Mass balance
The Reports › Mass balance report sets what entered your plant against what left it during a period. As its on-screen description says: "Mass balance: inputs of the receptions completed and outputs of the shipments shipped in the period."
It has four sections, displayed one below the other:
- 1. Input quantities: the units received, by product type;
- 2. Output quantities: the materials shipped, by material nature and by valorization;
- 3. Volumes of blowing agents and refrigerant gases recovered, by type: the gases shipped, their global warming potential and the matching GHG;
- 4. Summary of inputs, outputs, gap percentage and valorization rate.
Before you start
- You need the Mass balance permission (group Reports). See Reports overview.
- For the numbers to be right, this data must be up to date:
- completed receptions and their identified units, that is, linked to a model (a unit weighs what its model weighs) — see Receptions and Inbound batches;
- each model's Weight (kg) in Administration › Products, Products tab;
- shipped shipments — see Shipments;
- each valorization's Valorizable checkbox in Administration › Valorizations;
- for each gas, the Gas checkbox, the Family, the Usage type and the Global warming potential (GWP) in Administration › Materials.
Viewing the mass balance
- In the menu, click Reports, then Mass balance.
- The mass balance opens on the Last year. To change the period, click the period button at the top left, choose a period, then click Apply (see Choosing the period).
- Scroll through the four sections. In section 1, hover over a product type code with the mouse to see its name.
Weights are shown in kilograms to two decimals, the summary's tonnes with the "t" unit (for example "2.64 t") and percentages to one decimal (for example "9.8%").
Section 1: Input quantities
One row per product type, every product type being listed (even those at 0), in order of their code.
| Column | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Product type (PT) | The product type's code (for example GFR). Its name shows on hover. |
| Quantities (units) | The number of units of this type in the inbound batches of receptions completed during the period. |
| Weight (kg) | The sum of these units' weights. |
A Total row adds up both columns.
How the weight is computed. Each unit weighs its model's Weight (kg), as set in Administration › Products, Products tab:
Weight of a product type = sum, for each model, of (number of units of that model × the model's Weight (kg))
A unit that has no model yet (not identified) counts in Quantities (units) but adds 0 kg to Weight (kg).
A model's weight is read when the report is displayed. If you correct a model's Weight (kg), the balance of every period in which that model was received changes too. Likewise, a unit identified later adds its weight to the balance of the period in which its reception was completed. A model deleted since still counts with its weight.
Section 2: Output quantities
One row per material nature, that is, per material category (Administration › Materials, Categories tab), in alphabetical order. Each row adds up all the materials of the category. Every category with at least one material is listed, even at 0. The categories created by default are (their names are created in French): Déchets, Gaz et agent de gonflement, Matières dangereuses, Métaux ferreux, Métaux non-ferreux, Pièces réemployées, Plastiques and Verre.
| Column | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Material | The material category's name. |
| One column per valorization, named "valorization name (kg)" | The weight shipped of the category's materials under this valorization. Every existing valorization has its column, in alphabetical order. |
| Total (kg) | All the weight shipped of the category's materials. |
A Total row adds up each column.
Where the weights come from. Each cell adds up the Weight (kg) of the outbound batches whose shipment is Shipped with a shipping date in the period, according to the batch's material and the valorization chosen for the batch on the shipment. The packaging weight is not deducted (as in the Outbound materials register).
A row's Total (kg) also counts batches shipped under a valorization deleted since, which no longer has a column. In that case, a row's total is higher than the sum of its columns.
Shipped gases are part of this section, in their category (by default, Gaz et agent de gonflement), and are also detailed in section 3.
Section 3: Gases
Section 3. Volumes of blowing agents and refrigerant gases recovered, by type.
One row per material marked Gas in Administration › Materials. All gases are listed, even at 0, from the highest GWP to the lowest; gases without a GWP come last; for equal GWPs, by name.
| Column | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Gas type | The material's name (for example R-134a). |
| Family | The gas family: CFC, HFC, HCFC, Isobutane, Hydrocarbon or Inorganic refrigerant. |
| Usage type | Blowing agent and refrigerant, Refrigerant or Hydrocarbon. |
| Global warming potential (GWP) | The material's GWP, per kg of gas. A dash is shown when it is not filled in. |
| One column per valorization, named "valorization name (kg)" | The weight of this gas shipped under this valorization. Only the valorizations used by at least one batch shipped in the period (all materials included) have a column. |
| Total (kg) | The sum of the row's valorization columns. |
| GHG (t CO2 eq.) | The matching greenhouse gases, in tonnes of CO2 equivalent. A dash is shown when the GWP is not filled in. |
This section has no Total row.
How GHG is computed
GHG (t CO2 eq.) = Total (kg) × GWP ÷ 1,000, rounded to two decimals
The GWP expresses the effect of one kilogram of gas in kilograms of CO2; dividing by 1,000 converts the result to tonnes.
Example: 12 kg of R-134a (GWP 1,430) shipped → 12 × 1,430 ÷ 1,000 = 17.16 t CO2 eq.
Despite its title, section 3 does not read degassing records. It adds up the gas outbound batches shipped during the period. Gas recovered at degassing and stored in a cylinder only appears here once it is shipped in an outbound batch whose material is that gas.
