Free Online Calculators
Calculate acres per hour for mowing, planting, spraying, or harvesting with efficiency and overlap adjustments. Plan farm work accurately and fast.
An acres per hour calculator determines how much land a machine can cover in one hour using this formula:
Acres per Hour = (Speed × Width × Efficiency) ÷ 8.25
Speed
miles per hour (mph)
Width
working width of implement (feet)
Efficiency
0.70–0.90 depending on field conditions
8.25 = conversion constant
For mowing, spraying, planting, bush hogging, or combine harvesting, this formula gives accurate real-world coverage estimates.
Effective working width of your implement
Average operating speed
Typical: Mowing 70-85%, Planting 65-80%, Spraying 75-90%, Tillage 70-85%
Typical overlap: 5-15% (default 10%)
Enter field size to calculate time needed
An acres per hour calculator (also called an acre per hour calculator or acres an hour calculator) is a planning and productivity tool used in agriculture, land management, and property maintenance. It helps estimate how much land can be covered in a given time, allowing operators to:
Whether you're running a tractor, sprayer, planter, or bush hog, calculating acres per hour gives you a realistic picture of field productivity.
TFC = (Speed × Width) ÷ 8.25
This assumes:
This is ideal performance only.
EFC = (Speed × Width × Field Efficiency) ÷ 8.25
Field efficiency accounts for:
Typical efficiency range: 70% – 90%
The number 8.25 converts square feet per hour into acres per hour. It comes from:
• 1 acre = 43,560 square feet
• 1 mile = 5,280 feet
Mathematically:
5280 ÷ 43560 ≈ 8.25
Without this constant, conversion would require multiple manual steps.
The effective width of your implement (not just the advertised width). Overlap and missed strips reduce real output.
Higher speeds increase acreage per hour—but only if quality and safety are maintained.
Accounts for turns, headlands, overlap, obstacles, and operator skill.
Typical ranges:
• Mowing: 70–85%
• Planting: 65–80%
• Spraying: 75–90%
• Tillage: 70–85%
• 6 ft mower
• 5 mph
• 80% efficiency
Result: ~2.9 acres/hour
• 30 ft planter
• 6 mph
• 75% efficiency
Result: ~16.4 acres/hour
• 60 ft boom
• 8 mph
• 85% efficiency
Result: ~49.5 acres/hour
• 12 ft disk
• 5 mph
• 80% efficiency
Result: ~5.8 acres/hour
To calculate how many acres per hour you can cover:
Measure actual working width (feet)
Use the effective width, not rated width
Determine average operating speed (mph)
Not maximum, but realistic average
Estimate realistic field efficiency (%)
Consider field conditions, turns, and obstacles
Plug values into the formula
Multiply and divide by 8.25
Speed = 5 mph, Width = 6 ft, Efficiency = 80%
(5 × 6 × 0.80) ÷ 8.25 = 2.91 acres/hour
To calculate time required:
Time = Total Area ÷ Acres Per Hour
Field size = 20 acres
Machine capacity = 2.91 acres/hour
20 ÷ 2.91 = 6.87 hours
So approximately 6.9 hours needed.
Common for pasture mowing and land clearing.
Used for:
Sprayers have wider booms (20–120 ft).
Typical:
Spraying covers significantly more acres per hour.
Combine harvesters operate slower.
Typical:
Used for wheat, corn, soybean harvesting.
Planting requires precise overlap control.
Typical efficiency: 70–85%.
1 mph × 10 ft width ≈ 1.21 acres/hour
Useful for quick rough estimates.
Actual results vary due to:
• Field shape
Irregular fields reduce efficiency
• Obstacles (trees, poles)
More obstacles = more turning
• Soil condition
Wet or rough terrain slows work
• Operator experience
Skilled operators work faster
• Equipment horsepower
Underpowered = slower speeds
• Weather
Wind, rain affect operations
Large rectangular plots give most accurate results.
A professional farm equipment acres per hour calculator helps:
Estimate fuel usage
Plan labor requirements
Calculate contract pricing
Compare machinery productivity
Improve operational efficiency
Support precision agriculture
Using rated width instead of effective width
Ignoring overlap
Overestimating field efficiency
Using maximum speed instead of average speed
Forgetting headlands and turns
💡 A realistic acres per hour calculator estimate is better than an optimistic one.
The Acres Per Hour Calculator estimates how much land a machine can cover in one hour using:
Acres per Hour = (Speed × Width × Efficiency) ÷ 8.25
Including overlap adjustment and realistic efficiency helps farmers and contractors:
Plan productivity
Estimate fuel & labor costs
Bid contracts accurately
Optimize farm operations
A simple yet essential tool for modern agriculture and lawn management.
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