Fuel per hectare calculator
m
km/h
0 to 1
l/h
Field capacity
Fuel use per hectare
A worked example is filled in. It shows the method and is not a norm for any tractor.
In short
Tractor fuel consumption is measured in litres per hour and litres per hectare.
To get from one to the other, divide litres per hour by the field capacity of the machine in hectares per hour. Planva shows refills and drains from fuel level sensors next to the machine task, so a norm can be checked against what happened.
The formula
Field capacity comes from working width, speed and how much of the time the machine is actually working:
- Field capacity, ha/h = 0.1 × working width in metres × speed in km/h × field efficiency.
- Fuel use, l/ha = fuel use in l/h ÷ field capacity in ha/h.
Field efficiency is the share of time spent working rather than turning, stopping or filling. It sits between 0 and 1.
A worked example
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Working width | 6 m |
| Speed | 8 km/h |
| Field efficiency | 0.8 |
| Field capacity | 0.1 × 6 × 8 × 0.8 = 3.84 ha/h |
| Fuel use per hour | 18 l/h |
| Fuel use per hectare | 18 ÷ 3.84 ≈ 4.7 l/ha |
What moves the number
- The operation. Deep tillage takes far more fuel than light cultivation.
- Speed and load. The same tractor with a wider implement gives a different figure.
- Soil and slope. Heavy soil and hills raise fuel use.
- Idle time. An engine running during a stop burns fuel and adds no hectares.
- Transfers. Road time between fields counts against the job unless you separate it.
That is why this guide gives no figures by tractor model. A published number tells you little without the implement, the soil and the operation, and it will not survive your first argument with an operator.
How to check a norm against reality
- Calibrate the sensor. A fuel level sensor is only as good as its calibration table.
- Take one operation. Compare like with like, such as one implement on similar fields.
- Separate field time. Split work from transfers and idle time before dividing.
- Read the events. Check refills and drains, then look at any that do not fit the job.
How this works in Planva
A machine card holds the fuel type, the consumption norm, engine hours and working width. Calibration tables for fuel level sensors load from CSV or XLSX. The machine task shows refills and drains, and the machinery tab of the dispatcher report shows time in the field, transfers and idle time. The driver report adds fuel by RFID interval. See farm machinery tracking and tractor work records.
Common questions
Divide fuel use in litres per hour by field capacity in hectares per hour. Field capacity is 0.1 × working width in metres × speed in km/h × field efficiency.
The real Planva interface, shown with test data.
