Profile grade analysis
The grade of every segment along an elevation profile, the steepest and average grade, total climb and descent, and each segment steeper than your limit flagged.
Experimental: not yet fully verified. How results are checked
The steepest grade is 11%, the average 4.67%. 1 segment is over the limit.
| From | To | Grade | Over the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.000 ft | 100.000 ft | 6.00 | no |
| 100.000 ft | 200.000 ft | 11.00 | yes |
| 200.000 ft | 300.000 ft | -3.00 | no |
- Average grade
- Total climb
- Total descent
- Segments over the limit
Provenance
- Computed by
- survey.earthwork.profile-grades 1.0.0, core 0.1.0
- Model
- Grade of each segment = Δelevation / Δdistance × 100; average = (last − first elevation) / total distance × 100; climb and descent are the sums of positive and negative Δelevation
- Accuracy
- Exact for the points given; grades between them are assumed uniform
- Notes
- 1 shown with the answer
- Cites
- Ghilani, C. D., and Wolf, P. R., Pearson, Elementary Surveying: An Introduction to Geomatics
Something look off?
How we got thisFormula, worked example, sources, and proof
Model: Grade of each segment = Δelevation / Δdistance × 100; average = (last − first elevation) / total distance × 100; climb and descent are the sums of positive and negative Δelevation
Accuracy: Exact for the points given; grades between them are assumed uniform
Worked example: A trail profile against an 8% limit. Source: add-survey-suite grade-threshold scenario: the 11% segment is flagged. It is golden test vector v001, and every build checks the tool still gives its answer within its tolerance.
You enter
- Grade limit
- 8
- Profile
- 0 ft, 400 ft 100 ft, 406 ft 200 ft, 417 ft 300 ft, 414 ft
You get
- Steepest grade
- 11
- Average grade
- 4.67
- Total climb
- 17 ft
- Total descent
- 3 ft
- Segments over the limit
- 1
Review: Not yet independently reviewed by a licensed surveyor.
Last verified: 2026-09-23, when a maintainer last confirmed this tool's sources at the issuer. See the sources ledger.
Status: version 1.0.0, core 0.1.0. See this tool in the verification report.
Checked against: 6 golden test vectors (download the test vectors, each with its source and tolerance). See how results are checked and every source.
Sources
- Elementary Surveying: An Introduction to Geomatics, Ghilani, C. D., and Wolf, P. R., Pearson, 16th edition. Chapter 25 (grades on profiles).
Experimental means this tool has not yet met the stable bar: at least 20 golden vectors, differential tests, and an independent worked example.
Learn the concept: Vertical curves explained