Planting cost per acre is $20.00 for a grain drill and $10.00 for a row planter at the $150 per hour example rate. Both figures use the calculator presets, 15 ft and 30 ft, at 5.5 mph and 75 percent efficiency. The planter costs half as much per acre because it covers twice as many acres in each hour.
What Planting Cost Per Acre Means
Planting cost per acre is the machine and operator cost of one planting pass over one acre. It is not the total cost of growing a crop, and it is not a hire rate from a contractor. It is the cost of running your own tractor and implement, spread over the acres covered in an hour.
The Cost Per Acre Calculator works it out in two steps. First it works out acres per hour from width, speed and efficiency. Then it divides hourly cost by acres per hour.
The Formula Behind Planting Cost Per Acre
Acres per hour equals width in feet times speed in miles per hour times efficiency divided by 8.25. The figure 8.25 equals 43560 divided by 5280. Cost per acre equals hourly cost divided by acres per hour. Job cost equals hours times hourly cost plus travel. Use unrounded rates for second calculations and round only at the end.
The hourly cost here is the $150 per hour example rate from the calculator page, an example rate only, explicitly not a market rate. Every dollar figure worked from it is labelled as an example figure at the page example rate. The page says that hourly cost covers tractor, implement, fuel, repairs, labour and overheads. No dollar figure for any one part is given on the page, so this guide gives none.
Planting Cost Per Acre for a Grain Drill
The grain drill preset is 15 ft wide, at 5.5 mph and 75 percent efficiency, taken from the calculator configuration as verified on 11 Nov 2026.
Work the rate first. 15 times 5.5 times 0.75 equals 61.875. 61.875 divided by 8.25 equals 7.50 acres per hour. Work the cost next. $150 divided by 7.50 equals $20.00 per acre, as an example figure at the page example rate.
For the calculator default of 160 acres, 160 divided by 7.50 equals 21.33 hours, and 21.33 hours times $150 equals $3,200.00, as an example figure at the page example rate, with $0 travel. For 40 acres, the drill takes 5.33 hours and costs $800.00, as an example figure at the page example rate. Cost per acre stays $20.00 when width, speed, efficiency and hourly rate stay the same.
Planting Cost Per Acre for a Row Planter
The row planter preset is 30 ft wide, at 5.5 mph and 75 percent efficiency, taken from the calculator configuration as verified on 11 Nov 2026. Speed and efficiency match the grain drill preset exactly. Width is double.
Work the rate first. 30 times 5.5 times 0.75 equals 123.75. 123.75 divided by 8.25 equals 15.00 acres per hour. Work the cost next. $150 divided by 15.00 equals $10.00 per acre, as an example figure at the page example rate.
For the calculator default of 160 acres, 160 divided by 15.00 equals 10.67 hours, and 10.67 hours times $150 equals $1,600.00, as an example figure at the page example rate, with $0 travel. For 40 acres, the planter takes 2.67 hours and costs $400.00, as an example figure at the page example rate. For rate background, see planter and drill acres per hour and how many acres can a planter plant per hour.
Grain Drill and Row Planter Side by Side
The table puts both presets on the same basis: the $150 per hour example rate, $0 travel, and a 160 acre field. Every dollar figure is an example figure at the page example rate, explicitly not a market price.
| Machine | Width | Speed | Efficiency | Acres per hour | Cost per acre | Hours for 160 acres | Job cost for 160 acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grain drill | 15 ft | 5.5 mph | 75 percent | 7.50 | $20.00 | 21.33 | $3,200.00 |
| Row planter | 30 ft | 5.5 mph | 75 percent | 15.00 | $10.00 | 10.67 | $1,600.00 |
Width doubles, acres per hour doubles from 7.50 to 15.00, cost per acre halves from $20.00 to $10.00, and job cost for 160 acres falls from $3,200.00 to $1,600.00, all as example figures at the page example rate.
Why the Planter Costs Half as Much Per Acre
Cost per acre equals hourly cost divided by acres per hour. When hourly cost stays fixed, cost per acre moves in the opposite direction to acres per hour. Double acres per hour and cost per acre halves. Halve acres per hour and cost per acre doubles. That inverse link explains the planting comparison in this guide.
The two presets share speed and efficiency, so width alone changes acres per hour. Acres per hour grows in direct proportion to width when speed and efficiency stay fixed. The drill at 15 ft gives 7.50 acres per hour. The planter at 30 ft gives 15.00 acres per hour. The ratio is exact, 15.00 divided by 7.50 equals 2. Put the same $150 per hour over those two rates and the cost ratio follows: $150 divided by 7.50 equals $20.00 per acre, and $150 divided by 15.00 equals $10.00 per acre, both as example figures at the page example rate.
