Volume to weight estimation with LiDAR

LiDAR Measures VolumeMaterial Science Estimates Weight.

A static density number on a spec sheet will lose you money on a real site. Here is how CRATUS turns LiDAR volume measurement into audit-ready weight estimation with environmental compensation and confidence intervals.

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From LiDAR volume to estimated weight

Why LiDAR beats manual surveys, drones, and single-sensor systems for bulk solids.

LiDAR measures volume directly. Weight is a different problem. CRATUS treats LiDAR weight estimation as a science problem, not a multiplication.

Measured by LiDAR VOLUME Direct 3D LiDAR capture

Lab-calibrated DENSITY Your material, characterized

Estimated WEIGHT With confidence interval

Compensated for humidity · temperature · pile shape · time since last addition

Characterized in our LiDAR materials lab

Bulk density, particle size, moisture behavior, angle of repose. The result is a density model for your material that LiDAR weight estimation uses on every measurement.

Aware of site conditions

Humidity, temperature, rainfall, pile shape, time since last addition. Live inputs feed the LiDAR weight model alongside the volume measurement.

Updates as conditions change

New supplier, new season, new product line? Re-characterize once and the LiDAR platform adjusts. Historical data stays comparable.

Estimations with confidence intervals

Weight estimation accuracy increases for every material by providing feedback to the models. Audit-ready by design.

Why LiDAR weight estimation matters

Six places bad weight numbers cost you money

When weight numbers are wrong, the damage propagates through billing, inventory, audit, and operations. LiDAR-based weight estimation with characterized density closes the gap.

Sales and billing

Density errors that walk out the gate

A 5% density error on 50,000 tons a month is real money. LiDAR weight estimation with calibrated density closes the gap on every truck.

Inventory and working capital

Your CFO is reading a guess

When in-yard weight is off by 10%, working capital is wrong by the same amount. LiDAR volume measurement replaces the assumption with data.

Two-site reconciliation

Origin tonnage = destination tonnage

When shipped and received numbers do not match, the argument is whose scale was wrong. Same LiDAR weight model on both ends removes it.

Seasonal variability

October grain is not March grain

Static density lies about weather and season. LiDAR weight estimation with environmental compensation shrinks the buffers your business carries.

Regulatory and ESG

Audit-ready by construction

A confidence interval and a documented density model are what auditors want to see. LiDAR measurements get timestamped and stored on the edge.

Quality (pharma / CPG)

One bad batch is more expensive than the system

Pharma and CPG dose by mass. Drifting density assumptions cause scrap, rework, or recall. LiDAR bin weight removes the drift.

CRATUS LiDAR engagement process

Five steps. From sample to live LiDAR data.

We sell engineering services as much as we sell LiDAR hardware.

Step 01 / Discovery

Feasibility & LiDAR material characterization

We characterize your material and review your site. Output: LiDAR feasibility report and fixed-price quote.

Step 02 / Design

LiDAR ROI design

Sensor placement, edge unit location, integration points. Output: LiDAR region of interest (ROI) drawing and bill of materials.

Step 03 / Pilot

LiDAR pilot deployment

We install, commission, and tune the LiDAR system with comparisons to your existing measurement system, if there is one in place. Output: live LiDAR measurements.

Step 04 / Integration

LiDAR commissioning & integration

LiDAR data lands in your ERP, MES, historian, SCADA. Output: fully integrated production LiDAR measurement system.

Step 05 / Operate

Ongoing operations

Hardware purchase + optional cloud subscription. Remote LiDAR point cloud and measurement accuracy monitoring, updates, and continuous characterization until peak accuracy is reached.

LiDAR data integrations

LiDAR data lands where your team works.

CRATUS LiDAR systems feed your existing ERP, MES, SCADA, and BI tools through standard industrial and IT protocols.

CRATUS LiDAR data integrations: edge CPU feeding ERP, MES, SCADA, BI, API and direct query systems

The cloud is optional. LiDAR data flow runs from your edge CPU to your systems. Our cloud platform is available when you want multi-site rollup, multi-user access, and managed support.

LiDAR weight estimation FAQ

Operational and business questions.

Full answers live in the LiDAR reference manual we send to evaluating customers.

Why measure volume with LiDAR if I need weight?

LiDAR measures volume directly and accurately by scanning the surface of bulk material. Weight is derived by combining that volume with a material density model. CRATUS LiDAR weight estimation pairs a lab-characterized density model with live environmental compensation, including humidity, temperature, pile shape, and time, and ships every weight number with a confidence interval. Volume is measured. Weight is estimated with science behind it.

How accurate is LiDAR weight estimation?

LiDAR volume accuracy runs in the high 90s percent on a well-deployed system. LiDAR weight accuracy depends on how thoroughly the material has been characterized in our lab and how variable site conditions are. We define accuracy targets during the feasibility step and share confidence intervals on every measurement.

How often does LiDAR density model re-characterization happen?

Annually for stable industrial minerals. Seasonally for agricultural commodities. Quarterly for variable recycled feedstock. The cadence is defined during the feasibility step based on your material and your operational variability, and gets adjusted as we see real measurement data flow in.

What if my supplier or material grade changes?

You tell us, we re-characterize, and the LiDAR weight model updates. Multiple density models can run in parallel and apply automatically based on what is being received or moved. The CRATUS LiDAR platform handles material-level segmentation.

Can the CRATUS LiDAR system integrate with our ERP, MES, and historian?

Yes. ERP, MES, and historian integration are standard. We push timestamped LiDAR volume and weight readings into your systems through REST APIs, OPC UA, MQTT, scheduled exports, or direct database writes. Integration is defined during the layout step.

How do we audit LiDAR weight measurements?

Every CRATUS LiDAR measurement is timestamped on the edge unit with the raw LiDAR volume, the density model version applied, the environmental inputs at the time of measurement, and the resulting weight with confidence interval. The audit trail is exportable to your historian or audit system. Auditors and regulators can trace any reported weight back to its underlying LiDAR measurement.

What does a CRATUS LiDAR deployment cost to operate?

One-time LiDAR hardware purchase, plus your choice. Run it yourself: no recurring software fees, one-time engineering fees for sensor swaps, recalibration, or new material characterization. Run it with us: per-node monthly subscription covering remote LiDAR monitoring, software updates, multi-site rollup, multi-user access, and ongoing support.

Who owns the LiDAR data, and how long is it kept?

You do. Your CRATUS edge unit stores LiDAR measurements locally for as long as you keep the unit. If you subscribe to our cloud platform, we mirror data there. Cloud retention runs on a configurable window, typically 90 days or 12 months by plan. Edge data is unaffected by cloud retention. Cancel the subscription and your edge unit keeps running with your local LiDAR data.

Talk to LiDAR engineering

Ready for a feasibility conversation?

Two to four weeks from first call to a LiDAR deployment design and fixed-price quote.

Book a LiDAR feasibility study » Download the engagement PDF

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