Purchase & Decision – kambas OleoPress | Ölpressen und Ersatzteile

Q: Is running your own oil mill financially worthwhile?

This depends on selling price, seed costs and utilisation. As a rule of thumb: from approx. 500 litres of oil per month, a professional screw press is typically operated economically.

Buy Oil Press: The Ultimate Business & Agriculture Guide

admin — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:29:37 +0000

Introduction

Investing in an oil press is a crucial step towards independence and value creation for many companies, farmers and direct marketers. But choosing the right machine is more complex than it seems at first glance.

Different capacities, technical properties and areas of application make it necessary to deal intensively with the topic. If you make the wrong decision here, you not only risk unnecessary costs, but also inefficient production processes.

In this guide you will learn what is really important when buying an oil press – practical, understandable and to the point.

If you would like to find out more about models in general, you will find an overview of all available machines here:

Our oil presses

What is an oil press?

An oil press is a machine for the mechanical extraction of vegetable oil from oil-containing raw materials. These include:

Rape
sunflower seeds
Linseed
Sesame
nuts / walnuts
black cumin

The principle is simple: the oil is pressed out of the seed by high pressure, while the solid residue – the so-called press cake – remains.

If you would like to learn more about the technical functionality:

How does an oil press work?

What types of oil presses are there?

Screw presses (standard in practice)

The most commonly used machines work with a rotating screw. This transports the material through a pressing cylinder and continuously generates pressure.

Benefits:

Reliable continuous operation
uniform results
Suitable for many seeds

Structure and technology in detail:

cold pressing

The oil is extracted without heavy heat. This preserves important ingredients.

Ideal for:

High quality cooking oils
Direct Marketing

hot press

Additional heat increases the oil yield.

Suitable for:

Industrial Applications
Maximum Efficiency

What capacity do I need?

The most important question when buying is:

How much oil do you want to produce per hour?

Small businesses, manufactories and laboratories

up to approx. 8 kg/h
Ideal for beginners

e.g. our Oil press Oleo P8 Or our Oil press Oleo P 10

medium-sized companies

10-20 kg/h
for professional use

e.g. our ö LPress Oleo P10 Or our Oil press Oleo P 20

large companies

up to 40 kg/h or more
Industrial Applications

e.g. our Oil press Oleo P20 Or our Oil press Oleo P 40

Tip: Always plan with growth – many buyers choose their machine too small.

You can find a detailed decision-making aid here:

Important purchase criteria

1. Performance

The capacity determines your production volume and economy.

2. Material & Processing

High-quality machines are made of robust components such as hardened steel or stainless steel. This ensures:

long lifespan
less wear
better hygiene

3. Maintenance & Spare Parts

An often underestimated point. Pay attention to:

Are spare parts available?
How fast can they be delivered?
Is the maintenance easy to do?

You can find suitable components here:

Spare Parts

4. Flexibility of the seeds

Not every oil press can optimally process every seed. Check before buying:

What raw materials would you like to use?
Is the machine designed for this?

5. Energy consumption

Efficient machines save long-term costs – especially in continuous operation.

Prices & Economy

The cost of an oil press varies significantly depending on the size and equipment.

Typical price ranges:

Small Machines: Entry
Medium Machines: Professional Area
Large Machines: Industrial Investment

But the decisive factor is not the price, but the Profitability.

Example:

A farm can:

produce your own oil
Use press cake as feed
Generate additional income

Result: The machine often pays for itself faster than expected.

Common mistakes when buying

Many buyers make similar mistakes:

❌ Machine selected too small

→ Limited production

❌ Pay attention to the price instead of quality

→ High follow-up costs

❌ Maintenance underestimated

→ Failures & Standstill

❌ False seeds planned

→ Poor results

Tip: Think long-term, not short-term.

Conclusion: The right decision pays off

An oil press is more than just a machine – it is an investment in your future.

Whoever makes the right choice benefits from:

higher value creation
Independence
long-term economy

Therefore, take the time to make a well-founded decision – it pays off.

Select the right machine now:

Our oil presses

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an oil press cost?

Calculate oil mill yield

admin — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:22:04 +0000

Anyone operating or planning their own oil mill faces a central question early on: How much oil will I get from a given quantity of seed – and is it economically viable? Our free calculator gives you concrete figures: oil yield in litres, press cake quantity, gross profit per batch and a complete monthly overview.

Simply enter your seed type, quantity and prices – the calculator updates all results instantly. No download, no registration required.

Oil Mill Yield Calculator

Seed & Quantity

Select seed

Quantity per batch (kg)

Batches per month

Operating profile (for machine recommendation)

Seed moisture: 8 %

5% 15%

Economics

Oil selling price (€ / litre)

Seed cost (€ / kg)

Operating costs per batch (€) — electricity, cleaning, etc.

Result — per batch

Oil yield

—

Litres

Press cake

—

Oil yield rate

—

Oil sharePress cake share

Oil revenue—

Seed cost—

Operating costs—

Gross profit / batch—

Monthly overview

Oil volume

—

Litres / month

Revenue

—

€ / month

Gross profit

—

€ / month

Seed consumption / month—

Press cake / month—

Total costs / month—

* Indicative values based on typical cold-press yields. Actual yields depend on seed quality, moisture content and machine settings. Press cake can be used as animal feed or as an industrial raw material.

