
How to Calculate Mineral Rights Value in 2025
If you want to know how to calculate the value of mineral rights in 2025 you’re in the right place!
Figuring out how to calculate the value of mineral rights can be a challenge. We will provide you with some mineral rights value rules of thumb that will guide you. The values we provide will be a good park park estimate of mineral rights value in 2025.

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Garrett Phelan
CEO of US Mineral Exchange with over 27 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. For nearly two decades, he has helped individuals, families, trusts, and non-profits navigate the complexities of mineral and royalty rights to achieve the highest sale prices.
Widely recognized as an industry expert, with an unwavering commitment to a client-first philosophy and extensive industry knowledge, he has been featured in Hart Energy, Yahoo Finance, and the Permian Basin Petroleum Association magazine.
Factors in Calculating Mineral Rights Value
It’s impossible to accurately calculate mineral rights value because many factors affect it, and no two mineral rights properties are exactly alike. That’s why there’s no true “average” price per acre. The only exception is if you own an identical interest to a family member and that family member has an identical lease.
Many mineral owners try to find “comps” to determine if they’re getting a fair offer to sell mineral rights. However, true comps don’t exist in mineral rights due to several key factors. In the same county, prices can range widely—from $250 to over $30,000 per acre—depending on the variables below.
Each factor significantly impacts the value of mineral rights and royalties, making it impossible to accurately calculate a universal value. Here are just a few of the factors that influence mineral rights value:
Operator
How many wells have been drilled
How many wells are left to be drilled
Current production
Surrounding production
Decline curve for existing wells
Pipeline Infrastructure
Localized Oil and Gas Pricing
Royalty Rate
Pugh Clause
No Deductions Clause
Active Permits
Expired Permits
Surrounding Permit Activity
Surrounding Rig Activity
+ MANY MORE!!
With so many factors at play, accurately calculating the value of your specific mineral rights is nearly impossible. That’s why traditional mineral rights appraisal services fall very short.
The Best Way to Estimate Mineral Right Value
Mineral owners often ask us, “How much are mineral rights worth?”
The best way to estimate value is by looking at existing offers. These offers give you a real sense of market value since every buyer is different—some may lowball, others might send you a teaser offer and then reduce the price when you contact them. But if you receive multiple offers to sell mineral rights, you can get a reasonable range of what your mineral rights are worth.
Mineral buyers take all of the factors above into account when making offers. A real legitimate offer from a qualified buyer is the best estimate of the market value of mineral rights.
However, the only real way to find the highest sale price—not just an estimate—is to let US Mineral Exchange actively market your property. If you’re considering an offer, listing with us is the smartest move. It is extremely rare that our clients do not receive higher offers thanks to our wide-reaching platform and aggressive marketing.
How to Calculate Value of Mineral Rights
When mineral owners ask how to calculate the value of mineral rights, they often look for a “Zillow” equivalent for minerals. The truth is, no such tool exists, and any company claiming to be the “Zillow for mineral rights” cannot provide accurate valuations.
The reason is simple: it’s impossible to precisely calculate mineral rights value. Some appraisal services claim to offer accurate estimates, but we’ve compared their figures to actual sales in competitive markets—and they consistently miss the mark. Don’t waste your money.
Every mineral property is unique, affected by numerous factors that make precise valuation impossible. That said, below we’ll share some useful rules of thumb to help guide your understanding of mineral rights value.
Average Price Per Acre for Mineral Rights
People often ask us what the average price per acre is for mineral rights in a certain county. The truth? There really isn’t an average price.
Every mineral ownership is different.
Say you have mineral rights with a 12.5% lease, and all eight horizontal wells that fit on your land have already been drilled and producing for years. Meanwhile, your neighbor right next door has a 25% lease but only one old vertical well from 1950. Now, a well-known operator has set up a drilling pad on their section and is in the process of drilling ten new horizontal wells.
