What a grain silo costs in Australia

Live Australian listings run from about $3,500 for an old 55 tonne silo to $31,200 for a new 110 tonne sealed cone base silo, before GST. That is roughly $64 to $284 per tonne of capacity. Sealing, cone versus flat bottom, and site works (base, aeration, erection) decide the final installed cost.

A grain silo is priced by what it holds, how it empties and whether it can be sealed. A 1970s 55 tonne steel silo can list at $3,500, while a new 110 tonne sealed cone base silo lists at $31,200 before the base, aeration and erection are added. Most manufacturers do not publish new prices, so the live used and ex stock listings are the best public guide. This guide sets out what 12 listings across Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales ask, what drives the spread, the extras that make up the installed cost, how silos compare with bags, bunkers and sheds, and how the purchase is funded.

What grain silos cost

Silos are priced by the unit on Australian marketplaces, so the useful number is the price per tonne of capacity. The table below uses live Farm Tender listings (read on 2 November 2026), from a new sealed cone base silo down to a 1970s unsealed one, with the per tonne column worked out by us from the asking price and listed capacity (our arithmetic, before GST). Seller descriptions and listing dates vary, and the Goornong and Tarranyurk ads are dated 2023 and 2022, so treat those two as price markers, not current quotes.

Three patterns stand out. A new, sealed cone base silo lists around $284 per tonne for the Goornong unit, and a transportable new silo above $380. Used steel silos mostly trade between about $60 and $250 per tonne, with age and sealing the main drivers. And bulk flat bottom supply, at 1,000 tonnes and over, drops to $150 per tonne supply only, with the base, erection and fittings still to pay for. Small silos cost more per tonne: GrainKing says a bigger silo costs more in total but less for every tonne it holds.

Cone base, flat bottom and sealed silos

The same capacity can carry very different prices depending on three choices.

• Cone base or flat bottom. GrainKing describes flat bottom steel as the default and cheapest way to hold large volumes, emptied with an auger or sweep. A cone base costs more up front but drains by gravity and cleans out better, which suits seed or alternating grain types. The Goornong ad lists a 30 degree cone as standard, and the Taldra Kotzur ad notes a steep cone.
• Sealed or unsealed. Phosphine fumigation needs a gas tight silo. Kit silo makers state that sealed silos comply with Australian Standard AS2628, and Cyclone says pressure testing confirms the seal meets it. Sealed silos cost more, and GrainKing warns that gas tightness has to be maintained or the extra spend is wasted. Unsealed silos, such as the new 50 t units in listing 133063 (Goornong VIC, $16,000 + GST, not disclosed whether per silo), suit feed grain or short storage.
• Material and build. GrainKing puts galvanised steel as the cheapest way to store grain well, bolted steel as dearer but movable, and concrete as dearer again and suited to permanent commercial sites. Cyclone's raised cone bottom range runs from 40 to 783 tonnes.

Most manufacturers do not publish new prices. HE Silos (Gunnedah) lists kit silos from 61 to 190 tonnes with a 5 year warranty and a galvanised steel base, walls and roof, but no price, and aeration and fumigation systems are optional extras. Price for new silos is by quote. The Ahrens transportable listing (ID 96404, 2022) shows what a quote sheet includes: $20,900 + GST for a 55 tonne silo sealed and pressure tested to AS2628-2010 on a 32 degree base, with ladders $2,500 to $3,500 + GST extra and freight at $9.00 per km + GST. GE's made to order range (ID 54649) says its silos are pressure tested at the factory and exceed the GRDC 5 minute half life test, with no prices shown.

The installed cost on top of the silo

The silo price on its own is rarely the whole bill. GrainKing says site preparation, aeration and power can add as much again as the quote, covering a level load bearing base, a truck hardstand, aeration fans and ducting, power runs, and crane and crew for erection. Aeration airflow of 2 to 3 litres per second per tonne is the figure GrainKing attributes to GRDC guidance. The Goornong ad states freight and erection are not included, and says new silos are installed on 15 mm base blocks. Cyclone describes the larger silos as costing as little as $5 per stored tonne per year over their design life, which is a manufacturer claim about annualised cost, not an installed price.

An illustrative installed budget for three 110 tonne sealed silos (330 tonnes), using the Goornong price and our assumptions for site costs, which are not quotes:

That is about $420 per tonne installed on these assumptions (our arithmetic, $138,600 over 330 tonnes), well above the $284 silo only figure. A real quote will differ by site, soil, distance and wind or engineering requirements.

Silos against bags, bunkers and sheds

Silos are one of several ways to store grain, and the cheapest upfront option is rarely the cheapest over time. A Farm Tender comparison from April 2020 put grain bag capital cost at $52 per tonne against $245 per tonne for 110 tonne silos, and noted the bag figure excludes the extra labour to load and unload. A farm shed supplier writing on Farm Tender in April 2022 said a good quality silo can be expected to last around 25 years, bags are usually used for up to three months, and a complete grain shed setup, including base preparation and slab, is in the vicinity of $300,000.

On the marketplace, the Baradine bunker package lists at $18,200 for 1,800 tonnes, about $10 per tonne (our arithmetic), though bunker walls, tarps, loading gear and losses are extra. Who buys silos: grain growers adding on-farm storage to hold grain for better marketing windows, mixed farms with feed and seed needs, feedlots, and traders. If you also need a shed to house machinery, see our farm shed cost guide. For the machine that fills the silo, see the combine harvester cost guide.

Financing a grain silo purchase

Lenders treat silos by how they are fixed to the farm. A transportable or bolted silo that can be removed is movable equipment, and an equipment lender may fund it as an asset. A silo on a poured pad is closer to a fixed improvement, so lenders often look at the property as security. Appetite is generally good for farms with a trading history and equity, and cautious for new operators, leased land or silos with no resale market, because an old unsealed silo is hard for a lender to value. Ventas is a broker, not a lender, so we do not quote rates. They depend on the lender, the security and the file.

Illustrative only, subject to lender assessment. The installed budget above, before GST:

And how it might be funded across lender types:

Equipment lenders value used silos on what they would resell for, which can be less than the price paid, and site works resell poorly, so they are usually funded against property or from cash. A GST registered business may be able to claim credits on the purchase, and any deduction or write off treatment depends on your circumstances, so ask your accountant.

What makes a silo deal fundable:

• Trading history. Farm financials and BAS that show the cash flow to repay.
• Security. Property equity, or silos with a clear resale value.
• The quote. An itemised quote showing silos, base, aeration and erection separately.
• Storage purpose. A clear plan for the capacity, such as marketing windows and harvest logistics.

To get a number from Ventas, send the capacity, number of silos, new or used, the quote and the property you can offer. Start at agricultural finance or read about financing a tractor or farm machinery. Finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Figures are indicative market data from the sources listed, not Ventas offers, and move with the market. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a professional. All finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This article is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Ventas Asset Lending is a finance broker, not a lender. Approvals are subject to lender assessment. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a qualified professional, including your accountant for any tax questions.