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Seed Rate Calculator

Kilograms mean nothing without a thousand-grain weight.

Work out Seed Rate. Kilograms mean nothing without a thousand-grain weight. Shows the working, not just the answer.

Written and maintained by Mohit PatelLast checked August 4, 2026How we build these
plants/m²
g
%
ha
per tonne
kg
cm

Seed rate

185.3 kg/ha

412 seeds/m² for 350 plants at 85% establishment

Seed rate185.29 kg/ha
Seeds to drill411.8 per m²
Seeds per kilogram22,222
Total seed1,852.9 kg
Bags needed75
Seed cost per hectare74.12
Total seed cost741.18
Seeds per metre of row51.5
Why the TGW mattersA thousand-grain weight of 45 g means 22,222 seeds in every kilogram. That figure moves between seasons and varieties by a third or more, which is why a seed rate quoted in kilograms without it is close to meaningless — the same 350 plants per m² needs 156 kg/ha at 38 g and 226 kg/ha at 55 g.

Seed rate in kilograms is meaningless without a thousand-grain weight. The same variety can run from 38 g to 55 g between seasons, which is a 45% swing in kilograms for an identical target population — and it is the number most often left out of a recommendation. Establishment is the other half. Drilling into a rough seedbed in November establishes far worse than into a fine one in September, and the rate has to rise to compensate. Assuming 95% when the field delivers 60% leaves the crop a third short. Target population is agronomy, not arithmetic. It depends on crop, variety, drilling date, region and what the crop is for, and the figure here is whatever you enter — a starting point from your own agronomist rather than a recommendation from a web page.

How the Seed Rate Calculator works

Seed rate in kilograms per hectare from target plant population, thousand-grain weight and establishment, with total seed, bags and cost. TGW is the input most recommendations leave out and the one that varies most.

Also known as: how much seed per hectare · seed rate from thousand grain weight · drilling rate for wheat · seeds per square metre calculator

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate a seed rate?

Target plants per m² ÷ establishment %, times thousand-grain weight in grams, divided by 100. That gives kilograms per hectare directly.

What is thousand-grain weight?

The weight of 1,000 seeds in grams. It sets how many seeds are in a kilogram, and it varies by a third or more between varieties and seasons for the same crop.

Why does the same seed rate give different plant counts?

Because TGW changed. The same 185 kg/ha delivers 412 seeds/m² at 45 g TGW and 336 at 55 g — a 20% difference in population from nothing but seed size.

What establishment percentage should I use?

Whatever your own fields deliver. A fine seedbed in good conditions might give 90%; late drilling into a rough or wet seedbed can fall below 60%, and the rate has to rise to compensate.

What target population should I aim for?

That is agronomy, not arithmetic — it depends on crop, variety, drilling date, region and end use. This page takes whatever figure your agronomist gives you.

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The one-line version
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