Coffee Ratio Calculator

About the Coffee Ratio Calculator

Calculates how much ground coffee to use for a given amount of water (or vice versa) based on your preferred brew ratio, such as 1:16.

How to use

Enter your water amount and brew ratio, then click Calculate.

Worked example

500 g water at 1:16 → 31 g of coffee.

How to use this calculator

1. Enter how much coffee you want to brew or how much coffee grounds you have.
2. Choose the brew ratio you want to use, such as 1:15 or 1:16.
3. Read the calculated water amount or coffee amount from the result.
4. Adjust the ratio if you want a stronger or weaker cup.

The formula explained

• \(w\) = water amount
• \(c\) = coffee amount
• \(r\) = brew ratio, written as water to coffee

Step by step method

1. Start with the ratio. A ratio of 1:15 means 1 part coffee to 15 parts water.
2. Use the coffee amount you have, then multiply it by the water part of the ratio.
3. If you are solving for coffee instead, divide the water amount by the ratio.
4. Check the result and round it to a practical amount for brewing.

Worked example

Suppose you want to brew coffee with 20 grams of grounds using a 1:16 ratio.

1. Interpret the ratio 1:16 as 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water.
2. Multiply 20 by 16: \(20 \times 16 = 320\).
3. So the required water amount is 320 grams.

Tips and common mistakes

• Make sure you know whether the ratio is written as coffee to water or water to coffee.
• Use grams for both coffee and water when possible, because it makes the calculation simple and accurate.
• A smaller water number per gram of coffee makes a stronger brew, while a larger number makes it lighter.
• Round to a practical amount, especially if your scale measures in whole grams only.

Frequently asked questions