Pitch Marking Paint Calculator

Use this calculator to work out how much line marking paint you need for one marking, and for a full season. Choose your sport, then your pitch size. Pitchmark's mixing rates are based on a full-size football (soccer) pitch, and the calculator scales them for Rugby Union and GAA pitches.

Paint needed per marking: quick reference

Litres of paint (before adding water) to mark one pitch once. Full-size football figures come from Pitchmark's mixing chart and product data. Other pitches are estimated from the total length of lines on each pitch.

How the calculation works

Every Pitchmark paint rate is given for one full-size football pitch, which has roughly 720 metres of lines. Rugby Union and GAA pitches have more lines, so they need more paint. A GAA pitch has around 1,300 metres because of the 13m, 20m and 45m lines at each end, so it uses close to twice the paint of a football pitch. The calculator scales the football rate by the approximate line length of the pitch you choose:

• Football 11v11 (full size): about 720m of lines. This is the base rate.
• Football 9v9: about 500m (roughly 0.7 times)
• Football 7v7: about 360m (roughly 0.5 times)
• Football 5-a-side: about 220m (roughly 0.3 times)
• Rugby Union (full size): about 860m, including the 22m, 10m and 5m lines (roughly 1.2 times)
• GAA (full size): about 1,300m, the same for Gaelic football and hurling (roughly 1.8 times)

Your real usage depends on your pitch dimensions, line width, walking speed, nozzle condition and how faded the old lines are. Treat the result as a planning figure and keep a spare drum in the shed.

Frequently asked questions

How much paint do I need to mark a full-size football pitch?

It depends on the paint. Extreme uses 1.5L of concentrate mixed with 5L of water. Lumen uses 2L with 4.5L of water, and Clubline uses 2.5L with 4L of water. For ready-to-use paints, Ecoline+ uses 1.5L, while Direct and Edge each use 2.5L, with no water added.

How much paint does a GAA pitch take?

A GAA pitch has roughly 1.8 times the line length of a full-size football pitch. A typical marking uses about 2.7L of Extreme concentrate, 3.6L of Lumen or 4.5L of Clubline. Gaelic football and hurling use the same pitch markings.

How much paint does a Rugby Union pitch take?

A full-size Rugby Union pitch has roughly 1.2 times the line length of a football pitch, once the 22m, 10m and 5m lines are included. A typical marking uses about 1.8L of Extreme concentrate, 2.4L of Lumen or 3L of Clubline.

How many pitches will a 10L drum mark?

On full-size football pitches, a 10L drum of Extreme or Ecoline+ marks about 6 pitches, Lumen about 5, and Clubline, Direct or Edge about 4. On GAA pitches, expect roughly half that.

What is the difference between concentrate and ready-to-use paint?

Concentrates such as Extreme, Lumen and Clubline are mixed with water before use, so one drum goes further. Ready-to-use paints such as Ecoline+, Direct and Edge go straight into the machine with no mixing, which saves time on match day. They need misting, hollow cone or stainless steel nozzles rather than flat fan nozzles, as set out in our nozzle guide.

Why am I using more paint than the calculator says?

The usual causes are a worn or wrong nozzle, walking slower than normal, marking wider lines, going over faded lines twice, or marking in long or wet grass. Check your nozzle and filter first, as a worn nozzle can noticeably increase usage.

Which paint should I use in a robot line marker?

Use Edge. It is ready to use and made for robotic markers such as Turf Tank, Tiny Robot and FJ Dynamics, as well as pedestrian spray markers. A 10L container marks about 4 full-size pitches. Concentrates such as Clubline, Lumen and Extreme are not suitable for robots.

Not sure which paint suits your club? See Which Pitch Marking Paint Do I Need?, compare them in our paint comparison guide, or check line layouts on our pitch dimensions page.