Even though you’re side by side, your mineral rights might be worth $1,000 per acre, while your neighbor could be looking at offers of $30,000 or more per acre—just based on activity and lease terms.
That’s why there’s no such thing as an “average” price per acre for mineral rights. Every situation is unique. Your lease agreement terms, your lease royalty percentage, your ownership type, etc all play a role in the average price per acre for mineral rights.
Gross Acres vs Net Acres
One thing that trips up a lot of mineral owners is the difference between gross acres and net acres—and it’s a key detail if you’re trying to figure out what your mineral rights are worth.
Gross acres just describe the location of your ownership. You’ll see these listed on your deed or lease—usually as nice round numbers like 40, 80, or 160 acres. That’s where many owners assume they own more than they actually do.
But when it comes to calculating value, what really matters is your net mineral acres—your actual ownership portion of those gross acres. That number is rarely listed clearly and can be tricky to figure out.
To find out your net mineral acres, you’ll need revenue statements or a division order/payment document. If you send us your revenue statements, US Mineral Exchange can help you determine exactly how many net acres you own.
Mineral Acre vs Royalty Acre
If you’ve come across the term “royalty acre” or “net royalty acre,” it can be a little confusing at first. But here’s the basic idea:
Mineral buyers use net royalty acres to compare different properties “apples to apples.” It helps them evaluate deals consistently, even if lease terms vary.
It all comes down to your lease rate—specifically, the royalty percentage in your lease.
The simplest way to explain it is this:
1 net mineral acre leased at 12.5% = 1 net royalty acre
1 net mineral acre leased at 25% = 2 net royalty acres
Why? Because a 25% lease is double the royalty rate of a 12.5% lease. So in buyer terms, it’s worth twice as much royalty-wise.
Net royalty acres let buyers calculate how much income interest they’re really buying, regardless of lease differences. It’s a quick way to compare different owners in the same area—even on the same well.
Mineral Rights Value Rules of Thumb
As we mentioned earlier, the best way to estimate the value of your mineral rights is with a real offer from a qualified buyer. That said, there are a few rules of thumb we can use to give you a rough ballpark estimate. While these won’t be exact, they can help you get a general sense of what your mineral rights might be worth.
If you have an offer in hand, and the estimate we show is lower than your offer, DO NOT accept the offer simply because it is higher than our estimate.
The estimated value of mineral rights is just that—an estimate! The truth is, it is extremely rare that we are not able to secure a significantly higher sale price by generating competitive bids through our platform. Before accepting any offer, contact US Mineral Exchange for a free consultation.
Below are some general rules of thumb to help estimate mineral rights value. Keep in mind, these can often miss the mark due to the many factors mentioned earlier. Your property’s value depends largely on which phase of ownership it’s in. For more detail, check out our property types page.
Here are the different phases of mineral rights ownership:

Non-Leased Mineral Rights
If your property isn’t producing royalty income and doesn’t have an active lease, it’s typically worth under $1,000 per acre—often between $0 and $250 per acre.
Unless you have 250+ acres, we usually don’t list non-leased, non-producing mineral rights—unless you already have a current offer or a recently expired lease that suggests higher value.
Leased Mineral Rights
If you’re not receiving royalty checks but you do have an active lease, a good rule of thumb is to estimate your mineral rights value at 2 to 3 times your lease bonus.
So if you leased at $2,000 per net mineral acre, you could expect offers in the range of $4,000 to $6,000 per acre.
The final sale price will depend heavily on your royalty percentage, lease terms, and how strong (or weak) the deal was when you signed the lease.
Producing Mineral Rights
If you’re getting royalty checks, that means you have producing mineral rights—and that changes how you calculate their value.
There are two main things that affect how much your producing minerals are worth:
Cash Flow – This is based on your current royalty income.
Future Upside – This is the potential value if more wells are drilled and production increases in the future. Every buyer values this differently, so it’s nearly impossible to predict or calculate.
