How to use this calculator
- Enter or choose lime requirement from soil test.
- Enter or choose requirement unit.
- Enter or choose product neutralising value (ECCE or CCE).
- Enter or choose depth the requirement is for.
- Enter or choose depth you will incorporate to.
- The product for the field updates as you type. Use Copy result or Share to keep it.
Method
Product rate = Requirement × (100 ÷ ECCE) × (Your depth ÷ Recommendation depth); Total = Rate × Area
- Requirement
- lime needed as 100% CaCO₃
- ECCE
- effective calcium carbonate equivalent of your product, %
Worked example
- ECCE adjustment: 2.5 × 100 ÷ 80 = 3.125 t/ha.
- Depth adjustment: 3.125 × 20 ÷ 15 = 4.17 t/ha.
- For 3 ha: 4.1667 × 3 = 12.5 t.
A 2.5 t/ha requirement for 15 cm becomes 4.17 t/ha of an 80% ECCE product mixed to 20 cm, or 12.5 t for 3 ha.
What the result means
Large rates are often split over two or more years; your adviser or lab may set a maximum single application.
Assumptions and limits
- The requirement is expressed as 100% calcium carbonate equivalent.
- Lime need scales in proportion to the depth of soil treated.
- The calculator does not derive a lime requirement from soil pH; that needs a lab buffer test and regional tables.
Questions
What is ECCE?
Effective calcium carbonate equivalent: the product’s neutralising value relative to pure CaCO₃, adjusted for how fine it is ground. Coarser lime has a lower ECCE.
Why does depth matter?
Lime only neutralises the soil it is mixed into. Treating a deeper layer means more soil, so more lime.