Priming Sugar For Carbonation Calculator

Work out priming sugar for carbonation instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Priming Sugar For Carbonation Calculator

Beer already holds dissolved carbon dioxide that depends on its temperature — about 0.85 volumes at 20 C. Priming sugar need only supply the difference to the target. Around 4 grams of dextrose per litre yields one volume of carbon dioxide; sucrose is more efficient and dried malt extract less.

Formulas

Residual CO2

Residual volumes = 3.0378 - 0.050062 T(F) + 0.00026555 T(F)^2

Priming sugar

Sugar (g) = (target - residual) x factor x volume, factor 4.0 dextrose, 3.75 sucrose, 4.55 DME

Worked example

With the default values below, Priming Sugar For Carbonation Calculator returns Priming Sugar Required of 123.08. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Beer Volumeminimum 0 L: 20 L
Target Carbonationminimum 0 volumes CO2: 2.4 volumes CO2
Beer Temperature At Packagingaccepts 0–30 degrees C: 20 degrees C
Priming Sugarone of Dextrose (corn sugar), Sucrose (table sugar), Dried malt extract: Dextrose (corn sugar)

Results

Priming Sugar Required: 123.08
Residual Dissolved CO2: 0.8615
Carbonation To Add: 1.5385
Priming Rate: 6.1541

Step by step

1Values used
2Residual CO2
3Priming sugar
4Priming Sugar Required= 123.08
5Residual Dissolved CO2= 0.8615
6Carbonation To Add= 1.5385
7Priming Rate= 6.1541

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
Over-priming can cause bottles to burst under pressure, risking serious injury. Weigh priming sugar accurately and use bottles rated for pressure.

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

Over-priming can cause bottles to burst under pressure, risking serious injury. Weigh priming sugar accurately and use bottles rated for pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if too much sugar is added?

Over-carbonation and potentially exploding bottles. Bottle bombs are a genuine injury risk, which is why priming should be calculated and weighed, not estimated by volume.

Why does temperature matter so much?

Carbon dioxide solubility falls sharply with temperature. Using the temperature at which the beer was warmest since fermentation ended is the safe assumption.