Material Flow Sankey Diagram: Editable Template
Follow raw material through a manufacturing process in one Sankey: inputs, scrap, rejects and finished product, plus where the waste ends up. Replace the figures.
A material flow Sankey shows how much of what goes into a process comes out as product and how much leaves as scrap, rework or waste. Because the waste is drawn as wide as it is, yield problems are visible without a calculation.
This template takes three raw materials into a forming step. The step produces parts and scrap; the parts are assembled into products or rejected; and the scrap and rejects end up recycled, sold or landfilled.
Mass balance is the discipline behind it: what enters a node should equal what leaves. The figures are invented and in tonnes. Use measured quantities for a real analysis, and treat the diagram as the communication layer on top of your own records.
How to read this diagram
- 1,000 tonnes go in; 780 leave as finished product, so the overall yield in this example is 78%.
- The forming step loses 180 tonnes to scrap, the widest loss; 120 of it is recycled in-house.
- Only 10 tonnes of scrap goes straight to landfill, but rejects add further waste downstream.
- Product and rejects end the diagram at their own stage; add flows from them if you want to follow rejects to disposal.
The data behind it
Invented quantities in tonnes for one period at one line. They are not data about any real process.
| From | To | Amount (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| Steel coil | Forming | 700 |
| Aluminium | Forming | 200 |
| Plastic granulate | Forming | 100 |
| Forming | Good parts | 820 |
| Forming | Scrap | 180 |
| Good parts | Finished products | 780 |
| Good parts | Rejects | 40 |
| Scrap | Recycled in-house | 120 |
| Scrap | Sold scrap | 50 |
| Scrap | Landfill | 10 |
The same data as CSV
source,target,value
Steel coil,Forming,700
Aluminium,Forming,200
Plastic granulate,Forming,100
Forming,Good parts,820
Forming,Scrap,180
Good parts,Finished products,780
Good parts,Rejects,40
Scrap,Recycled in-house,120
Scrap,Sold scrap,50
Scrap,Landfill,10How it works
Add materials in and products out
List each input material and the outputs: product, scrap, rework and waste. Use one unit, usually mass.
Add the process steps in order
Add each step that transforms or sorts the material, with flows to the next step and to its own scrap or loss node.
Balance every node
Check that what enters each node leaves it. A node that sends out more than it receives is marked.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a mass balance report?
No. It is a diagram of figures you supply. It does not measure, verify or certify anything.
Can I show several products?
Yes. Add a node per product and split the parts flow between them.
How is this different from a flowchart?
A flowchart shows the sequence of steps and decisions. A Sankey shows the quantity that moves between them.
Edit this material flow Sankey
Open the template as your own chart and enter your inputs, yields and waste routes.