Rainwater Harvesting Volume Calculator
The canonical identity for rainwater harvesting is "1 mm of rain on 1 m² ≡ 1 litre". Enter your catchment area, annual rainfall and a runoff coefficient (the share of rain that actually reaches the tank — a function of roof material) and the tool returns the annual harvest, the monthly average and equivalent days of garden irrigation. Methodology follows the Texas Water Development Board *Rainwater Harvesting Manual* (3rd ed.) and CIRIA C753 *SuDS Manual* §24.6.
Enter a valid area (> 0), rainfall (≥ 0), runoff coefficient (0–1) and irrigation demand (≥ 0).
Annual harvest
192,000
L / year
50,720 US gal / year
Monthly average
16,000
L / month (avg)
Equivalent irrigation days
7,680
How many days the annual harvest could cover at a constant daily demand. Real-world capacity is bounded by tank size and rainy-season skew.
First-pass sizing tool. Actual yield depends on first-flush diversion, filtration, tank capacity and how rainfall is spread across months.
Formula
V (L/yr) = A (m²) × R (mm/yr) × C
- · Unit magic: 1 mm × 1 m² = 1 L, so no conversion constant is needed — plug in numbers directly.
- · Typical runoff coefficient C: smooth metal 0.90; glazed tile 0.80–0.85; concrete pavement 0.85; green roof 0.50; lawn 0.20 (CIRIA C753 Table 24.4).
- · First-flush diverters are essential for water quality — the first 0.5–2 mm of rain (carrying dust, bird droppings, leaves) is discarded; that loss is already baked into C.
- · Reference annual rainfall: Hong Kong ≈ 2 400 mm (HKO 1991–2020 normal); London ≈ 590 mm; Tokyo ≈ 1 530 mm; São Paulo ≈ 1 400 mm; Dubai ≈ 100 mm.
- · Tank sizing rule of thumb: annual harvest ÷ 12 = monthly average, but in seasonal climates the practical tank ceiling is 1–2 months of demand — beyond that, marginal capacity pays back over years.
- · Potable use requires extra treatment (filtration, UV, boiling). This calculator covers non-potable uses only — irrigation, toilet flushing, washing.
Frequently asked
My roof is pitched — do I use the slope length or the plan-view area?
Always use the plan-view (projected) area — what you would see looking straight down — not the slope length. The reason is physical: rain falls vertically (ignore wind effects), so a 10 m × 10 m flat roof and a pitched roof whose slope is 14 m long × 10 m wide but whose footprint is also 100 m² collect the same volume; the pitched roof just spreads the same water over more material. Practical measurement: (1) tape-measure the building footprint at ground level (eave to eave horizontally); (2) use Google Maps satellite ruler; (3) read the footprint off the architectural plans. The common mistake is taking the actual sloped surface area — that over-estimates yield by 15–40 % (a 30° pitch over-states by ~15 %; a 45° pitch by ~41 %).
How do I pick the runoff coefficient — just by roof material?
Material is the starting point, not the whole story. Three factors stack: (1) Surface texture — slick is good, rough/porous is bad. Corrugated metal: nearly zero water absorbed, rain sheets off → C ≈ 0.85–0.90. Glazed tile: small absorption → 0.80–0.85. Asphalt shingle (North-American norm): some surface absorption → 0.75–0.85. Green roof: soil and plants absorb water → C drops below 0.50. Lawn or bare ground: 0.10–0.20. (2) First-flush volume — the first 0.5–2 mm has to be diverted for hygiene; that already costs ~2–5 %. (3) Roof age and condition — lichen, leaf litter and surface weathering knock 5–10 % off after ~5 years of service. Practical rule: pick the table value minus one or two percentage points for safety margin; over-estimating just leaves you with an under-utilised tank (wasted capex), while under-estimating is conservative. CIRIA C753 and the TWDB manual both recommend a design value of "table value × 0.9" as a safety factor for engineering design.
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