Hydroponic farm calculator: how many heads a week to break even? Free, private

Your farm

Growing area, square feet of planted bench or tray (not the whole building)

Plants per square foot of growing area

Days from transplant to harvest

Turnaround days between crops

Crop loss, % of plants (failures, trimming, rejects)

Share of heads sold wholesale, %

Wholesale price per head, dollars

Retail, market or subscription price per head, dollars

Card, platform and market fees, % of revenue

Returns, credits and unsold product, % of revenue

Seed and growing media per head, dollars

Nutrients per head, dollars

Packaging per head, dollars

Delivery per head, dollars

Labour minutes per head (seed, transplant, harvest, pack)

Hourly labour cost, dollars

Rent per month, dollars

Lighting power, kilowatts total

Light hours per day

Electricity price, dollars per kWh

Cooling, dehumidifying and fans, % of lighting energy

Water and other utilities per month, dollars

Manager or your own draw per month, dollars

Insurance per year, dollars

Other fixed costs per month (software, testing, marketing), dollars

Fit-out per square foot of growing area (racks, trays, plumbing, electrical), dollars

Equipment total (lights, pumps, chillers, sensors, packing), dollars

Launch cost: permits, legal, first marketing, dollars

Lease deposit, months of rent

Contingency on fit-out, equipment and launch, %

Production in month 1, % of full output

Months to reach full production

Loan as % of startup cost (0 for all cash)

Loan interest rate, %

Loan term, years

Target operating margin, %

Fill in your farm, then click Work out the farm. Growing area, plants per square foot, days to harvest and a price are required; the rest default to zero or the neutral choice.

Result

If output runs above or below plan

Versus plan	Heads per month	Profit per month	Margin	Cash after loan

If you charge more or less

Price change	Profit per month	Margin	Cash after loan

If electricity costs more or less

Power price change	Profit per month	Cash after loan

Year by year, first five years

Year	Operating profit	Cash after loan

What it does, and what it leaves to you

Output: growing area × plants per square foot × crop cycles a year (365 ÷ days to harvest plus turnaround) × (1 − crop loss) = heads a year.
Revenue: heads × the blend of your wholesale and retail prices, less fees and returns as a share of revenue.
Per-head cost: seed, nutrients, packaging, delivery, and labour minutes at your hourly cost. Fixed: rent, lights (kilowatts × hours × 30 × price) plus cooling as a share of that, water and utilities, manager, insurance and other costs.
Startup: fit-out per square foot, equipment, deposit, launch and contingency. The loan is a share of that on level payments. Ramp-up runs sixty months with output climbing in a straight line from the month-1 figure; payback is the first month cumulative cash covers your equity.
Not decided: whether you can sell every head at your price; yield and crop-loss risk; food-safety, licensing, zoning and power-capacity rules; price swings between seasons; income tax and depreciation; and what a lender will offer.

Common questions

How much profit does a hydroponic farm make?

It depends on the area you grow, how many heads that area yields, what you sell them for, and what lights, labour and rent cost. Enter your own figures; the page works out revenue after fees, per-head costs, fixed costs, monthly profit and margin at full production.

How many heads of lettuce does a square foot of hydroponic space produce?

Plants per square foot times crop cycles per year, less crop loss. Enter your own planting density, days to harvest, turnaround and loss; the page shows heads a week and a month, and does not assume a benchmark.

How many heads a week do I need to sell to break even?

Two figures are shown: heads a month that cover operating costs, and the higher number that also covers the loan. Both are exact for your inputs, because profit rises by a fixed amount for each head sold.

How much do grow lights cost to run?

Lighting kilowatts times hours a day times thirty days times your electricity price, plus a share for cooling and dehumidifying. A power-price table shows what a 25 percent rise or cut does to monthly profit.

Does this tell me whether a farm will succeed?

No. It works only from your figures. It does not know whether you can sell every head, what buyers near you pay, or how your crop will perform. Check your buyers, food-safety rules, zoning and power capacity first.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent; a test in the code asserts there are no network calls.