured by production grade	Used for warehouse, bag and transport planning

Wood-shaving pellets are not automatically more absorbent than every coir, sawdust or straw product. Farm performance depends on pellet breakdown, moisture loading, ventilation, stocking density and litter-management practice. The client therefore uses farm trials and repeat orders as the commercial proof point.

The page also avoids fixed claims that bedding pellets are 30–40% cheaper than imports or that a certain product will improve respiratory health or milk output by a guaranteed amount. Those outcomes depend on the farm and current market prices.

Where customers want objective comparison, samples can be tested for moisture, bulk density, fines and water uptake using an agreed method before a supply contract is finalized.

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Market Outlook for Wood Shaving Bedding Pellets in Sri Lanka

Official Sri Lankan statistics show a broad livestock base for bedding products. In 2025 the country recorded roughly 1.13 million cattle and about 19 million chickens; Gampaha District accounted for about 24,000 cattle and 2.57 million chickens. These figures support a real local customer base without needing exaggerated estimates for a separate ‘bedding pellet market.’

The client can also target higher-value stable and specialty-farm customers, but the core volume market remains commercial cattle and poultry operations. Coconut coir, loose sawdust and other local materials will continue to compete, so the selling argument must focus on handling, storage, moisture control and consistent screening rather than claiming pellets are always cheapest.

Commercial Challenge	Plant Response
Wet-season raw-material moisture	Covered storage plus bypassable drying
Mixed quality from small wood processors	Approved suppliers and untreated-solid-wood acceptance rule
Competition from loose coir / sawdust	Demonstrate storage volume, handling and farm-use performance
Electricity cost	Use dry feedstock whenever possible and avoid unnecessary drying/grinding
Small domestic premium segment	Serve multiple cattle, poultry and stable customer groups
Power interruption	Safe shutdown plan and correctly sized backup for selected loads

Growth is therefore tied to repeat farm trials, reliable raw-material contracts and consistent product quality. Expansion should only follow confirmed sales because adding pellet capacity without increasing covered storage, grinding, cooling and electrical service would create bottlenecks.

The retrofit format also gives the project a different economics from a greenfield plant: usable buildings and auxiliaries lower capital needs, while the new investment is concentrated on the equipment that changes throughput and bedding quality.

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Why a Wood Shaving Bedding Pellet Plant Makes Sense in Sri Lanka

This Sri Lanka project makes sense because the client combines three existing advantages: access to clean wood-processing residues, an operating industrial site, and previous pellet-production experience. The retrofit converts those assets into a bedding-focused business without rebuilding every section from zero.

The 6–8 T/H configuration matches the 19,000 T/A target at 300 days and 10 hours per day. It also avoids the maintenance burden of using numerous smaller pellet mills simply to reach the required hourly output.

Equipment can ship from Qingdao to the Port of Colombo, which the Sri Lanka Ports Authority identifies as the country’s premier port and which operates multiple container terminals. From Colombo, the machinery moves by road to the Gampaha site, keeping the inland leg relatively short.

RICHI scope covers retrofit engineering, equipment manufacture, factory inspection, export packing, control integration, installation guidance, commissioning and operator training. A practical retrofit schedule is about 4–6 months when foundation checks, transformer work and building modifications run in parallel with equipment manufacture.

For another wood-shaving bedding project, RICHI Machinery would first confirm whether the residue is untreated solid wood, its monthly moisture profile, maximum shaving size, annual volume, existing equipment condition, building height, electrical capacity, target bedding customer and packaging format. Those inputs determine what can be reused and what must be replaced to build a reliable commercial line.

Project equipment references also include wood pellet production line.