Soil Carbon Credit & What Your Carbon Is Worth
Earns from cover crops
Enter the soil organic carbon you build, your area and the credit price to get the CO₂ removed(added carbon × 44/12) and what those carbon credits are worth.
Value your soil carbon
Next: building 15.6 t CO₂e of soil carbon could earn around ₹31,161 — but only via a verified registry with baseline soil sampling, an approved methodology and ongoing monitoring.
Indicative only. Real credits require third-party measurement/verification, permanence buffers and registry fees that reduce net payment; SOC gains are also hard to sustain and reversible if practices lapse.
Soil carbon credits — key facts
- CO₂ from carbon
- carbon × 44/12 (≈3.67)
- Credit value
- CO₂ tonnes × credit price
- 1 t carbon
- ≈ 3.67 t CO₂
- Build carbon via
- cover crops, manure, no-till
- Credit unit
- 1 t CO₂ removed
- Permanence
- keep practices going
- Price
- varies by scheme & market
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing uploaded
Turn the carbon you build into income
Every tonne of organic carbon you lock into the soil is a tonne pulled out of crops and residues and kept out of the air — and because it took CO₂ from the atmosphere to get there, it can be sold as a carbon credit. The arithmetic hinges on one conversion: carbon weighs 12, CO₂ weighs 44, so each unit of soil carbon represents 44/12 ≈ 3.67 units of CO₂ removed. Build carbon with cover crops, manure, compost and no-till and that removal becomes a saleable asset.
This tool gives the CO₂ tonnes sequestered, the carbon built, the credit value and the area from your carbon increase and a credit price. Use it to see whether carbon farming pays on your land before signing up to a scheme. Pair it with the Soil Organic Carbon and Soil Organic Matter Buildup tools to plan how much carbon you can realistically build.
Value the carbon
See what your sequestered CO₂ is worth.
Test the price
Try different credit prices instantly.
Justify practices
Put a figure on cover crops and no-till.
Plan carbon farming
Decide if a scheme is worth joining.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a soil carbon credit?+
A soil carbon credit represents one tonne of CO₂ removed from the air and stored in the soil as organic carbon. By building soil organic carbon — through cover crops, manure, compost and reduced tillage — a farm can sequester carbon and, under a verified scheme, sell that removal as a tradeable credit to buyers offsetting their emissions.
How is the carbon credit value calculated?+
First the carbon you add to the soil is converted to CO₂: CO₂ = added carbon × 44/12, because one carbon atom (mass 12) combines with two oxygen atoms to make CO₂ (mass 44). The CO₂ tonnes are then multiplied by the credit price to give the value. So 1 tonne of soil carbon equals about 3.67 tonnes of CO₂.
Why multiply carbon by 44/12?+
Carbon credits are priced per tonne of CO₂, not per tonne of carbon. The molecular weight of CO₂ is 44 and of carbon is 12, so each kilogram of carbon locked in the soil corresponds to 44/12 ≈ 3.67 kg of CO₂ removed from the atmosphere. The 44/12 factor converts the soil carbon you build into the CO₂ figure credits are paid on.
How do I build soil organic carbon?+
Practices that raise soil organic carbon include cover cropping, returning crop residues, applying manure and compost, no-till or reduced tillage, rotations with deep-rooted and perennial species, and integrating livestock. These add organic matter and keep carbon in the ground rather than oxidising it back to CO₂.
What credit price should I use?+
Carbon credit prices vary widely by market, scheme and quality — from a few dollars to tens of dollars per tonne of CO₂ on voluntary markets. Use a price quoted by the programme you intend to sell into, and treat the value as indicative. Premiums apply for measured, verified and durable removals.
Is the carbon I build permanent?+
Soil carbon can be lost again if you go back to intensive tillage or bare fallow, so most schemes require practices to continue and may apply a permanence or buffer discount. The figure here is the gross sequestration; net saleable credits depend on the scheme's baseline, additionality and permanence rules.
How is soil carbon measured for credits?+
Schemes typically measure soil organic carbon from soil cores at known depth and bulk density, sampled before practices change and re-sampled later; the increase is the sequestration. Modelling and remote sensing may supplement sampling. The more rigorous the measurement, the higher the credit usually fetches.
Does this work for any area unit?+
Yes — enter your area in acres, hectares, bigha, guntha or m². The calculator scales the carbon you build and the resulting CO₂ and value across whatever area you farm, so it works for a smallholding or a large enterprise alike.
Are the figures precise?+
They are planning estimates. Real credit income depends on verified measured carbon, the scheme's baseline and discounts, the prevailing credit price, and contract terms. Use this to gauge whether carbon farming is worth pursuing on your land, then get scheme-specific numbers before committing.