What Moves Planting Cost Per Acre
Width moves planting cost per acre most directly here, but speed, efficiency and hourly cost each move it too. A wider implement covers more acres per hour at the same speed and efficiency, so cost per acre falls as width rises. Enter the true working width, not the transport width, because overlap cuts the effective width, cuts acres per hour and raises cost per acre.
A faster speed covers more acres per hour, so cost per acre falls as speed rises, when efficiency stays fixed. Pick a speed you can hold while placing seed well, not the top speed of the tractor. A speed that harms placement is a false saving even if the cost per acre figure looks lower.
Efficiency is the share of planting time that plants fresh ground at full width, after turns, overlap and stops. The calculator dropdown offers 55, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85 and 90 percent. The page FAQ says to use 75 to 85 percent for most field work. Small or irregular fields use 55 to 65 percent. Average fields use 70 to 75 percent. Large rectangular fields use 80 to 85 percent. Ideal fields with GPS guidance use 85 to 90 percent.
At 85 percent efficiency the drill covers 8.50 acres per hour and costs $17.65 per acre, and the planter covers 17.00 acres per hour and costs $8.82 per acre, both as example figures at the page example rate.
Hourly cost is the input the reader controls most directly. Cost per acre grows in direct proportion to hourly cost when acres per hour stays fixed. Build it from fuel, repairs, ownership, labour and overheads as listed on the page. Leave a part out and the cost per acre understates the true cost. Field size does not change cost per acre on its own, but small and irregular fields mean more turning and lower efficiency, so cost per acre is higher on small fields.
Seed Cost Is Not in This Calculator
Seed cost is not in this calculator, and this guide adds no seed figure. The Cost Per Acre Calculator works out machine and operator cost per acre only, from hourly cost divided by acres per hour. It has no seed input, no seed rate input, and no seed price input.
That boundary matters, because seed can be a large part of the total cost of a planting pass. A reader who adds the $20.00 drill figure or the $10.00 planter figure to a seed cost from another source would be mixing two different kinds of cost. Both figures here are example figures at the page example rate for machine and operator cost only. Work out seed cost on its own, from your own seed rate and your own seed price.
How to Use the Calculator for Your Own Planting Cost
Open the Cost Per Acre Calculator and pick the machine type that matches your implement. Grain drill fills 15 ft, 5.5 mph and 75 percent. Row planter fills 30 ft, 5.5 mph and 75 percent. Change any of those values if your own implement differs, because the preset is a typical value, not a measurement of your machine.
Enter your field size in acres. The default is 160 acres. Enter your own machine plus operator cost in dollars per hour. The default $150 per hour is an example rate only. Add any travel and setup cost if the job needs it. The default is $0, and the page gives no travel fee amount.
Read the three outputs: cost per acre, hours and total job cost. Check cost per acre first, then hours, then job cost. Run the calculator twice, once for the drill and once for the planter, with your own hourly cost for each machine and the efficiency that matches your field.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is planting cost per acre for a grain drill?
A: $20.00 per acre at 15 ft, 5.5 mph and 75 percent, at the $150 per hour example rate. The drill covers 7.50 acres per hour.
Q: What is planting cost per acre for a row planter?
A: $10.00 per acre at 30 ft, 5.5 mph and 75 percent, at the $150 per hour example rate. The planter covers 15.00 acres per hour.
Q: Why does the row planter cost half as much per acre as the grain drill?
A: Both use the same speed and efficiency, so width alone sets acres per hour. The planter is twice as wide, 30 ft against 15 ft, so it covers twice as many acres per hour.
Q: How do you calculate planting cost per acre?
A: Work out acres per hour first: width times speed times efficiency divided by 8.25. Then divide hourly cost by acres per hour. For the drill, $150 divided by 7.50 equals $20.00 per acre.
Q: Is seed cost included in planting cost per acre here?
A: No. Seed cost is not in this calculator. The figures here cover machine and operator cost only.
Q: What field efficiency should I use for planting?
A: Use 75 to 85 percent for most field work. Small or irregular fields use 55 to 65 percent, average fields use 70 to 75 percent, large fields use 80 to 85 percent, and ideal fields with GPS guidance use 85 to 90 percent.
Plan Your Planting Cost From the Calculator
Planting cost per acre comes down to width, speed, efficiency and hourly cost. At the calculator presets and the $150 per hour example rate, a grain drill costs $20.00 per acre and a row planter costs $10.00 per acre, both as example figures at the page example rate. The planter costs half as much because it covers twice as many acres in each hour. Use the Cost Per Acre Calculator with your own width, speed, efficiency and hourly cost to work out planting cost per acre for your own field.
