Everything you need to know about MillBot for your sawmill or lumber yard operation.
MillBot ships with profiles for over 50 North American hardwood and softwood species, including all commercially significant species like White Oak, Red Oak, Hard Maple, Cherry, Walnut, Douglas Fir, Southern Yellow Pine, Western Red Cedar, and Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF). Each profile includes species-specific drying schedules, typical grade distributions, and shrinkage coefficients.
Yes. You can create custom species profiles with your own drying schedules, pricing rules, and grade standards. This is common for operations that handle imports like Sapele, Ipe, or Meranti, or for regional species not in the default library.
When you receive a mixed load, you scale and enter each log individually with its species designation. MillBot keeps species-level tallies and ensures that different species are never mixed in kiln charges or customer shipments unless explicitly grouped.
MillBot supports all three standard North American log rules: Doyle, Scribner Decimal C, and International 1/4-inch. You choose your default rule in settings, and MillBot applies it consistently across scaling, inventory tallies, and yield calculations. You can also view tallies in any rule for comparison.
Lumber board feet are calculated using the standard formula: (thickness in inches x width in inches x length in feet) / 12. MillBot handles nominal vs. actual dimensions, random-width boards, and mixed-length packs. You can tally by individual piece or by pack using average dimensions.
Yes. MillBot calculates overrun (actual lumber board feet produced vs. log scale estimate) for every log. You can view recovery rates by species, log diameter class, sawyer, shift, and log source. This data is critical for evaluating timber purchases and sawyer performance.
Enter MC readings directly into MillBot at any stage: green (pre-drying), air-dried, kiln entry, during kiln cycle, and kiln exit. You can log readings from handheld pin meters, in-kiln probes, or inline moisture sensors. Each reading is timestamped and tied to the specific pack or charge.
Yes. Set target MC thresholds per species and thickness (e.g., 6-8% for furniture-grade hardwood, 12-15% for construction lumber). MillBot monitors readings and alerts you when a kiln charge or air-drying pack approaches or hits target, so you can pull it promptly.
On Professional and Enterprise plans, MillBot tracks shell and core MC differentials. This is critical for thicker stock (8/4 and above) and species prone to case-hardening like Red Oak and Hard Maple. Alerts trigger if the shell-to-core gradient suggests stress or drying defects.
MillBot supports conventional steam kilns, dehumidification kilns, vacuum kilns, and solar kilns. Drying schedules are adjusted based on kiln type. You can manage any number of kilns on Professional and Enterprise plans.
Yes. Built-in schedules follow USDA Forest Products Laboratory guidelines (T-series schedules) for all major species and thicknesses. You can use these as-is or customize them based on your kiln characteristics, local climate, and experience. Custom schedules are saved for reuse.
MillBot groups lumber by species and thickness to form compatible kiln charges. It accounts for drying time differences between species, prioritizes charges that fill open orders, and suggests load arrangements that maximize kiln utilization. The goal is to keep kilns full and minimize total drying time.
On Professional and Enterprise plans, MillBot tracks energy consumption per kiln charge. Enter your energy costs (gas, electric, steam) and MillBot calculates the drying cost per board foot. Compare costs across species, kiln types, and seasons to optimize your drying operation.
MillBot supports NHLA grading rules for hardwoods (FAS, F1F, Select, #1 Common, #2A Common, #2B Common, #3A Common, #3B Common) and structural grading for softwoods (Select Structural, #1, #2, #3, Stud, Utility). You can also create custom grade categories for specialty products.
Grade distribution directly impacts revenue. MillBot tracks grade yields by log source, diameter class, and sawyer, so you can identify which timber tracts produce the best FAS yields, which sawyers consistently hit higher grades, and where your grade recovery is underperforming. A 5% shift from #1 Common to FAS on White Oak, for example, can mean $300-500 more per MBF.
Both. MillBot supports green grading at the saw or green chain and final grading after kiln drying. You can compare green vs. dry grades to understand how drying affects grade recovery — critical for species like Cherry and Walnut where drying defects can downgrade boards.
Most mills are up and running within an hour. Sign up, choose the species you work with, configure your kilns and yard locations, and start entering inventory. There is no hardware to install and no IT team required. We provide onboarding support for Professional and Enterprise plans.
Yes. MillBot accepts CSV imports for existing log and lumber inventories. Map your columns to MillBot fields (species, grade, dimensions, board feet, MC, location) and import in bulk. Most customers import their current inventory in under 30 minutes.
MillBot is a web application that works on any device with a browser — desktop, tablet, or phone. The interface is responsive, so yard workers and kiln operators can log readings and check status from their phones. No app download required.
Yes. All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256). Your data is isolated from other customers. We perform regular backups and maintain 99.9% uptime. You can export your data at any time in CSV or JSON format.
Enterprise plans include API access for integrating with QuickBooks, Sage, and other accounting systems. Professional plans can export invoices and tally data in formats compatible with most accounting software.
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