Default gases
Every organization automatically gets these gases, in the Gaz et agent de gonflement material category:
| Code | Gas | Family | Usage type | GWP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R12 | R-12 | CFC | Blowing agent and refrigerant | 10,900 |
| R11 | R-11 | CFC | Blowing agent and refrigerant | 4,750 |
| R410A | R-410A | HFC | Refrigerant | 2,100 |
| R22 | R-22 | HCFC | Refrigerant | 1,810 |
| R134A | R-134a | HFC | Refrigerant | 1,430 |
| R245FA | R-245fa | HFC | Blowing agent and refrigerant | 1,030 |
| R141B | R-141b | HCFC | Blowing agent and refrigerant | 725 |
| R32 | R-32 | HFC | Refrigerant | 675 |
| R600A | R-600a | Isobutane | Refrigerant | 3 |
| CYC | Cyclopentane | Hydrocarbon | Hydrocarbon | 3 |
| NH3-SO2 | NH3 ou SO2 | Inorganic refrigerant | Refrigerant | 0 |
You can change these gases or add others in Administration › Materials (see Materials). RecyTrax never overwrites a value you changed: it only fills in gas properties that are still empty, and a default gas you deleted is not recreated. For a material marked Gas, the GWP is required ("The GWP is required for a gas.") and must be 0 or more.
Section 4: Summary
| Line | Calculation | Display |
|---|---|---|
| Inputs (material weight) | Section 1's total Weight (kg) ÷ 1,000 | in tonnes, two decimals |
| Outputs (material weight) | Section 2's total Total (kg) ÷ 1,000 | in tonnes, two decimals |
| Gap percentage | (Inputs − Outputs) ÷ Inputs × 100 | in %, one decimal; a dash when there is no input weight |
| Valorization rate | Weight shipped under a valorization marked Valorizable ÷ total weight shipped × 100 | in %, one decimal; a dash when nothing was shipped |
Example: the units received weigh 2,640 kg and the batches shipped 2,380 kg, of which 2,100 kg under valorizations marked Valorizable.
- Inputs (material weight): 2,640 ÷ 1,000 = 2.64 t
- Outputs (material weight): 2,380 ÷ 1,000 = 2.38 t
- Gap percentage: (2.64 − 2.38) ÷ 2.64 × 100 = 9.8%
- Valorization rate: 2,100 ÷ 2,380 × 100 = 88.2%
Summary rules:
- A negative gap percentage means you shipped more weight than you received during the period (for example by shipping materials from units received earlier).
- The valorization rate never exceeds 100%. It counts the valorizations marked Valorizable, including those deleted since. For it to exclude disposal, uncheck Valorizable on the valorization that stands for disposal.
- If the period has neither inputs nor outputs, the summary shows "No information for this period."
Exporting the mass balance
- Choose the period.
- Click the button with the Excel icon at the top right (tooltip Export).
- The file
Mass_balance_YYYY-MM-DD_YYYY-MM-DD.xlsxis downloaded and the message "The mass balance was exported." is shown.
The file contains a Mass balance sheet:
- at the top, the title "MASS BALANCE" and the line "RECYCLER:" followed by your organization's name;
- sections 1, 2 and 3, each as a table with filter buttons; the Total rows of sections 1 and 2 are Excel sum formulas;
- in section 1, the product type's code only (without its name);
- the summary, with a notes column that the screen does not show:
| Line | Note in the Excel file |
|---|---|
| Inputs (material weight) and Outputs (material weight) | "Tonnes" |
| Gap percentage | "%, if the % is ≥ 10 %, the material inventory register must be filled in" |
| Valorization rate | "% (includes every output except disposal)" |
Values that cannot be computed (missing GWP or GHG, impossible gap or rate) are replaced by a dash. The export button is enabled as soon as the mass balance is loaded, even for an empty period: each table then says "No information for this period.".
On a phone
Each row of sections 1, 2 and 3 becomes a card: the product type, material nature or gas as its title, then each column under its name. The summary stays a small two-column table.
Rules
- Inputs are placed in the period by the reception's completion date; outputs, by the shipping date. The two do not necessarily concern the same appliances: over a short period, the gap can be high or negative. Prefer a long period.
- Receptions and shipments in Draft do not count.
- A deleted material is no longer counted in sections 2, 3 and 4. A material that is only inactive (Active checkbox cleared) still is.
- A deleted valorization no longer has a column, but its kilograms stay in the Total (kg) of section 2's rows.
- Names (categories, materials, valorizations) and reference values (model weights, GWP) are read when the report is displayed: changing them also changes the balance of past periods.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the input weight 0 when units were received?
The units do not have a model yet, or their model has a Weight (kg) of 0. Identify the units by giving them a model (in the inbound batch or at the degassing and dismantling stations) and check the models' weight in Administration › Products.
The gas recovered at degassing does not appear in section 3.
Section 3 counts shipped gas batches, not degassings. The gas will appear when the outbound batch holding it is shipped.
Why is the gap percentage negative?
You shipped more weight than the weight of the units received during the period. This happens when materials from units received before the period are shipped during it, or when received units do not have a model yet (and therefore no weight).
The GHG column shows a dash.
That gas's GWP is not filled in. Enter it in Administration › Materials.
A valorization is missing from section 3, although it is in section 2.
Section 3 only shows the valorizations used by at least one batch shipped during the period. Section 2 shows them all.
The sum of a row's columns does not equal its Total (kg).
Batches of that material nature were shipped under a valorization deleted since: it no longer has a column, but its weight stays in the total.
The balance of a past period changed.
The mass balance is recomputed every time it is displayed. It changes if units of that period were identified since, if a model's weight, a gas's GWP or a valorization's Valorizable checkbox was changed, or if a material was deleted. Keep the Excel export to have a frozen copy.
What should I do if the gap percentage is 10% or more?
The Excel file's note recalls that in that case "the material inventory register must be filled in". That register is not filled in within RecyTrax. First check that the units are identified and that the period's shipments are actually shipped.