---
title: The Cost of (Mis)Calibration
description: Food costs can get out of control if your equipment isn't calibrated properly.
image: https://www.owlops.com/hubfs/shutterstock_645031861.jpg
---

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 By [Doug Rixmann](https://www.owlops.com/blog/author/doug-rixmann) • April 12, 2020

# The Cost of (Mis)Calibration

- [Food Costs](https://www.owlops.com/blog/topic/food-costs)
- [Preventative Maintenance](https://www.owlops.com/blog/topic/preventative-maintenance)

#### Food Costs Matter

If your food supplier said they were going to increase your price by 5-10%, what would you do? I'm assuming you'd push back and make sure it was justified.

 

What about if your staff was spilling every 10th fountain drink or cream and sugar filled cup? You'd probably put a stop to it, get some retraining, and get control of the leakage (pun intended).

 

What about equipment calibrations? They could be costing you $1000s every year.

 

Let's take a look at an easy calculation to see how much mis-calibration might be costing you:

 

#### Calibration Calculation

Annual Cost of Goods

**X** % Quantity Out of Calibration

**X** % Time Out Of Calibration

 

#### Example

Suppose a cream dispenser was dispensing just 2 ml too much cream (~10%) and it's off 50% of the time:

$100,000 (Cost of Cream)  
**X** 10% (22 ml vs 20 ml)  
**X** 50% (every other week)  
**=** $5,000 Cost

 

That's $5,000 from the bottom line!

 

#### What Should a Calibration Process Look Like?

There are a few factors to consider when implementing a calibration process:

##### Frequency

How often you perform the calibration. We would recommend at least once a week but that can vary based on use, type of equipment, and how quickly it gets out of calibration.

 

##### Process

What equipment you use (brix cup, electronic scale, other), how many samples, how to ensure a proper reading, what’s a reasonable discrepancy. All these things should be defined.

 

##### Training

Make sure the people doing the job are trained (and have the right tools) to do the job correctly.

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