How to Calculate Brine Concentration (Salt Percent)

This page works out how strong a salt brine is. Enter the weight of salt and the weight of water in grams; you get the concentration as a percentage of the total weight of the brine and the grams of salt per litre of water.

Formula

Concentration (%) = salt ÷ (salt + water) × 100. Salt per litre = salt ÷ water × 1,000 (1 litre of water weighs about 1,000 g).

• Weigh the salt; volume measures of salt vary a lot with grain size.

Worked Example

60 g of salt in 1,000 g of water.

1. Total brine = 60 + 1,000 = 1,060 g
2. Concentration = 60 ÷ 1,060 × 100 = 5.66%
3. Salt per litre = 60 ÷ 1,000 × 1,000 = 60.0 g/L

How to read the result

Recipes state brine strength in two ways: percent of the total brine (this page’s first line) or percent of the water weight (salt ÷ water × 100, here 6%). Check which one your recipe means. To hit a target total-weight percentage p, use salt = water × p ÷ (100 − p).

Limits and common mistakes

• Recipes differ on how they state brine strength; follow your recipe’s own method and safety steps for fermenting or curing.
• Cups or spoons of salt are unreliable; weigh it.
• Seawater is about 3.5% salt by weight, for comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 5% brine?

About 52.6 g of salt per 1,000 g of water, measured as percent of the total weight.

Percent of water or of total?

Both are used. This page shows percent of the total and grams per litre of water.

How much salt for a 3.5% brine in 2 litres?

About 72.5 g (2,000 × 3.5 ÷ 96.5).

Does the type of salt matter?

By weight, no: salt is salt. By volume, coarse and fine salts differ a lot.

in salt | Salt | g | 60 | 0 | 1000000
in water | Water | g | 1000 | 1 | 10000000
out pct | Brine concentration (by weight) | % | salt / (salt + water) * 100 | 2
out gl | Salt per litre of water | g/L | salt / water * 1000 | 1