Fuel Per Navigation Leg Calculator
Calculate fuel needed for each leg of a multi-stop journey in nautical miles or km.
Plan fuel stops for sailing, boating, or long-distance driving routes.
How Fuel Per Navigation Leg Is Calculated
Marine and aviation navigation breaks a journey into legs — segments between waypoints. Calculating fuel burn per leg ensures you arrive with sufficient reserve.
Fuel Per Leg Formula:
Fuel (L) = (Distance nm or km) / Speed × Burn Rate (L/hr)
Or equivalently:
Fuel (L) = Distance / (Speed × Fuel Economy L/nm)
Aviation Example (Cessna 172):
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Fuel burn: ~32 liters/hour (8.5 US gal/hr)
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Cruise speed: 200 km/h (108 knots)
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Leg distance: 350 km (189 nm)
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Time = 350 / 200 = 1.75 hours
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Fuel = 1.75 × 32 = 56 liters
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Reserve required (FAA VFR): 45 min = 0.75 hr × 32 = 24 liters
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Total needed: 56 + 24 = 80 liters (Cessna 172 holds ~204L — ample)
Marine Example (40 ft sailboat with auxiliary diesel):
- Fuel burn: 4 liters/hour at 7 knots motoring
- Leg: 45 nautical miles
- Time = 45 / 7 = 6.43 hours
- Fuel = 6.43 × 4 = 25.7 liters
- Add 15% reserve: 29.5 liters
Reserve Rules:
- Aviation VFR day: 30 min (45 min recommended)
- Aviation IFR: 45 min at alternate
- Offshore sailing: carry 200% of calculated motoring fuel
Fuel Density: Aviation fuel (Avgas 100LL): 0.72 kg/L. Diesel: 0.85 kg/L. Weight affects aircraft weight and balance calculations.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
SuperGlobalCalculator is independently built and maintained. See how we build and verify our calculators.