To estimate the cash flow value, start by averaging your last 3 months of royalty income. Then plug that number into the mineral rights value calculator below.
As a general rule of thumb, producing mineral rights without future upside usually sell for around 4 to 6 years’ worth of your average monthly income.
Just keep in mind: the calculator will give you a solid estimate of the cash flow value, but it won’t reflect any potential future upside—that part depends on market conditions and expected future activity.
Mineral Rights Royalty Calculator

Keep in mind that you could be getting $10/month in royalty income and the calculator above would show a value of $480 to $720 for your mineral rights. You could be getting $10/month and have an offer for $1,000,000 on the table. This happens all the time.
How is that possible? The mineral rights calculator above only takes into account the cash flow value and does not account for future upside.
Keep this in mind: You might only be getting $10/month in royalty income, and the calculator above would estimate your mineral rights are worth $480 to $720. But it’s entirely possible you’ve received an offer for $1,000,000—and that actually happens more often than you’d think.
How is that even possible?
The calculator is based solely on current cash flow and does not account for future upside, such as new wells being drilled or significant production increases. This is precisely why partnering with US Mineral Exchange is essential—we connect your property with qualified buyers who understand and appreciate its full potential and value.
Accepting Offers for a Fair Price
While a legitimate offer provides the best estimate of mineral rights value, accepting such an offer is not the best way to secure a fair price. The only way to ensure you receive the highest possible price is to market your property to thousands of qualified buyers. Ultimately, your goal is to maximize the cash you put in your pocket.
Accepting an unsolicited offer to sell your mineral rights almost always results in selling below market value.
When you list your mineral rights with US Mineral Exchange, your property gets in front of thousands of qualified buyers fast. These buyers compete against each other to offer you the best price, and that competition is what drives the price up.
While the offers you get in the mail are a good estimate of mineral rights value, they do not indicate the true highest market value possible. If you want to sell your mineral rights for the best possible price, listing them with US Mineral Exchange is the way to go.
You might also be interested to learn more about how the process works or the required documents to list.
Questions about Estimating Mineral Rights Value?
If you have any questions about estimating mineral rights value or want to sell your mineral rights, just reach out to us using the contact form at the bottom of this page. We’ll get back to you quickly!
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Free Consultation
Free Consultation
Common Questions
The more information you can provide about your property the better! We can give you a better idea about the value of selling mineral rights if you provide more information. The most important thing we need is for you to answer the questions and provide your state and county.
If you have the required documents to list, providing those is extremely helpful!
Absolutely not! When you inquire at US Mineral Exchange we will not be putting any pressure on you to sell. We will help answer any questions you have whether you are interested in selling or not.
At US Mineral Exchange, we take privacy very seriously. We will NEVER sell your information or use it without your consent. When you send us documentation or tell us about your property, that information does not go outside our company without your consent. Even when you list a property for sale on our website, we strictly control who has access to the information about your listing so that only legitimate buyers will be able to see property details.
Many mineral owners make the mistake of getting an offer and quickly selling. They then accept an offer far below market value because they felt pressure to sell. There is nearly always a better price available.
Imagine you were selling a home. Would you get the best price from a random person who walks up and makes you an offer? No way! Now imagine you list the home on the MLS where thousands of potential buyers know your house is for sale. The key to getting the best price is competition. Our guide to selling mineral rights explains everything.
The reason that so many mineral owners decide to sell mineral rights at US Mineral Exchange is access to our large network of mineral rights buyers. Our goal is to help you get top dollar for selling mineral rights by getting your property in front of a huge audience of buyers. This allows buyers to compete against one another which ensures you get fair market value for selling mineral rights.
There are absolutely no cost to list your property. When you locate a buyer by listing your property with us, we are paid a commission directly by the buyers closing agent. This means you never have any out of pocket expenses ever. We only get paid if we can get you a better price than the current offer you have in hand.

FREE GUIDE
Download our free mineral rights guide now! Learn more about your mineral rights.