Wash Recipe Chemical Dose Calculator

Work out wash recipe chemical dose instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Wash Recipe Chemical Dose Calculator

Garment wash chemicals are dosed either in grams per litre of bath or as a percentage on weight of fabric, and the two give different quantities unless the liquor ratio is accounted for. Converting between them is essential when transferring a recipe between machines of different loading.

Formulas

Dose by concentration

Dose (kg) = bath volume (L) x g/L / 1000, with bath volume = garment weight x liquor ratio

Dose on weight of fabric

Dose (kg) = garment weight x OWF %; equivalent g/L = dose x 1000 / bath volume

Worked example

With the default values below, Wash Recipe Chemical Dose Calculator returns Chemical Dose By Bath Concentration of 1.2000. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Total Garment Weight In Machineminimum 0.001 kg: 60 kg
Liquor Ratiominimum 0.1 : 1: 10 : 1
Chemical Concentrationminimum 0.001 g/L: 2 g/L
Alternative Dose On Weight Of Fabricaccepts 0–50 %: 3 %

Results

Chemical Dose By Bath Concentration: 1.2000
Dose By Weight Of Fabric: 1.8000
Bath Volume: 600.00
OWF Dose Expressed As g/L: 3.0000

Step by step

1Values used
2Dose by concentration
3Dose on weight of fabric
4Chemical Dose By Bath Concentration= 1.2000
5Dose By Weight Of Fabric= 1.8000
6Bath Volume= 600.00
7OWF Dose Expressed As g/L= 3.0000

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.
Garment washing uses bleaches, enzymes and permanganate solutions that are hazardous to workers and to effluent quality. Follow the safety data sheet and confirm discharge consent limits.

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

Garment washing uses bleaches, enzymes and permanganate solutions that are hazardous to workers and to effluent quality. Follow the safety data sheet and confirm discharge consent limits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which basis should be used?

Enzymes and bleaches acting on the fabric surface are usually dosed on weight of fabric; salts, alkalis and buffers that set bath conditions are dosed in g/L. Follow the chemical supplier's specification.

Why do recipes fail when transferred between machines?

Because liquor ratio changes. A g/L dose in a 10:1 machine is a different OWF dose in a 6:1 machine, so shade and effect shift even though the recipe card is identical.