Abstract Wind erosion is a physical process predominated by airborne grains rather than the wind itself. The soil deformation is either elastic–plastic or fully plastic during its collisions with solid grains, corresponding to dense and loose soils, respectively. Only the fully plastic deformation was previously taken into account in the physically‐based wind erosion models. The impact erosion of dry and dense soil surface can be well quantified by the contact mechanics and strength theories. In this study, with the help of Owen's uniform saltation model, a simple expression for wind erosion rate is derived based upon the eroded volume per impact when soil deforms in the elastic–plastic manner. The new expression, a simple analytical function of several conventional variables and parameters of wind and soil, describes the effects of saltation flux and soil susceptibility. Its validity is verified by some field and laboratory experiments.