Can I solve for different variables?

Yes! This calculator supports reverse solving. You can solve for: Travel speed, Implement width, Overlap / inefficiency, Field capacity (acres/hour), Field area, Time required.

What units can I use?

This calculator supports multiple unit systems. Select your preferred units from the dropdown menus next to each input field.

Acres Per Hour Calculator

Estimate effective field capacity and task duration from equipment speed, width, and overlap losses.

Formula shown4 inputs definedUpdated Nov 2025By CalcuTotal TeamFree, no sign-up

Quick Summary

Use this when you need:

Compare different drill widths or speeds to see how many acres per hour you can cover
Estimate the total operating time for a field once you know its acreage
Backsolve the speed or overlap that keeps field work within a daylight window

You’ll need:Travel speed, Implement width, Overlap / inefficiency, Field area

You’ll get:Field capacity (acres/hour), Time required

How this is calculated

Formula:

field_capacity = travel_speed * implement_width * (1 - overlap/100) * 0.8895793733; time_required = field_area / field_capacity

In plain language:

We convert travel speed and implement width into square meters per second, reduce it by the overlap percentage, multiply by 0.8895793733 to express acres per hour, and divide any target field area by that capacity to estimate hours required.

The formula is always visible so you can verify the math and explain your numbers to anyone who asks.

What these terms mean

Travel speed

Travel speed used in the calculation.

Implement width

Implement width used in the calculation.

Overlap / inefficiency

Overlap / inefficiency used in the calculation.

Field capacity (acres/hour)

Field capacity (acres/hour) used in the calculation.

Field area

Field area used in the calculation.

Time required

Time required used in the calculation.

When to use this calculator

Compare different drill widths or speeds to see how many acres per hour you can cover
Estimate the total operating time for a field once you know its acreage
Backsolve the speed or overlap that keeps field work within a daylight window

Last updated: November 19, 2025

Acres per hour calculator explained

The acres per hour calculator converts machine speed, implement width, and overlap losses into effective field capacity so you always know how fast crews can cover a block. Enter any combination of speed, toolbar width, overlap, field size, or target hours to see how the other numbers must change. Use it while planning planting windows, benchmarking contractors, or checking whether a new implement keeps up with the next weather break.

How the conversion works

Effective area rate depends on travel speed $v$ , implement width $w$ , and overlap fraction $o$ . The base area rate in square meters per second is $A = v \times w \times (1 - o)$ . We convert that flow into acres per hour with the constant $0.8895793733$ because $1\ \text{acre} = 4046.8564224\ \text{m}^2$ .

\text{acres per hour} = v \times w \times (1 - o) \times 0.8895793733

If you also enter field area $F$ , the tool divides by capacity to return total working hours $t = F / \text{capacity}$ .

Units and conversions

Quantity	Default unit	Alternate units	Notes
Travel speed $v$	m/s	km/h, mph	Convert mph to m/s by multiplying by 0.44704.
Implement width $w$	m	ft	One foot equals 0.3048 m.
Overlap $o$	fraction	percent	The UI accepts percent and converts to a fraction internally.
Field capacity	acres/h	ha/h	Multiply acres/h by 0.404686 to get hectares/h.
Field area $F$	acres	ha	Either unit works; the equation expects acres for $t = F / \text{capacity}$ .

Worked examples

No-till drill scheduling
A 10 ft implement travels 4 mph with 15 percent overlap. Convert to base units: $v = 4\\ \\text{mph} = 1.79\\ \\text{m}\\,\\text{s}^{-1}$ and $w = 10\\ \\text{ft} = 3.05\\ \\text{m}$ .

A = 1.79 \\times 3.05 \\times (1 - 0.15) = 4.64\\ \\text{m}^2\\,\\text{s}^{-1}

Capacity equals $4.64 \\times 0.8896 = 4.13$ ac/h, so covering an 80 acre block requires $80 / 4.13 = 19.4$ hours.

