farming calculator osrs
An advanced OSRS Farming Calculator to accurately determine the profit and XP from your herb runs. Optimize your strategy for maximum efficiency.
Choose the herb you are planting.
Enter the total number of patches in your run (max 10 with all quests/diaries).
Yield is significantly affected by compost type.
(Increases yield by 10%)
(Increases yield by 5% in the Hosidius patch)
XP vs. Profit Visualization
Yield Probability by Compost
| Compost Type | Average Minimum Herbs | Lives (Harvest Chances) | Disease Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultracompost | 6 | 9/harvest | ~90% |
| Supercompost | 5 | 7/harvest | ~85% |
| Regular Compost | 4 | 5/harvest | ~50% |
| None | 3 | 3/harvest | ~15% |
What is OSRS Farming?
Farming in Old School RuneScape is a gathering skill where players plant seeds in various patches across the game world and return later to harvest them for crops and experience. It’s a popular “passive” skill because the majority of the training time happens while the player is offline or doing other activities. The most popular and profitable aspect of farming is doing “herb runs,” which involves planting valuable herb seeds that are in high demand for the Herblore skill. A well-optimized farming calculator osrs is essential for maximizing profit from these runs.
Anyone looking for a consistent, low-effort money maker should consider herb farming. It’s especially vital for Ironmen accounts, as it is their primary method for obtaining herbs for potions. A common misunderstanding is that farming is slow; while crops take time to grow, the actual time spent interacting with patches is minimal, leading to very high effective profit rates per hour of effort. Find out more with our OSRS Money Making Guide.
Farming XP & Profit Formula
The core of any farming calculator osrs relies on a few key formulas. Profit is the most sought-after metric and is calculated quite simply:
Total Profit = (Total Herbs Harvested × Herb Price) - (Seeds Planted × Seed Price)
Experience (XP) is gained at two stages: when you plant the seed and when you harvest each individual herb. The total XP is:
Total XP = (Planting XP × Patches) + (Harvest XP × Total Herbs Harvested)
The most complex variable is the ‘Total Herbs Harvested’, as it’s not a fixed number. It depends on your Farming level, compost type, and gear. This calculator uses community-sourced averages for yield to provide a reliable estimate.
Variables Table
| Variable | Meaning | Unit | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patch Count | The number of herb patches you use. | Integer | 4 – 10 |
| Average Yield | The average number of herbs harvested per patch. | Herbs | 5 – 10 (with Ultracompost) |
| Herb Price | The market price of one grimy herb. | GP (Gold Pieces) | 100 – 10,000 |
| Seed Price | The market price of one seed. | GP (Gold Pieces) | 50 – 60,000 |
Practical Examples
Example 1: Mid-Level Ranarr Run
A player is doing a standard, profitable Ranarr run. They have access to 7 patches and use the best gear available to them.
- Inputs: Herb: Ranarr, Patches: 7, Compost: Ultracompost, Gear: Magic Secateurs.
- Calculation: With an average yield of about 9 herbs per patch, they harvest ~63 Ranarr weeds. At a price of 7,600 GP per herb, their revenue is ~478,800 GP. The 7 Ranarr seeds cost ~315,000 GP.
- Results: The estimated profit is approximately 163,800 GP for a run that takes less than 10 minutes of active time.
Example 2: Low-Level Budget Run
A newer player wants to start farming for some passive income but has a limited budget. They choose a cheaper herb. For more skilling options, check our OSRS Skilling Guides.
- Inputs: Herb: Toadflax, Patches: 5, Compost: Supercompost, Gear: No Magic Secateurs.
- Calculation: With Supercompost, the yield is lower, around 6 herbs per patch, for a total of ~30 herbs. At 1,600 GP per Toadflax, the revenue is ~48,000 GP. The 5 Toadflax seeds cost ~4,000 GP.
- Results: The profit is a respectable 44,000 GP. While much lower than the Ranarr run, it requires significantly less starting capital.
How to Use This farming calculator osrs
Using this calculator is simple and designed to give you instant, actionable results to improve your herb runs.
- Select Herb: Choose the herb seed you plan on planting from the dropdown menu. The calculator has pre-set data for common profitable herbs, including their seed price, herb price, and XP values.
- Enter Patch Count: Input the number of herb patches you will be visiting. This can be anywhere from 1 to 10 depending on your quest and diary progression.
- Choose Compost: Select the type of compost you’re using. Ultracompost provides the best yield and disease protection and is highly recommended for expensive seeds.
- Select Gear: Check the boxes for any yield-boosting items you have, such as the Magic Secateurs (which provide a 10% yield bonus) or the hard Kourend & Kebos diary completion (5% yield bonus at the Hosidius patch).
- Analyze Results: The calculator will instantly update, showing your expected profit, total XP, and other useful metrics. Use this information to decide if a particular herb is worth farming at current market prices.
Key Factors That Affect OSRS Farming
Several factors beyond the basic inputs can influence your farming outcomes. A smart player considers all of them.
- Market Volatility: Herb and seed prices on the Grand Exchange can fluctuate wildly. What’s profitable today might not be tomorrow. Always check prices before investing in a large number of seeds. A good OSRS GE Tracker can be invaluable.
- Patch Unlocks: The number of patches you have access to is the biggest multiplier on your profit. Completing quests like ‘My Arm’s Big Adventure’ and ‘Making Friends with My Arm’ is crucial to unlock additional herb patches.
- Disease Chance: Crops can become diseased and die, resulting in a total loss for that patch. Using Ultracompost minimizes this risk to about 10%. Some patches, like the one in Hosidius (with Kourend diary) or Trollheim, are permanently disease-free.
- Farming Level: A higher farming level slightly increases your chance to harvest more herbs from a single patch, subtly boosting your yield over time.
- Run Time Efficiency: The faster you can complete your herb run, the higher your effective GP/hour. Having good teleports close to each patch is essential for maximizing profit. See our OSRS Teleport Guide.
- Yield Modifiers: Magic Secateurs, compost type, and diary rewards are the most important factors for yield. Missing any of these will significantly reduce your profit.
- Anima Seeds: Planting Attas seeds in the Farming Guild’s anima patch will increase the yield of all your farming patches, providing a small but noticeable boost to profit.
OSRS Farming FAQ
It changes constantly with market prices. Generally, high-level herbs like Ranarr, Snapdragon, and Torstol are the most profitable, but you should always use a farming calculator osrs like this one with current prices to be sure.
All herbs in OSRS have a fixed growth time of 80 minutes, which is composed of four 20-minute growth cycles.
Absolutely. They provide a 10% increase to your final herb yield, which is a massive boost to your profit over time. They are a reward from the ‘Fairytale I – Growing Pains’ quest.
For any valuable herb (Ranarr, Snapdragon, etc.), yes. The increased yield and disease protection far outweigh the cost of the compost. For very cheap herbs, Supercompost might be a more cost-effective option.
There are a maximum of 10 herb patches available in the game, but they require specific quests and achievement diaries to be unlocked. Most players use between 7 and 9 patches.
“Lives” refers to the base number of harvest attempts you get from a patch. “Yield” is the final number of herbs you get after modifiers like your farming level and gear are applied. This calculator simplifies it into an “Average Yield” for clarity.
This specific calculator is designed for herbs. Tree runs have very different mechanics, with XP being a large, one-time drop. You can use our OSRS Tree Run Calculator for that.
The prices in this calculator are based on recent market averages. For 100% up-to-the-minute accuracy, you should manually check the Grand Exchange prices in-game, as they can change quickly.