This drone thrust calculator helps you determine the motor thrust required of your drone's motors to get up and flying.
How to Use the Drone Motor Thrust Calculator:
- Note: Units of measurement can be whatever you would like...just be consistent across each input (i.e., if you use lbs, stick to lbs)
- Weight: input what you know about the weight of your drone
- Power-to-Weight Ratio: often expressed in grams or ounces, this is the weight that one motor can lift! It is safe for most people to assume a 2:1 ratio, which would allow you to hover your drone at half throttle. If you want a racing drone or plan to shoot FPV style videos, you will want to bump up your ratio to between 4:1 and 7:1 (note that the higher your ratio, the more difficult it will be to fly your drone smoothly--a ratio of 7:1 would be for extreme flying by highly experienced pilots only). The type of conditions you plan to fly in will also make a difference; for example, flying in windy conditions will be harder if your power-to-weight ratio is 2:1 rather than 4:1.