VOLUME RECOVERY is measured to quantify how much of the raw material was effectively converted into a saleable product.
Put simply, it indicates the ability of a mill to convert raw material to finished product. It is a ratio between volume of logs used and the volume of saleable product produced.
To illustrate this factor, we will use the following analogy:
Mr Kwamba is given 10m³ of LOGS
He processed it at the sawmill and produced 5,3m³ of products. This means he recovered 53% VOLUME from the logs he was given.
This is good because he did not waste the raw material and extracted a number of products from the logs.
Michelangelo is given a block of MARBLE measuring 1m³
He chips away and produced a statue The statue measures 0,4m³. This means he USED 40% OF THE MARBLE to produce the statue.
This is not a very high volume recovery of the block of marble. If he used the same marble block for countertops instead, he could have produced 0,5m³ of marble countertops and therefore used 53% of the marble block, thus achieving a higher volume recovery.