Direct answer: A tonne is 2,204.62 pounds, so bushels per tonne equals 2,204.62 divided by the crop's bushel weight. Wheat and soybeans (60 lb) are 36.744 bushels per tonne, corn (56 lb) is 39.368, canola (50 lb) is 44.092, and barley at the traditional 48-lb bushel is 45.930. Oats in Canada use a 34-lb bushel, or 64.842 bushels per tonne; the U.S. bushel is 32 lb (68.894). Check the bushel weight your buyer uses before converting.
The conversion table
Crop | Pounds per bushel | Bushels per tonne | Tonnes per bushel |
|---|---|---|---|
Wheat (incl. CWRS, HRW, SRW) | 60 | 36.744 | 0.0272 |
Soybeans | 60 | 36.744 | 0.0272 |
Corn | 56 | 39.368 | 0.0254 |
Canola | 50 | 44.092 | 0.0227 |
Barley (traditional bushel) | 48 | 45.930 | 0.0218 |
Barley (AFSC program rate) | 50 | 44.092 | 0.0227 |
Oats (Canadian bushel) | 34 | 64.842 | 0.0154 |
Oats (U.S. bushel, CBOT futures) | 32 | 68.894 | 0.0145 |
Oats (AFSC program rate) | 41 | 53.771 | 0.0186 |
Wheat, soybean, corn and 48-lb barley factors match the U.S. Grains Council conversion table. Canola and the AFSC program rates come from Agriculture Financial Services Corporation's grain conversion table, which AFSC notes is used for AgriInsurance and AgriStability and may differ from elevator rates. The 34-lb Canadian oat bushel is from Agriculture Canada's Weights and Conversion Factors for Canadian Agricultural Products, and AFSC notes buyers use 34 lb for oats. The Canadian Grain Commission notes that a Canadian (Imperial) bushel is larger than a U.S. (Winchester) bushel.
The one formula
Bushels per tonne = 2,204.62 ÷ pounds per bushel.
Price per bushel = price per tonne ÷ bushels per tonne.
Price per tonne = price per bushel × bushels per tonne.
Worked example with wheat: a C$300 per tonne bid divided by 36.744 is C$8.16 per bushel. Worked example with barley at 48 lb: C$295 per tonne divided by 45.930 is C$6.42 per bushel.
Why barley and oats need a second look
Wheat, soybeans, corn and canola have settled, widely used bushel weights. Barley and oats do not. The bushel weight a buyer or program uses can differ from the traditional one, and the difference is large enough to matter:
Barley: the traditional 48-lb bushel gives 45.930 bushels per tonne. AFSC uses 50 lb (44.092) for its programs. On a C$295 per tonne price, that is the difference between C$6.42 and C$6.69 per bushel.
Oats: Canadian buyers use a 34-lb bushel (64.842 bushels per tonne). The 32-lb bushel (68.894) is the U.S. standard, used for CBOT oats futures, and AFSC uses 41 lb for its programs. The same per-tonne price can look very different per bushel depending on the weight used.
The safe habit: when a bid is quoted per bushel, ask which bushel weight it uses, then convert to per tonne before comparing buyers. Per tonne removes the ambiguity entirely.
Futures units are a separate step
Converting units is only half the job when you read U.S. futures. CBOT corn, soybeans, wheat and oats are quoted in U.S. cents per bushel; ICE canola is Canadian dollars per tonne. To compare a U.S. futures price with a Prairie bid you need both the bushel-to-tonne factor and the exchange rate, and you still have basis between the two. See How to Read The Daily Board for the units on every line.
Frequently asked questions
How many bushels of wheat are in a tonne?
36.744 bushels, based on a 60-pound bushel. Soybeans use the same factor.
How many bushels of corn are in a tonne?
39.368 bushels, based on a 56-pound bushel.
How many bushels of barley are in a tonne?
45.930 bushels at the traditional 48-pound bushel. AFSC uses 50 pounds (44.092) for its programs, so check which weight your buyer uses.
How do I convert a grain price from per tonne to per bushel?
Divide the per-tonne price by the crop's bushels per tonne. For wheat, C$300 per tonne divided by 36.744 is about C$8.16 per bushel.
