How many acres can a spray drone cover per hour?

There is no single acreage rating that applies to every field. Speed and effective swath produce a theoretical straight-pass rate. Application volume, tank capacity, turns, boundaries, obstacles, battery reserve, refilling, setup, weather, and the product label determine the field result. The calculator keeps those assumptions separate so you can replace each one with measured values.

How do I calculate spray-drone acres per hour?

Multiply speed in miles per hour by effective swath in feet and by 5,280, then divide by 43,560 square feet per acre. That gives theoretical straight-pass acres per hour. It does not include turns, refill stops, battery service, setup, obstacles, or reserve time.

How many acres can a spray drone cover per tank?

Divide usable tank capacity in gallons by the application volume in gallons per acre. A 10-gallon usable tank at 2 GPA covers 5 acres per full load before any unusable volume or calibration adjustment.

Can this calculator choose a pesticide application rate?

No. Enter the rate permitted by the current product label and supported by the calibrated aircraft, nozzle, droplet, speed, swath, and weather plan. EPA states that pesticide labels are legally enforceable. FAA approval does not replace applicator certification or state pesticide requirements.

Are the DJI Agras presets manufacturer productivity claims?

No. The presets use official tank volume, published effective spray-width range, and maximum flow specifications. The calculator begins at the midpoint of each published width range only as an editable starting point. Planned acres per hour are calculated from the values you enter, not copied from a manufacturer productivity claim.

Does the estimate prove that an operation is legal or safe?

No. It is a planning estimate. The operation still depends on the product label, calibration, FAA certificate and exemption stack, aircraft registration, applicable airspace approval, state credentials, site permission, weather, buffers, people, obstacles, and the operator's procedures.

Agricultural application planning

How many acres can a spray drone cover?

Calculate straight-pass capacity, then account for application volume, tank loads, batteries, turns, setup, and service stops to estimate real field time.

ACRES · LOADS · FIELD TIME

Start with the field

Separate capacity from working time.

Speed and effective swath tell you how quickly the aircraft could cover open ground on uninterrupted straight passes. They do not tell you how long the job will take. Gallons per acre, usable tank volume, turns, boundaries, battery reserve, refilling, checks, and setup determine the planned field rate.

With the starting T50 assumptions below, an 80-acre field calculates to 44.7 straight-pass acres per hour and 22.4 planned acres per hour, with 16 loads and 3 hours 34 minutes of total field time. That is an editable example, not a DJI productivity rating or a quote.

Enter the rate permitted by the current product label and values supported by your calibration and operating plan.

Field assumptions

Set the application plan.

Aircraft and spray systemAircraft preset

40 L tank, 4-11 m published spray-width range, and 16 L/min maximum with two sprinklers. The preset swath starts at the midpoint of the published range. Replace it with the effective swath confirmed by calibration.

Tank volumegalEffective swathftMaximum flowgpm

Field and application

Treatment areaacresApplication volumeGPAApplication speedmph

Field-time allowance

Straight-pass efficiency%Share of field-flight time spent on productive spray passes after turns, edges, and obstacle routing.Usable time per batteryminUse a measured payload-specific time that preserves the operating reserve.Combined service stopminRefill, battery service, checks, and relaunch. Overlapping work is counted once.Initial setupminStaging, mix or load, aircraft checks, boundary review, and first launch.

Planned net coverage

22.4acres/hr

Straight passes alone calculate to 44.7 acres per hour. The planned rate includes setup, turns, and 15 service stops.

80.0 acres16 tank loads12 energy cycles

Total field time: 3 hr 34 min
Mixture and loads: 160 gal
Flight-energy cycles: 12
Required spray flow: 1.5 gpm

Time allocation

3 hr 34 min

Setup20 min

Field flight134 min

Service60 min

This estimate does not set the legal application rate, swath, speed, droplet size, buffer, weather limit, or treatment decision. The product label, calibration record, FAA approvals, state credentials, and field conditions control the operation.

The calculation

What each result means

The calculator uses standard area and flow relationships. It keeps the pure straight-pass rate visible so service assumptions cannot hide inside one optimistic acres-per-hour number.

Theoretical acres per hour: Speed in mph multiplied by effective swath in feet and by 5,280, divided by 43,560 square feet per acre. This is uninterrupted straight-pass capacity.
Mixture, acres per tank, and loads: Area multiplied by GPA gives total mixture. Usable tank gallons divided by GPA gives acres per full tank. The load count rounds total mixture up to the next complete load.
Field-flight and energy cycles: Straight-pass time is divided by the entered field efficiency to allow for turns, edges, obstacles, and alignment. Planned field-flight minutes divided by usable minutes per battery gives the energy-cycle count.
Service stops and total time: The estimate uses the larger of the tank-load and battery-cycle counts, minus the first staged load and battery. It assumes battery service can overlap with refill and aircraft checks. Setup, field flight, and those combined stops make the total.
Required flow: Theoretical acres per hour multiplied by GPA, divided by 60, gives required gallons per minute. The calculator flags inputs that exceed the entered spray-system maximum.

