How Many Acres Can a Spray Drone Cover in an Hour (and a Day)?

By Ag Drone Sprayers Editorial Team · Updated July 4, 2026

The brochure number and the field number are different animals — and the gap grew as the tanks did. Spray drones now run from 10–15 gallon workhorses (rated 40–50 acres an hour) up to a new 26‑gallon (100 L) class like the DJI Agras T100, rated closer to 70–80 — with marketing math reaching “up to” ~150. A well-run crew sustains a good deal less once refills, battery swaps, ferry time, and weather are counted. Here’s the math behind the number, so you can size up any operator’s claim — whatever drone they fly.

The cycle math

A spray drone works in cycles: fill, fly, spray, return, swap battery, repeat — and tank size sets how many acres each cycle covers. At 2 GPA (gallons per acre) a 12-gallon tank treats about 6 acres per cycle; a 26-gallon T100-class tank treats about 13. A full cycle — spraying plus the round trip and the swap — runs roughly 8–12 minutes with a practiced ground crew, so five to six cycles an hour puts sustained coverage near 30–36 acres per hour on the small tank and 60–80 on the big one. The larger tank’s real edge is fewer fill stops, which matters most as the rate climbs: at 5 GPA the 12-gallon tank covers just 2.4 acres a cycle — coverage more than halves — while the 26-gallon tank still gets about 5.

What moves the number

• Tank (and drone) size. A 26-gallon T100-class drone treats about 13 acres per fill versus about 6 for a 12-gallon drone, so it makes far fewer refill stops — the single biggest jump in sustained coverage, and it compounds at higher application rates.
• Application rate (GPA). The other big one, as above. Many fungicide labels set minimums, so “fast” quotes at sub-label rates are a red flag, not a bargain.
• Ferry distance. A mixing trailer parked at the field edge keeps cycles tight; a staging area half a mile away bleeds minutes from every cycle.
• Field shape and obstacles. Long straight passes fly efficiently. Point rows, terraces, and tree lines add turns and slow-downs.
• Crew practice. The difference between a 7-minute and a 12-minute cycle is almost entirely ground-crew choreography — batteries charged, mix ready, swap rehearsed.
• Weather windows. Labels bound wind and temperature; inversions shut down evenings. A “day” is often 6–8 sprayable hours, not 12.

Per day, realistically

Put it together and a single 10–15 gallon drone with a practiced crew commonly covers 150–350 acres in a working day; a big 26-gallon drone can push that toward 400–600+ on large, open fields where its tank and swath pay off. Disciplined multi-drone crews scale roughly per aircraft. For scheduling, the practical question isn’t the operator’s best day — it’s whether your acres fit their calendar inside your agronomic window. Book tassel-stage fungicide before the rush, not during it.

What this means for your quote

Coverage drives cost, which is why per-acre rates fall on big easy fields and rise on small awkward ones. Typical row-crop application runs $12–$18 per acre — see the cost per acre guide for the full breakdown, or price your own fields with the cost calculator. When comparing operators, ask each for acres per day at your label’s GPA — it’s the fastest way to spot who actually runs a tight crew.