CALCULATE WITH CONFIDENCE

Trades & Professional Tools · Plumbing

Total Dynamic Head Calculator

Combine static elevation, pressure difference, suction/discharge friction, equipment losses, and velocity-head change for pump planning.

Trades & Professional Tools · Plumbing

Enter your project measurements

Measured inputs · visitor-entered product and design assumptions
  1. 1EnterProvide the known values
  2. 2CalculateResults update automatically
  3. 3VerifyReview the details and units
Try an example

Measure using one consistent system. Product coverage, density, resistance, waste, and safety assumptions must come from the actual product data or project specification. Values stay in this browser.

Trade calculator result

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Enter valid values to see the result.

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Understand the result

What the Total Dynamic Head is for

Combine the different head changes a pump must overcome into one planning total.

At a glance

See the relationship

The relationship

The formula used here

TDH = signed elevation change + pressure-head change + friction/equipment losses + velocity-head change.

This is the relationship applied to your inputs. Read the outputs together rather than treating one displayed number as a complete plumbing decision.

Field reading

Use the result as a next check

Enter real project values

Use site measurements, manufacturer information, and the same unit basis throughout.

Read the full result

Keep signs deliberate and reconcile each part with the same source and discharge conditions.

Keep the boundary clear

It does not provide a pump curve, operating point, NPSH assessment, or equipment selection.

Quick guide

How to use this calculator

  1. Choose the calculation mode or measurement system that matches the values you actually have.
  2. Enter measured project dimensions and use product-specific coverage, density, yield, resistance, or waste data where requested.
  3. Review the intermediate results before ordering material or applying the result on site.

Calculation method

Calculation method

TDH = signed elevation change + pressure-head change + friction/equipment losses + velocity-head change.

The calculator preserves full internal precision and rounds only displayed results. Quantity outputs round up when whole purchasable pieces are required.

Worked example

Worked example

A 12 m lift with 4 m friction and 2 m equipment loss requires 18 m TDH when pressure and velocity heads are equal.

TDH = signed elevation change + pressure-head change + friction/equipment losses + velocity-head change.

Supported inputs

Precision and limits

Water-property assumptions

Where a calculator does not request fluid properties, it models water at 998.2 kg/m³ density and 4,186 J/(kg·K) specific heat. Temperature, pressure, dissolved content, or a different fluid can change real results.

Planning scope

This calculator supports measurement, estimating, and scenario planning. It does not inspect a site, select a product, certify a design, or replace drawings, specifications, manufacturer instructions, local codes, permits, or a qualified trade professional.

Measured and product-specific inputs

Nominal dimensions can differ from actual dimensions. Verify inside pipe diameters, actual lumber sizes, product coverage, bag yield, material density, conductor resistance, waste, and packaging against the materials used on the project.

Safety and regulatory limits

Electrical, HVAC, structural, excavation, roofing, pressure, lifting, and life-safety work may require jurisdiction-specific calculations and professional approval. Do not use a generic planning result as a code-compliance or safety determination.

Precision and privacy

Inputs accept bounded plain decimals. Calculations remain in this browser and raw entered project values are not submitted to 365CALCS.COM.

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