Coffee To Water Ratio Calculator

Work out coffee to water ratio instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Coffee To Water Ratio Calculator

Dose is water divided by the ratio; the grounds retain roughly twice their own weight in water, so the liquid in the cup is always less than the water poured. The 1:16 golden ratio lands near 1.35% dissolved solids, the accepted sweet spot, and the retained-water figure explains why a 500 g brew never yields 500 g of coffee.

Formulas

Coffee dose

coffee grams = water grams / ratio

Beverage yield

in the cup = water - coffee grams x water retained per gram of grounds

Worked example

With the default values below, Coffee To Water Ratio Calculator returns Ground coffee needed of 31.3. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Waterminimum 10 g: 500 g
Water to coffee ratioaccepts 5–30: 16
Brew methodone of Pour over / filter, French press, Aeropress, Cold brew concentrate: Pour over / filter

Results

Ground coffee needed: 31.3 g
Liquid you will actually get: 438 g
Ratio used: 1 : 16
Estimated strength (TDS): 1.43%

Step by step

1Values used
2Coffee dose
3Beverage yield
4Ground coffee needed= 31.3 g
5Liquid you will actually get= 438 g
6Ratio used= 1 : 16
7Estimated strength (TDS)= 1.43

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Coffee To Water Ratio figure worked out?

coffee grams = water grams / ratio. Dose is water divided by the ratio; the grounds retain roughly twice their own weight in water, so the liquid in the cup is always less than the water poured.

Why does this matter?

The 1:16 golden ratio lands near 1.35% dissolved solids, the accepted sweet spot, and the retained-water figure explains why a 500 g brew never yields 500 g of coffee.

What do I need to enter?

Enter water, water to coffee ratio, brew method. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.