A brine ratio calculator that solves in three directions: given a quantity of water it tells you the exact salt to add for your target concentration; given a quantity of salt it tells you how much water to add; and given both it computes the resulting concentration. All results are shown in grams, kilograms, ounces and pounds with the full arithmetic working displayed so you can verify every figure.
How it works
The core formula is straightforward weight-percent chemistry:
C (%) = mass_salt / (mass_salt + mass_water) × 100
Rearranging for the two “solve-for” modes gives:
- Salt needed: mass_salt = mass_water × C / (100 − C)
- Water needed: mass_water = mass_salt × (100 − C) / C
Because the formula works in consistent mass units, the calculator first converts your input (kg, oz, or lb) to grams, applies the formula, then converts the output back to all four units simultaneously. This means you can enter, say, 2 lb of water and instantly see how many grams, ounces and kilograms of salt are needed alongside the gram value.
Concentration is also shown as parts per thousand (ppt), the unit used in aquaculture, ocean science, and some food-safety standards. One ppt equals one gram of salt per kilogram of total solution, so converting between % and ppt is simply multiplication by 10.
Worked example — chicken brine
You want to brine a 1.5 kg chicken in 6 % w/w brine using 1 litre of water (approximately 1000 g):
- Open “Find salt needed”, set water to 1 kg, target to 6 %.
- Formula: salt = 1000 × 6 / (100 − 6) = 1000 × 6 / 94 = 63.83 g
- Total brine weight: 1000 + 63.83 = 1063.83 g
- Verification: 63.83 / 1063.83 × 100 = 6.00 % ✓
You need roughly 64 g of salt per litre of water. In imperial units that is approximately 2.25 oz or 0.14 lb.
Common brine concentration reference
| Application | Concentration (w/w) |
|---|---|
| Quick refrigerator pickles | 3–4 % |
| Lacto-fermented vegetables | 2–5 % |
| Chicken or turkey brine | 5–7 % |
| Pork chop brine | 7–9 % |
| Olive curing brine | 8–12 % |
| Gravlax / light-cured salmon | 5–8 % |
| Heavily cured fish | 15–20 % |
| Saturated NaCl solution | ~26 % (maximum at 20 °C) |
Formula note
The w/w percent formula is temperature-independent, which is why food scientists prefer it over w/v percent. At brine concentrations below 10 %, the density of the solution is very close to that of pure water (1 g/mL), so the practical difference between w/w and w/v is under 1 %. For precise cheesemaking or curing calculations, w/w is the recommended standard — and it is what this calculator uses throughout.