BYTETOOLS

Coffee to Water Ratio Calculator

Solve any two of coffee dose, water and brew ratio, with presets for pour-over, drip, French press, AeroPress, espresso and cold brew, in grams, ml or fl oz.

30.0
Coffee (g)
480
Water (g / mL)
1:16.0
Ratio
6.0
Coffee (level tbsp)
16.2
Water (US fl oz)
2.03
Water (US cups)
420
Brewed coffee in the cup (g)
62.5
Grams per litre

Your recipe

Pour-over — V60, Chemex — 1:16.0
Coffee: 30.0 g (about 6.0 level tbsp)
Water: 480 g / 480 mL / 16.2 fl oz
Brewed in the cup: about 420 g
Strength: 62.5 g of coffee per litre of water

The whole tool rests on one line of arithmetic: water in grams = coffee in grams × the ratio. Water is taken as 1 g per mL, which is accurate enough for brewing. The SCA Golden Cup standard is 55 g of coffee per litre of water — that is 1:18.2 — with an acceptable band of roughly 50–60 g/L, and every other preset here is a widely used starting point rather than a rule. Grounds hold back around 2 g of water per gram of coffee, which is why the brewed volume is less than the water you poured. Adjust grind and ratio to taste.

What is the Coffee to Water Ratio Calculator?

The ByteTools Coffee to Water Ratio Calculator rests on one line of arithmetic — water in grams equals coffee in grams times the ratio — and lets you solve it for whichever value you are missing.

  • Solves for coffee dose, water or ratio from the other two
  • Ten brew-method presets from SCA Golden Cup to cold brew concentrate
  • Water in grams, millilitres, US fluid ounces, cups or a custom mug size
  • Brewed weight in the cup after grounds absorption
  • Strength shown in grams per litre for comparison with the SCA band
  • Copy the whole recipe as text; everything runs in your browser

How to use the Coffee to Water Ratio Calculator

  1. 1

    Pick a brew method to load its usual ratio, or leave it on custom and type your own.

  2. 2

    Choose what you want to solve for — coffee dose, water, or the ratio itself.

  3. 3

    Fill in the two values that option needs, choosing the unit your water is measured in.

  4. 4

    Set the number of batches, and the mug size if you are measuring water in mugs.

  5. 5

    Read the dose in grams and tablespoons, the water in grams, fluid ounces and cups, and copy the finished recipe.

About the Coffee to Water Ratio Calculator

The ByteTools Coffee to Water Ratio Calculator rests on one line of arithmetic — water in grams equals coffee in grams times the ratio — and lets you solve it for whichever value you are missing. Choose to work out the dose from your water and ratio, the water from your dose and ratio, or the ratio you have actually been brewing at.

Ten brew methods are preloaded with sensible starting ratios, from the SCA Golden Cup standard of 55 g per litre through pour-over, drip, French press, AeroPress, moka pot and espresso to cold brew concentrate. Water can be entered in grams, millilitres, US fluid ounces, US cups or a custom mug size, and the whole recipe scales by the number of batches.

It also does the bit most calculators skip: the grounds keep about two grams of water per gram of coffee, so it reports the brewed weight that actually reaches your cup. Everything is computed in your browser, nothing is uploaded, and the ratios are starting points to adjust to taste rather than rules.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best coffee to water ratio?

For filter coffee, 1:16 to 1:18 by weight suits most palates — 30 g of coffee to 480–540 g of water. The SCA Golden Cup standard is 55 g per litre, which is 1:18.2, with an acceptable band of roughly 50 to 60 g per litre. Adjust from there to taste.

How much coffee for 1 litre of water?

At the SCA ratio of 1:18.2 that is about 55 grams. At a stronger 1:16 it is 62.5 grams, and at a lighter 1:18 it is 56 grams. Enter 1,000 in the water box with 'solve for coffee dose' selected to see any ratio you like.

How many grams of coffee are in a tablespoon?

Roughly 5 grams for medium-ground coffee, though it varies with grind size and bean density by a gram either way. The tablespoon figure here is a convenience for people without a scale — weighing is by far the more repeatable method.

What ratio should I use for cold brew?

About 1:8 for a concentrate you will dilute before drinking, or 1:15 for something ready to drink straight from the jug. Both are preloaded here. Cold brew steeps for 12 to 24 hours, so grind coarse and expect the grounds to hold back a good deal of liquid.

Why is my brewed coffee less than the water I poured?

The spent grounds keep about two grams of water for every gram of coffee. Brew 30 g of coffee with 480 g of water and roughly 60 g stays in the bed, leaving about 420 g in the carafe. The absorption figure is editable — set it to 0 for espresso.

Does the coffee to water ratio change for espresso?

Yes, completely. Espresso is measured as a brew ratio of dry dose to liquid yield, typically 1:2 — an 18 g basket producing about 36 g in the cup. That is why the espresso preset here is 1:2 rather than the 1:16 or so used for filter coffee.

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