What this calculator does
Hectares per hour is the standard way to describe how fast a piece of farm work gets done, whether that is spraying, mowing, harvesting or cultivating. It is simply the area covered divided by the time it took, and once you know that rate you can also work backwards to estimate how long a bigger paddock or a whole property will take.
The calculation is the same whether the job is a header crawling through a crop or a boom sprayer running flat out, because it only cares about area and time, not implement width or travel speed directly. That makes it a useful check figure even when you only have a logged start and finish time and a paddock area, rather than the machinery specifications.
The formula
Divide the area worked, in hectares, by the time taken, in hours, to get the rate in hectares per hour. To plan ahead, divide a target area by that same rate to estimate how many hours the job will take at the same pace.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ha/hour | The work rate: area covered per hour of work, in hectares. |
| Area worked | The area actually covered in the time period being measured, in hectares. |
| Time taken | The hours spent covering that area, including only the time actually working if you want a working rate rather than an overall paddock-to-paddock rate. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Area worked (ha) | The area covered so far, in hectares. |
| Time taken (hours) | The hours it took to cover that area. |
| Target area to plan for (ha) | A larger area you want to plan time for, using the same rate. |
When to use it
Timing a job already underway
Recording the area covered after the first hour or two of a job gives a rate that can be used to estimate a finish time for the rest of the paddock or property.
Quoting or budgeting contract work
A known ha/hour rate for a given implement and job turns a property size into an estimated number of hours, which is what a contracting quote is usually built on.
Comparing two passes of the same job
Working out the rate for a first pass and a second pass of the same paddock shows whether conditions, such as ground moisture or crop density, are slowing the second pass down.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How the work rate changes with time taken at a fixed area
A fixed 20 hectares, across a range of times taken to cover it.
| Time taken | Work rate |
|---|---|
| 2 hours | 10.00 ha/hour |
| 3 hours | 6.67 ha/hour |
| 4 hours | 5.00 ha/hour |
| 5 hours | 4.00 ha/hour |
| 6 hours | 3.33 ha/hour |
| 8 hours | 2.50 ha/hour |
How the time needed for a target area changes with the work rate
A fixed 100 hectare target, across a range of established work rates (area and time held so the rate matches the value shown).
| Work rate (ha worked per 1 hour) | Time needed for target area |
|---|---|
| 2 ha/hour | 50.00 hours |
| 4 ha/hour | 25.00 hours |
| 6 ha/hour | 16.67 hours |
| 8 ha/hour | 12.50 hours |
| 10 ha/hour | 10.00 hours |
| 12 ha/hour | 8.33 hours |
Questions
Is ha/hour the same as acres per hour?
No, but they convert directly: 1 hectare equals about 2.471 acres, so a rate in ha/hour multiplied by 2.471 gives the equivalent in acres/hour. This calculator shows that conversion alongside the hectare figure.
Should time taken include turns and refills?
Depends what you want the figure for. Including stoppage time gives a realistic overall rate for planning a full day; excluding it gives a working rate that only reflects the machine while it is actually covering ground.
Why is my rate different from the manufacturer’s spec sheet figure?
Spec sheet figures are usually theoretical, based on full working width and a constant travel speed with no overlap, turns or downtime. A rate worked out from an actual area and actual time will almost always be lower, and is the more useful number for planning.
Can this calculator handle a rate that changes partway through a job?
Not directly. Work out the rate separately for each stretch of time where conditions were roughly constant, since averaging a changing rate over the whole job can hide a slowdown partway through, such as ground getting wetter or the crop getting thicker.
For a rate based on implement width and travel speed in acres rather than area and time in hectares, see the acres per hour calculator.