One US gallon of peanut oil weighs approximately 7.6 lb (3.4 kg). Shelled peanuts typically contain 40–50% oil by weight (industry range). If a press could capture every drop, about 16 lb of peanuts at 45% oil would carry 7.2 lb of oil — almost exactly a gallon.
Real screw presses do not capture every drop: some oil stays in the cake. That is why working mills plan on the higher end — roughly 15–20 lb (7–9 kg) of shelled peanuts per gallon, with well-roasted, well-pressed peanuts landing near the bottom of that range and cold or poorly prepared peanuts near the top.
Three factors dominate: roasting quality (properly roasted peanuts release far more oil — see the roasting temperature answer), press type and settings (cake thickness, screw wear, single vs double pressing), and peanut variety (oil content varies by cultivar and season).
If you are buying in-shell peanuts, add roughly a third more weight — shells are about 25–30% of in-shell weight and contain no meaningful oil. Shelling first with a peanut shelling machine is standard practice.
For business planning, work backwards: a mill pressing 500 kg of shelled peanuts per day at realistic recovery produces on the order of 55–65 gallons (210–250 liters) of oil daily, plus peanut cake that sells as feed. The full line — cleaning, shelling, roasting, pressing — is laid out in our peanut oil pretreatment line guide.
Roughly 2–2.7 kg of shelled peanuts per liter, by the same math: peanut oil weighs about 0.91 kg per liter, peanuts run 40–50% oil, and screw presses leave some oil in the cake.
Yes, significantly — roasting ruptures oil cells and drops viscosity so the press can extract what the seed holds. The same peanuts pressed raw versus properly roasted can differ by a noticeable margin in recovered oil.
Often yes, because both products sell: the oil commands good prices in many markets, and peanut cake moves as livestock feed. Margins depend on local peanut prices and consistent press throughput.
SinoOil engineers size the right pretreatment equipment for your capacity — free plant design included.
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