How It Works
This calculator works in 4 steps.
Choose the basis
Select % w/w, g/L, or degrees salometer.
Enter the starting brine
Type its strength and its mass or volume.
Enter the target strength
Type the required salt level.
Read the water to add
The calculator returns water mass and volume and the final brine mass.
The Formula
The formula keeps salt mass constant and solves for the added water.
w₁ × m₁ = w₂ × m₂m_water = m₁ × (w₁ / w₂ − 1)°SAL = 100 × w / 26.4- w₁ / w₂:
- Starting and target salt mass fraction
- m₁ / m₂:
- Starting and final brine mass
- °SAL:
- Degrees salometer
1,000 g of saturated 26% brine diluted to 5% needs 1,000 × (26 / 5 − 1) = 4,200 g (4.2 L) of water.
Conversion Table
The conversion table gives the water to add for 6 brine dilutions on a % w/w basis.
| Starting brine | Target | Starting mass | Water to add | Final brine mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26% (98.5° salometer) | 10% | 1,000 g | 1,600 g | 2,600 g |
| 26% (98.5° salometer) | 5% | 1,000 g | 4,200 g | 5,200 g |
| 20% (75.8° salometer) | 3.5% | 500 g | 2,357 g | 2,857 g |
| 10% (37.9° salometer) | 2% | 2,000 g | 8,000 g | 10,000 g |
| 15% (56.8° salometer) | 8% | 1,000 g | 875 g | 1,875 g |
| 26% (98.5° salometer) | 18% | 5,000 g | 2,222 g | 7,222 g |
What Is the Brine Dilution Calculator?
The Brine Dilution Calculator is a tool that dilutes a salt brine to a lower salt percent on a stated basis, usually % w/w salt by weight of brine, and returns the water mass to add. Salt mass stays constant, so the dilution is a mass balance.
Brine strength appears as % w/w, as g per liter, or as degrees salometer, where 100° salometer equals a saturated sodium chloride brine at about 26.4% w/w. Food curing, pickling, and road anti-icing each use different strengths. The calculator converts among the bases and works by weight, which avoids errors from brine density changes.
Common Uses
There are 5 main uses of this calculator.
Pickling and fermenting
Cooks dilute stock brine to 2% to 5% for vegetables.
Meat curing
Processors prepare curing brines at set salt levels.
Cheese brining
Cheesemakers maintain brine baths at target strength.
Road anti-icing
Road crews prepare 23.3% brine for pretreatment.
Aquaculture
Hatcheries adjust saline water for fish species.