Free coffee ratio calculator. Enter your coffee dose and pick a brew strength to get the exact water amount and cups for a balanced brew.
Your results will appear here.
Enter your values and press Calculate.
Weigh your coffee dose in grams and pick your brew strength. The calculator multiplies the dose by the ratio, 16 grams of water per gram of coffee at the balanced 1:16 setting, to give the exact water in millilitres, plus the number of 240 ml cups that makes. Ratios are a starting point: adjust stronger or weaker to taste from there.
A brew ratio is parts coffee to parts water by weight. At 1:16, every gram of coffee gets 16 grams, effectively 16 ml, of water, so 20 g of coffee needs 320 ml of water. Lower ratio numbers mean stronger coffee (1:15), higher numbers mean milder (1:17). The water amount is simply coffee × the ratio number, because water's density is close enough to 1 g/ml to use grams and millilitres interchangeably.
Enter your coffee dose in grams, a kitchen scale is the most consistent way to measure, and choose your strength: light 1:17, balanced 1:16, strong 1:15 or espresso-style 1:10. The calculator shows the water in millilitres and how many standard 240 ml cups that brews. Start at 1:16 for any new coffee and move stronger or weaker from there.
The widely used starting point for drip and pour-over is 1:16 to 1:18, the so-called golden ratio, which the Specialty Coffee Association brackets around 55 g of coffee per litre of water (about 1:18). Think of 1:15 as bold, 1:16 as balanced and 1:17–1:18 as light and tea-like. Personal taste varies widely, so treat the ratio as a dial, not a rule.
Different methods extract differently, so the ideal ratio shifts: drip and pour-over sit around 1:16, French press 1:15–1:17, moka pot near 1:10, and cold brew around 1:8 as a concentrate you dilute about 1:1 later. Espresso is a different world at roughly 1:2, 18 g of coffee to 36 g of liquid espresso. Pick the strength preset closest to your method and fine-tune from there; a brewing ratio chart on the fridge helps until the numbers are second nature.
One level tablespoon of ground coffee weighs roughly 5 g, so 20 g is about 4 tablespoons, but grind size and roast change that, which is why a scale beats spoons for consistency. If your cup tastes bitter and harsh, your ratio is likely too strong or the grind too fine; if it tastes sour and thin, go stronger or finer. Change one variable at a time and the ratio math stays predictable.
The golden ratio is 1:16 to 1:18, one gram of coffee per 16 to 18 grams of water. The Specialty Coffee Association's starting point is about 55 g of coffee per litre of water, roughly 1:18. It suits drip and pour-over best; other methods use their own ranges.
For a standard 240 ml mug at the balanced 1:16 ratio, use 15 g of coffee, for 500ml of water that is about 31 g. For a 6 oz coffee-maker cup (about 177 ml), use about 11 g. Enter any amount above and the calculator scales it, the ratio does the work for any batch size.
One level tablespoon of ground coffee weighs roughly 5 g, and a standard coffee scoop is about 2 tablespoons (10 g). Grind size and roast density shift this, so tablespoons are fine for everyday brewing but a scale wins for repeatability.
Because coffees vary in density: a scoop of light-roast coffee typically weighs more than the same scoop of dark-roast, and grind size changes it too. Weighing in grams removes that variation, so the same ratio gives the same cup every time.
Pour-over and drip do well at 1:16 to 1:17; French press at 1:15 to 1:17. Moka pot is stronger at about 1:10, and cold brew is a concentrate near 1:8. Start in the middle of the range for your method and adjust to taste.
Bitterness usually means over-extraction: the ratio is too strong, the grind is too fine, or the water is too hot. Try a higher ratio number (weaker), a coarser grind, or water at 90–96°C instead of boiling.
Sourness usually means under-extraction: too little coffee for the water, too coarse a grind, or too short a brew time. Go a step stronger on the ratio, grind a touch finer, or give the brew more contact time.
A measuring cup is 8 fluid ounces (237 ml), but a coffee maker's 'cup' is usually 5–6 oz, and mugs hold 8–12 oz. This calculator counts a cup as 240 ml, close to a standard mug, so the cups figure matches what you actually drink.
Find percentages, percentage change and reverse percentages instantly.
Get your personalized daily water target from weight, exercise and climate.
Convert between kilograms, pounds, grams, ounces and tonnes.
Convert between Celsius, Fahrenheit and Kelvin.