Greenhouse ROI & Total Cost of Ownership Calculator.
Combine CAPEX, energy, water, labour, crop inputs, maintenance and production cycles into one model: annual EBITDA, ROI, payback, lifecycle cost and cost per kilo — then send the same assumptions into a private, supplier-neutral quote request.
Greenhouse ROI & Total Cost of Ownership Calculator
Combine CAPEX, energy, water, labour, crop inputs, maintenance and production cycles into one model: annual EBITDA, ROI, payback, lifecycle cost and cost per kilo — then send the same assumptions into a private, supplier-neutral quote request.
Estimate only — not a quotation. Outputs are indicative planning ranges based on the values you enter and typical commercial benchmarks. Real pricing, specifications and lead times vary by country, site conditions and supplier, and are confirmed only in written offers collected through a private RFQ.
Investment and CAPEX
Polytunnel 8–25; multi-span polyhouse 25–80; high-tech glass or CEA 180–350.
Covering, screens, pumps, drives and control hardware.
Production cycles and revenue
Class I / saleable share after grading losses.
Annual operating cost
Heating, cooling, lighting and pumping.
Planning values only, based entirely on your own inputs. Not a valuation, feasibility study or financial advice.
Turn this estimate into a qualified project
SeedMatchGroup is a supplier-neutral platform. We do not manufacture or resell equipment — we help buyers specify the project correctly, open one private RFQ to qualified global manufacturers, integrators and EPCs, and introduce relevant financing tracks.
Method and assumptions
Marketable yield is yield per cycle × cycles per year × marketable share × covered area. Revenue is that tonnage at your farmgate price. Operating cost sums energy, water and treatment, labour, crop inputs and packaging, plus maintenance expressed as a percentage of CAPEX. EBITDA is revenue less operating cost, before land, permits, working capital, depreciation, tax and any financing cost.
Total cost of ownership is CAPEX + (operating cost × horizon) + scheduled replacement of covering, screens, pumps, drives and control hardware. Full cost per kilo annualises CAPEX and replacement over the horizon and adds operating cost, then divides by marketable yield — the number that shows whether the project survives a price correction. Simple payback is CAPEX ÷ EBITDA and is undiscounted.
Limitations: no discounting, IRR, NPV, inflation, currency movement, tax, land or permitting cost, ramp-up in year one, or price seasonality. Bankable feasibility work requires discounted cash flow and sensitivity analysis; this model is designed to decide whether a project deserves that stage — and to fix the assumptions before suppliers quote.
Worked example
A 3 ha polyhouse at 120 USD/m² carries 3.6 M USD of CAPEX. At two cycles of 18 kg/m² and 92% marketable, the site sells about 994 t/yr; at 1.40 USD/kg that is roughly 1.39 M USD of revenue. With 9 USD/m² energy, 1.6 water, 7 labour, 5 inputs and 2% maintenance, operating cost is about 760 K USD, leaving EBITDA near 630 K USD — around 17% ROI and a payback close to six years, with operating cost dominating the ten-year total. That domination is the reason performance data belongs in the RFQ alongside price.
A note on financing
SeedMatchGroup does not provide loans, credit, interest rates, commitments or financial advice. For suitable qualified large projects we may make introductions to external financing partners; any assessment and decision rests entirely with those independent institutions.
Frequently asked questions
Send these numbers to the RFQ Builder
The numbers below were calculated with SeedMatchGroup's Greenhouse ROI & Total Cost of Ownership Calculator. Indicative — the specialist will confirm scope before contacting suppliers.
17 inputs · assumptions · results
RFQ scope generated from your inputs
These requirements change with your cost mix, cycle count and payback, and are prefilled into the RFQ Builder with the figures above so every supplier quotes the same scope and the offers stay comparable.
- Itemised CAPEX for a 3 ha greenhouse project: structure, covering, screens, climate control, irrigation and fertigation, electrical, automation, installation and commissioning
- Declared annual energy, water, labour and maintenance consumption per m² so lifecycle cost over 10 years can be compared like for like
- Replacement schedule and cost for covering, screens, pumps, drives and control hardware within the evaluation horizon
- Heat plant, screen and cooling specification with guaranteed energy consumption per m² per year at stated design conditions
- Turnaround requirements for 2 production cycles per year: cleaning, disinfection access, substrate handling and downtime allowance
Refine the cost lines with the heating load calculator, cooling & ventilation calculator and water consumption calculator. To compare specific supplier bids side by side, use the greenhouse TCO comparison calculator; for a revenue-first view, the greenhouse ROI calculator.
