Lime & Soil pH Calculator

We use the standard linear, loam-baseline model: 50 lb of lime per 1,000 sq ft raises a loam soil by one pH unit, then scale that by your soil texture, lime type, and the product's calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE). This is a planning estimate — a soil-test buffer-pH value gives a more exact dose and should refine it.

pH change      = target pH − current pH        (lime only raises pH)
rate/1,000     = pH change × 50
                 × texture (sandy 0.7 · loam 1.0 · clay 1.5)
                 × type (calcitic 1.0 · dolomitic 0.9)
                 × CCE (100 / CCE%)
total lime     = rate/1,000 × (area sq ft / 1,000)
bags           = ceil(total lime / bag size)   (round up — no part-bags)
leftover       = bags × bag size − total lime
split flag     = rate/1,000 > 50               (above the single-pass cap)
applications   = ceil(rate/1,000 / 50)         (when split)

Worked example (the default): raising 8,000 sq ft of loam from pH 5.5 to 6.5 with calcitic lime at 100% CCE = 1.0 × 50 × 1.0 × 1.0 × 1.0 = 50.0 lb/1,000 sq ft; 50.0 × 8 = 400 lb = 10 × 40-lb bags (0 lb leftover), one application (right at the cap).

The texture / type / CCE factors are the cited Yield Grid rules of thumb, not an agronomic prescription. The 50-lb/1,000-sq-ft single-application cap is a non-authoritative safety guideline (it varies by product and soil); above it we suggest splitting the dose across seasons because lime can scorch turf in one heavy pass. Bags round up because you can't buy a fraction of a bag.

Lime rarely travels alone. The feed running beside it is sized by the bag-analysis nitrogen math, the rest of the soil and turf set sits together on the lawn agronomy hub, and when the amendment is one visit inside a sold program, what that program should bill across the season is the pricing side of the same trip.