Guide
FAT and SNF explained: how milk is priced
Two suppliers delivering ten litres each can be paid quite differently. The difference is fat and solids-not-fat — and a farmer who understands why does not come back to argue.
What the two numbers measure
Fat is butterfat: the cream. It is the single largest driver of price because it is what becomes butter, ghee and cream, and it is the component that varies most between animals, between species and even between the start and end of a single milking.
SNF — solids-not-fat — is everything dissolved and suspended in milk other than fat and water: protein, lactose, minerals and vitamins. It matters because it is what makes powder, khoya and paneer, and because it is much harder to fake than fat.
Together they are the milk's total solids. Water is the rest, and water is what an adulterator adds.
Typical values
What normal looks like
| Milk | Fat % | SNF % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo (Nili Ravi, Kundi, Murrah) | 6.0–7.5 | 9.0–10.0 | Standard fat for pricing is usually taken as 6.0% |
| Crossbred cow | 3.5–4.5 | 8.3–8.8 | Standard fat usually 4.0% |
| Desi cow (Sahiwal, Red Sindhi) | 4.0–5.0 | 8.5–9.0 | Lower volume, higher solids than crossbreds |
| Goat | 3.5–4.5 | 8.5–9.0 | Rarely priced on a formal chart |
Ranges are indicative. Season, stage of lactation, feed and time of milking all move them — evening milk is routinely a few tenths of a point higher in fat than morning milk.
Pricing
How each number moves the rate
The fat-only model
A base rate is fixed at a standard fat — 6.0% for buffalo, 4.0% for cow — and the rate moves a set amount for every 0.1% above or below it. At a base of PKR 197 and PKR 0.55 per 0.1%, milk at 6.4% fat earns PKR 199.20 a litre. Simple to explain at a counter, and dominant in Pakistan.
The fat + SNF model
Rate per litre = (fat % × fat rate) + (SNF % × SNF rate) + base. Both components are priced independently, which is fairer to a farmer whose animals give lower fat but high solids. Standard across Indian cooperatives.
The matrix
A full fat × SNF lookup grid published by the processor. Nothing is calculated at the centre; the operator reads a cell. Common where a plant wants absolute control over what it pays.
Deductions
Added water, sour milk, temperature above threshold or a failed clot-on-boiling test. These are the ones that cause arguments, which is exactly why the test result and the rule applied should be printed on the slip.
Explaining it at the counter
The dispute is almost never about the price of milk. It is about whether the number on the analyzer was real and whether the arithmetic was done honestly.
Three things settle it, in this order: show the reading on the device, show the rate the chart produced for that reading, and show the multiplication. A supplier who watches all three happen does not come back about it.
A supplier who is handed a total with no working, twice, moves to the centre down the road — and tells his neighbours why.
Questions
Common questions
What is a good SNF percentage?
For buffalo milk, 9.0% and above is normal and anything below about 8.5% suggests dilution or a nutritional problem. For crossbred cow milk the normal band is roughly 8.3–8.8%.
Why does fat vary between morning and evening?
Fat rises through a milking and is affected by the interval between milkings. A shorter interval — typically evening — generally gives higher fat, which is why the two shifts should be recorded and priced separately.
Can SNF be increased by feeding?
Somewhat, and more reliably than fat. Adequate bypass protein and energy support SNF; chronic underfeeding drops it. Sudden jumps in SNF with a drop in fat usually indicate something has been added rather than fed.
How is added water detected?
Electronic analyzers report an added-water percentage derived from the freezing point depression. It is one of the more reliable readings on the device and one of the harder ones to argue with.
Show your working, automatically
Fat and SNF read from your analyzer, the rate chart applied at the moment of collection, and the rule path printed on the slip.