Metric boom sprayer check
Width 3.5 m, speed 8 km/h, overlap 5 percent.

A = (8 / 3.6) \times 3.5 \times 0.95 = 7.39\ \text{m}^2\,/\text{s}

Capacity equals $7.39 \\times 0.8896 = 6.57$ ac/h, or $2.66$ ha/h, so a 50 ha farm needs roughly $50 / 2.66 = 18.8$ hours of spray time.

Tips and pitfalls

Keep overlap realistic; low values ignore headlands while high values overestimate inefficiency.
Update width whenever you remove planter rows or shut off boom sections; a smaller effective width lowers capacity.
Convert slopes or slowed speeds into average field speeds rather than road speeds.
Use the time output to budget labor and fuel so you know if the crew can finish before rain.

References and further reading

Frequently Asked Questions

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Calculator info

Version:: v1.0.0
Last reviewed:: Nov 15, 2025
Sensitivity:: low
References:: 1

Last updated: November 19, 2025

Acres per hour calculator explained

How the conversion works

\text{acres per hour} = v \times w \times (1 - o) \times 0.8895793733

If you also enter field area $F$ , the tool divides by capacity to return total working hours $t = F / \text{capacity}$ .

Units and conversions

Quantity	Default unit	Alternate units	Notes
Travel speed $v$	m/s	km/h, mph	Convert mph to m/s by multiplying by 0.44704.
Implement width $w$	m	ft	One foot equals 0.3048 m.
Overlap $o$	fraction	percent	The UI accepts percent and converts to a fraction internally.
Field capacity	acres/h	ha/h	Multiply acres/h by 0.404686 to get hectares/h.
Field area $F$	acres	ha	Either unit works; the equation expects acres for $t = F / \text{capacity}$ .

Worked examples

No-till drill scheduling
A 10 ft implement travels 4 mph with 15 percent overlap. Convert to base units: $v = 4\\ \\text{mph} = 1.79\\ \\text{m}\\,\\text{s}^{-1}$ and $w = 10\\ \\text{ft} = 3.05\\ \\text{m}$ .

A = 1.79 \\times 3.05 \\times (1 - 0.15) = 4.64\\ \\text{m}^2\\,\\text{s}^{-1}

Capacity equals $4.64 \\times 0.8896 = 4.13$ ac/h, so covering an 80 acre block requires $80 / 4.13 = 19.4$ hours.

Metric boom sprayer check
Width 3.5 m, speed 8 km/h, overlap 5 percent.

A = (8 / 3.6) \times 3.5 \times 0.95 = 7.39\ \text{m}^2\,/\text{s}

Capacity equals $7.39 \\times 0.8896 = 6.57$ ac/h, or $2.66$ ha/h, so a 50 ha farm needs roughly $50 / 2.66 = 18.8$ hours of spray time.

Tips and pitfalls

Keep overlap realistic; low values ignore headlands while high values overestimate inefficiency.
Update width whenever you remove planter rows or shut off boom sections; a smaller effective width lowers capacity.
Convert slopes or slowed speeds into average field speeds rather than road speeds.
Use the time output to budget labor and fuel so you know if the crew can finish before rain.

Quick Summary

Calculator Tool

How this is calculated

What these terms mean

Travel speed

Implement width

Overlap / inefficiency

Field capacity (acres/hour)

Field area

Time required

When to use this calculator

Acres per hour calculator explained

How the conversion works

Units and conversions

Worked examples

Tips and pitfalls

References and further reading

Frequently Asked Questions

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Was this calculator helpful?

Found an error?

Calculator info

Acres per hour calculator explained

How the conversion works

Units and conversions

Worked examples

Tips and pitfalls

References and further reading

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Calculators

Fertilizer Calculator

Plant Population Calculator

Animal Mortality Rate Calculator

Log Reduction Calculator

qPCR Efficiency Calculator

Benadryl Dosage Calculator for Dogs

Was this calculator helpful?

Found an error?

Calculator info