Recommended oil press for your capacity

How is the oil yield of an oil mill calculated?

Oil yield depends on three main factors: the oil content of the seed (percentage of extractable oil), the moisture content of the raw material and the efficiency of the oil press. The following rules of thumb apply to cold pressing with a screw press:

Seed	Typical cold-press yield	Litres of oil per 100 kg seed	Press cake per 100 kg
Rapeseed	approx. 34–38%	approx. 37–42 litres	approx. 62–66 kg
Sunflower	approx. 36–40%	approx. 39–44 litres	approx. 60–64 kg
Linseed	approx. 32–36%	approx. 34–39 litres	approx. 64–68 kg
Walnut	approx. 48–52%	approx. 52–57 litres	approx. 48–52 kg
Black seed	approx. 28–32%	approx. 30–35 litres	approx. 68–72 kg
Sesame	approx. 43–47%	approx. 47–52 litres	approx. 53–57 kg
Pumpkin seed	approx. 38–42%	approx. 41–46 litres	approx. 58–62 kg
Hemp seed	approx. 26–30%	approx. 28–33 litres	approx. 70–74 kg

The calculator automatically converts the oil yield into kilograms and then divides by the density of the respective oil to determine the exact litre yield – because oil is lighter than water and density varies slightly by oil type.

Effect of moisture on oil yield

An often underestimated factor is the moisture content of the seed. The optimum for cold pressing is 6–8% residual moisture. With overly moist seed (above 10%), the yield drops noticeably because water binds oil in the cell structure and the press cake retains more oil. The calculator accounts for this effect with a correction factor: for every 1% above 8% moisture, yield decreases by approximately 0.8 percentage points.

What is press cake – and what is its economic value?

Press cake is the solid residual material left after pressing. Depending on the seed, it accounts for 50–75% of the original weight and still contains residual proteins, fibre and minerals. Economically, it is far from worthless:

As animal feed (rape, sunflower, linseed cake) with high protein content
As raw material for the food industry (e.g. flour from pumpkin seed or walnut cake)
As an energy source – pressed pellets from rapeseed cake can be used as fuel
As organic fertiliser in horticulture and agriculture

Utilising the press cake significantly increases the overall profitability of the oil mill. The calculator shows the monthly press cake volume so you can plan utilisation directly.

Profitability of an oil mill: what influences profit?

Oil selling price: Direct marketers achieve €6–12/litre for cold-pressed organic rapeseed oil, and up to €15–30/litre for black seed oil – significantly more than wholesale.
Seed purchasing costs: Own cultivation or local cooperation with farmers significantly reduces raw material costs.
Press utilisation: Fixed costs (purchase, maintenance, electricity) are spread across more batches, reducing the unit cost per litre of oil.

Ready for your own oil press?

We advise you personally – which machine suits your planned capacity.

Request consultation now

Frequently asked questions about oil mill yield

How much oil do I get from 100 kg of rapeseed?

With cold pressing using a screw press, you typically obtain between 37 and 42 litres of rapeseed oil from 100 kg of dry rapeseed (approx. 8% moisture). The press cake accounts for the remaining approx. 60–65 kg. The exact yield depends on seed quality, moisture content and press settings.

Which seed has the highest oil yield?

Of common oilseeds, walnut has the highest cold-press yield at approx. 48–52%. Sesame follows at approx. 43–47%, pumpkin seeds at approx. 38–42% and sunflower at approx. 36–40%. Hemp seed (approx. 28%) and black seed (approx. 30%) are at the lower end, but as premium oils they command considerably higher selling prices.

Is running your own oil mill financially worthwhile?

This depends strongly on selling price, seed costs and utilisation. As a rule of thumb: from approx. 500 litres of oil per month, a professional screw press is typically operated economically. Our calculator helps you compare scenarios and calculate the break-even point.

What happens to the press cake?

Press cake is a valuable by-product with high protein content. Rapeseed and sunflower cake are frequently used as animal feed. Pumpkin seed or walnut cake can be processed into flour and marketed as a food ingredient. Sensible utilisation of press cake significantly improves the overall profitability of an oil mill.

Which oil press is suitable for which seed quantity?

For small operations up to 8 kg/h the Oleo P 8 is ideal. The Oleo P 10 handles up to 15 kg/h, the Oleo P 20 up to 20 kg/h and the Oleo P 40 up to 40 kg/h. For requirements above 40 kg/h we recommend parallel operation with multiple machines or an individual large-scale solution – please contact us.

Tip: Setting the oil press correctly for maximum yield

Even the best calculation is of little use if the oil press is not set up optimally. The most important factors for high yield in practice are:

Seed pre-warming: Slightly warmed seed (30–40°C) flows better and releases more oil – without compromising cold pressing.
Nozzle gap: Too wide a gap reduces yield; too narrow increases wear on the press worm and cylinder. Optimal setting depends on the seed.
Clean wear parts: Worn press worms or strainer cylinders can reduce yield by up to 15%. Regular replacement of spare parts pays off directly.
Continuous operation: Screw presses work more efficiently in continuous running than with frequent starts and stops.

Kambas OleoPress supplies all common wear parts – press worms R6, R8 and R11, press cylinders, press heads and nozzles – manufactured to original drawings in German quality.

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