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Irrigation Water Calculator

Irrigation water needed for a crop, in millimetres, cubic metres and pumping hours.

Enter values

Results update as you type.

Result

Water needed

42,667 m³

1 mm of irrigation over 1 hectare is 10 cubic metres of water.

Net irrigation depth
320 mm
Gross depth with losses
426.7 mm
Per hectare
4,267 m³/ha
Pumping time
853.3 hours
In litres
42,666,667
Water cost
$6,400.00

About the Irrigation Water Calculator

Irrigation water needed for a crop, in millimetres, cubic metres and pumping hours.

Also known as: crop water requirement, irrigation calculator, water per hectare, pump hours calculator.

How to use this calculator

  1. Enter area, crop water requirement, effective rainfall, irrigation efficiency and the other fields.
  2. The result updates instantly as you type — press Calculate (or Enter) at any time.
  3. Review the breakdown shown under the main result.
  4. Use Copy result or Share to save the answer or send a link with your inputs.

Formula

m³ = (crop need − rainfall) ÷ efficiency × 10 × hectares

Worked example

Using the values pre-filled in the calculator above:

  • Area = 10 hectares
  • Crop water requirement = 500 mm per season
  • Effective rainfall = 180 mm
  • Irrigation efficiency = 75 %
  • Pump rate = 50 m³/hour
  • Water cost per m³ = 0.15

the calculator returns:

  • Water needed: 42,667 m³
  • Net irrigation depth: 320 mm
  • Gross depth with losses: 426.7 mm
  • Per hectare: 4,267 m³/ha