Case 1
- How much water?
- 2000g
- Target salinity
- 5%
100.0g
Open with these valuesBrine Calculator
100.0g
Result: 100.0 gA wet brine is named after the salt as a share of the water weight, so a 5 % brine is 50 g of salt per 1000 g of water. Weigh both: a spoon of flaky sea salt and a spoon of fine table salt weigh very differently, but 50 g of either brines the same. Most brines sit between 3 % and 6 %.
The numbers at a glance
Held fixed: How much water? 2,000 g.
| Target salinity (%) | Result (g) |
|---|---|
| 0.00 | 0.0 |
| 2.00 | 40.0 |
| 4.00 | 80.0 |
| 5.00Your value | 100.0 |
| 6.00 | 120.0 |
| 8.00 | 160.0 |
| 10.00 | 200.0 |
Worked examples
Case 2
- How much water?
- 1000g
- Target salinity
- 3%
30.0g
Open with these valuesCase 3
- How much water?
- 1500g
- Target salinity
- 4.5%
67.5g
Open with these valuesHow it's calculated
salt = water weight × salinity % ÷ 100
- StepWeigh the water instead of measuring its volume — 1 litre is about 1000 g.
- StepPick a strength: 3 % is gentle, 5 % suits almost anything, 6 % works fast.
- ResultMultiply the water weight by that percentage to get the salt.
What this number means
Naming a brine by a percentage rather than by a spoon count is what makes it repeatable. The percentage is the salt measured against the water weight, so a given strength stays the same strength whether you mix a bowl or a bucket, and one number describes the liquid however much of it you happen to need. That gives salt = water weight × salinity ÷ 100, and the default settings work out as 2000 × 5 ÷ 100 = 100 g of salt in 2000 g of water. The reference point is worth pinning down, because the same percentage can be read against the finished solution instead: that reading would ask for 105.3 g in the same water, since 105.3 in 2105.3 g of liquid is 5 %. Both readings circulate, and this calculator follows the kitchen convention and counts against the water alone. What it sizes is the liquid, and nothing beyond it. It knows the water and the strength, not the food — the weight of what goes into the brine, the vessel and the whole course of the process stay outside the division, and sugar or aromatics you stir in are no part of the percentage either. It also assumes the salt actually dissolves, which is why the field stops at 30 %, where cold water has no room left.
The percentage counts against the water
A 5 % brine is 50 g of salt per 1000 g of water, not 50 g in every 1000 g of finished liquid. The two readings differ by about five percent of the salt.
Weigh the salt, do not spoon it
By weight any pure salt salts the same, but by volume it matters a great deal. Flaky and coarse salts take up far more space per gram than fine table salt.
Wet brines only
This covers brines where salt is dissolved in water. Dry brining salts the surface of the food directly and is measured against the weight of the food, not of any water.
Commonly misread
A 5 % brine means salt is 5 % of the finished liquid.
It is 5 % of the water weight, the usual kitchen convention. 2000 g of water at 5 % needs 100 g of salt.
A spoon of salt is a spoon of salt.
Salt crystals differ greatly in size, so a spoon of flaky sea salt weighs far less than a spoon of fine table salt. Weigh in grams and any salt works.
Reference table
| Water, salinity | Suits | Salt |
|---|---|---|
| 1000, 3 | Fish, short soak | 30.0 |
| 1000, 5 | All-purpose strength | 50.0 |
| 1000, 6 | Fast and assertive | 60.0 |
| 1500, 4.5 | Turkey breast | 67.5 |
| 2000, 5 | A whole chicken | 100.0 |
Questions
How do I calculate a brine?
Multiply the water weight by the salinity percentage divided by 100. Weigh both in grams: 2000 g of water at 5 % needs 2000 × 0.05 = 100 g of salt.
Is the percentage of the water or of the finished brine?
Of the water. This calculator follows the usual kitchen convention, so 5 % means 50 g of salt for every 1000 g of water, not 50 g in every 1000 g of finished liquid. The two readings differ by about five percent of the salt, which matters far less than getting the water weighed at all.
What salinity should I use?
Most wet brines fall between 3 % and 6 % of the water weight. Around 3 % suits fish and short soaks, 5 % is a dependable all-purpose strength for pork and poultry, and 6 % is the fast, assertive end.
Does the type of salt matter?
By weight, no — 100 g of any pure salt salts the same. By volume it matters a great deal, because flaky and coarse salts take up far more space per gram than fine table salt. This calculator works in grams, so any salt is fine as long as you weigh it.
Does this work for dry brining?
No, this covers wet brines, where salt is dissolved in water. Dry brining salts the surface of the food directly and is measured against the weight of the food, not of any water.
Sources and last check
Information, not professional advice.