What can change the result?
This is a preliminary planning estimate based on the values you entered. The variables below usually move the outcome most, and should be confirmed with an agronomist, engineer and supplier offers before final design.
- Greenhouse type and technology level (tunnel, naturally ventilated, high-tech)
- Production target and realised yield, confirmed by an agronomist
- Energy and utility tariffs, plus tariff escalation over time
- Financing terms, contingency and currency movement
Questions this calculator answers
Typical buyer and investor searches this tool is built for, including the markets where we run the most commercial projects.
- greenhouse total cost of ownership per hectare for a commercial project
- greenhouse total cost of ownership for a 2-hectare project — India
- greenhouse total cost of ownership: indicative planning ranges — Kenya
- greenhouse total cost of ownership benchmarks for investors — Saudi Arabia
- greenhouse total cost of ownership under local market conditions — Mexico
- greenhouse total cost of ownership — what to specify in a supplier RFQ
Plan the project around the numbers
A calculator output is a starting point. Pair it with the planning guides below to align timeline, irrigation, budget and risk before you launch an RFQ.
One private brief, specialist review, private supplier research and a like-for-like comparison.
Month-by-month schedule from concept to first harvest across 9 stages.
Design principles for drip, pivot, fertigation and filtration on commercial projects.
How CAPEX, working capital and operating cost drive the project business case.
The ten most expensive planning and procurement pitfalls — and how to avoid them.
Procurement answers behind these numbers
A model output only holds if the scope, contract route and delivery terms match the assumptions. These reference answers cover the commercial decisions that move the figure.
- Turnkey EPC vs separate equipment packages
- What belongs in a greenhouse equipment specification
- Normal payment milestones in equipment contracts
- Which Incoterms to use for greenhouse and irrigation equipment
- How long a commercial greenhouse takes from order to handover
- What is normally the owner's scope on a greenhouse project
Move greenhouse roi & total cost of ownership calculator. into a structured RFQ
Editorial · not a sales pitchCalculator outputs are indicative. When your numbers stabilise, a supplier-neutral RFQ turns those estimates into comparable offers from verified providers.
The facts a complete, supplier-neutral request on this topic includes. Use it as a checklist before submitting.
- Covered area (m² or ha), bay/gutter layout preference and target gutter height
- Site location, altitude and design loads (wind, snow, seismic) if known
- Crop and production system (soil, substrate, hydroponic, nursery)
- Covering choice: polyethylene film, polycarbonate or glass — and expected lifetime
- Climate scope: ventilation, screens, heating, cooling/pad-fan, CO₂, controls
- Irrigation/fertigation scope and water source quality
- Target commissioning date, phasing and budget band (USD $250K+)
- Incoterms, destination port/site and who handles civil works and erection
- Site plan or coordinates with plot dimensions
- Soil/water analysis where available
- Any existing concept drawing, BOQ or previous supplier offer
Opens the RFQ Builder pre-scoped as a greenhouse project so suppliers quote structure, covering, climate and irrigation on the same basis. You stay in control — nothing is submitted until you review and confirm.
Free to submit · supplier-neutral · reviewed by a specialist before any supplier is contacted.
Running these numbers for a client project?
Agronomists, greenhouse and irrigation consultants use this calculator for feasibility, then hand the project to us for supplier shortlisting, RFQ preparation and quote comparison. You stay client-facing and we work through you.
Your client relationship stays with you — we work through you and never contact your client unless you ask.
Indicative only
- This tool is indicative only.
- It is not financial advice.
- It is not agronomic advice.
- It is not engineering design.
- Final numbers require supplier, agronomist, engineer and local regulatory review.
SeedMatch Group is an independent agricultural project sourcing and RFQ platform. We are not a farm, seed producer, fertilizer manufacturer, irrigation manufacturer, greenhouse builder, EPC contractor, lender or financial advisor. Supplier and project partner outreach is handled only after a commercial project brief is reviewed.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. SeedMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every agriculture project request is reviewed manually by David / SeedMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.