Coffee to Water Ratio Calculator
Grams of coffee for a volume of water, and how much brewed coffee you actually end up with.
Results
Coffee
31.3
g
Volume
438
ml
Tablespoons
5.9
Cups
3.3
What this tool does
A ratio of 1:15 to 1:17 covers most filter brewing, with lower numbers giving a stronger cup; espresso works around 1:2. The yield is always less than the water you poured because the grounds keep roughly two millilitres per gram — which is why a 500 ml brew never fills 500 ml of cups.
Formula
coffee = water ÷ ratio
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
wt | Water | ml |
rt | Brew ratio (1 to x) | — |
ab | Absorption by the grounds | ml/g |
C | Coffee | g |
YD | Volume | ml |
TB | Tablespoons | — |
CU | Cups | — |
Worked example
- Water500 ml
- Brew ratio (1 to x)16
- Absorption by the grounds2 ml/g
- Coffee31.3 g
- Volume438 ml
- Tablespoons5.9
- Cups3.3
Limitations
- The result is an estimate based only on the values you type. Real situations often include factors this calculator does not know about.
- The default values are typical reference figures, not measurements of your situation. Replace them with your own data whenever you have it.