Built and fact-checked by the DocNectar team — see our editorial standards
Key Features
Instant Calculation
Get accurate results in real time with our optimized algorithm.
Mobile Friendly
Fully responsive design. Works on all devices & screen sizes.
Privacy Focused
Your data stays on your device. We don't store any inputs.
100% Free
No hidden costs. This tool is completely free forever.
A brine's strength is described by its salinity — the percentage of the total brine weight (water plus salt) that's salt. Getting this percentage right is what separates a well-seasoned, moist result from something either bland or unpleasantly salty.
This calculator takes your water amount and target salinity percentage, and tells you exactly how much salt to dissolve in it.
How it works
Enter your water amount (in milliliters) and target salinity percentage. The tool solves for the salt weight needed so that salt makes up that percentage of the total brine weight (water plus salt) — not just a percentage of the water alone.
- Enter water (ml).
- Enter target salinity (%).
- Click Calculate to see your results.
Examples
A standard 5% brine
1 liter (1000ml) of water at a 5% salinity brine needs about 52.6g of salt.
Who should use it
- Brining a turkey, chicken, or pork roast before cooking.
- Scaling a brine recipe up or down for a different container size.
Industry applications
- Home and professional cooking
- Food preservation
Advantages
- Removes the guesswork from scaling a brine recipe to any container size.
- Uses the standard professional-kitchen salinity convention.
Limitations
- Doesn't account for other brine ingredients (sugar, aromatics) that some recipes include alongside salt.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating salinity as a percentage of the water weight alone, rather than the total (water + salt) brine weight, which understates how much salt is really needed.
- Brining for too long at a high salinity, which can make the final result overly salty or change the texture.
Best practices
- Weigh your water and salt rather than using volume measures — table salt, kosher salt, and coarse sea salt all pack very differently by volume.
Tips
- Always fully dissolve the salt in the water (warming it slightly can help) before adding your protein, so the salinity is evenly distributed.