Enter the formation bulk density (ppg) and the true vertical depth (ft) into the calculator to determine the Overburden Pressure. 

Overburden Pressure Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the Overburden Pressure. 

Po = .052 * pb * D
  • Where Po is the Overburden Pressure (psi)
  • pb is the formation bulk density (ppg) 
  • D is the true vertical depth (ft) 

To calculate an overburden pressure, multiply the formation bulk density by the true vertical depth, then multiply by .052.

How to Calculate Overburden Pressure?

The following two example problems outline how to calculate the Overburden Pressure.

Example Problem #1:

  1. First, determine the formation bulk density (ppg). In this example, the formation bulk density (ppg) is given as 150.
  2. Next, determine the true vertical depth (ft). For this problem, the true vertical depth (ft) is given as 500.
  3. Finally, calculate the Overburden Pressure using the equation above: 

Po = .052 * pb * D

Inserting the values from above and solving the equation: 

Po = .052 * 150 * 500 = 3900 (psi)

Example Problem #2: 

Using the same process as above, first define the variables required by the formula. In this case, these values are:

formation bulk density (ppg) = 1055

true vertical depth (ft) = 35

Entering these values yields:

Po = .052 * 35 * 1044 = 1900.08 (psi)