01 · Calibrate

Effective swath is measured, not assumed

Published spray-width ranges describe equipment capability under stated conditions. Pattern testing and calibration establish the effective working swath for the installed configuration, droplet plan, height, speed, and conditions.

02 · Follow the label

The calculator does not choose GPA

The pesticide label controls permitted use, rate, method, buffers, weather limits, protective measures, and other restrictions. Entering a smaller number here does not make an application lawful or effective.

03 · Log reality

Replace defaults with field records

Use payload-specific battery time, actual refill and turnaround duration, measured swath, and observed efficiency from comparable fields before you schedule crews or quote production.

Evidence file

Sources behind the method and presets

Manufacturer specifications supply tank, width-range, and maximum-flow values. EPA material supplies the calibration context. FAA sources define the federal operating path. Reviewed 2026-08-27.

FAA Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operations
The current FAA certification process for agricultural aircraft operators, including UAS operators and the five certification phases.
FAA Notice 8900.773
The active May 15, 2026 notice changing the certification process for UAS Part 137 operators.
EPA National Aerial Applicator's Manual
Calibration guidance connecting tank capacity, application speed, flow, and effective swath, plus pattern testing and low-volume terminology.
EPA introduction to pesticide labels
EPA's explanation that pesticide labels communicate legally enforceable use requirements.
DJI Agras T25 specifications
Official 20 L tank, 4 to 7 m effective spray-width range, and 16 L/min maximum flow with two sprinklers.
DJI Agras T50 specifications
Official 40 L tank, 4 to 11 m effective spray-width range, and 16 L/min maximum flow with two sprinklers.
DJI Agras T100 specifications
Official 100 L tank, 5 to 13 m effective spray-width range, and 30 L/min maximum flow with the standard two nozzles.

Common planning questions

Before you turn an estimate into a job

How many acres can a spray drone cover per hour?: There is no single acreage rating that applies to every field. Speed and effective swath produce a theoretical straight-pass rate. Application volume, tank capacity, turns, boundaries, obstacles, battery reserve, refilling, setup, weather, and the product label determine the field result. The calculator keeps those assumptions separate so you can replace each one with measured values.
How do I calculate spray-drone acres per hour?: Multiply speed in miles per hour by effective swath in feet and by 5,280, then divide by 43,560 square feet per acre. That gives theoretical straight-pass acres per hour. It does not include turns, refill stops, battery service, setup, obstacles, or reserve time.
How many acres can a spray drone cover per tank?: Divide usable tank capacity in gallons by the application volume in gallons per acre. A 10-gallon usable tank at 2 GPA covers 5 acres per full load before any unusable volume or calibration adjustment.
Can this calculator choose a pesticide application rate?: No. Enter the rate permitted by the current product label and supported by the calibrated aircraft, nozzle, droplet, speed, swath, and weather plan. EPA states that pesticide labels are legally enforceable. FAA approval does not replace applicator certification or state pesticide requirements.
Are the DJI Agras presets manufacturer productivity claims?: No. The presets use official tank volume, published effective spray-width range, and maximum flow specifications. The calculator begins at the midpoint of each published width range only as an editable starting point. Planned acres per hour are calculated from the values you enter, not copied from a manufacturer productivity claim.
Does the estimate prove that an operation is legal or safe?: No. It is a planning estimate. The operation still depends on the product label, calibration, FAA certificate and exemption stack, aircraft registration, applicable airspace approval, state credentials, site permission, weather, buffers, people, obstacles, and the operator's procedures.

Continue the workflow

Build the Part 137 approval stackSee how pilot credentials, registration, exemptions, the AAOC, and pesticide requirements fit together.Learn the agriculture workflowUnderstand deliverables, scouting, spraying, equipment, field records, and professional boundaries.

Check the mission requirementsBuild the likely certificate, aircraft, airspace, night, people, waiver, and specialty requirement stack.Price the entire field jobInclude travel, setup, field time, processing, insurance, equipment reserve, tax, and reshoot risk.

Educational planning tool, not legal or application advice. Verify current FAA requirements, state credentials, product labeling, calibration, weather, site conditions, and the aircraft operating documents before quoting or flying.