Specialized Kitchen Tools
Brine Percentage Calculator
Work out how much salt to use for a brine: quick brines for meat, gentle equilibrium brines, and pickle brines.
Measurement System PreferenceAuto-saved
Currently active across all 60 calculators: US Customary (cups, tbsp, oz, °F, in)
Pick a brine type
grams (~8.5 cups)
%
Salt Required
100.0 grams
Approx. 3.5 oz · Dissolve into 2000 mL of water
Table Salt vs Kosher Salt: Always weigh your salt in grams. 1 tablespoon of dense table salt weighs ~18g, Diamond Crystal kosher salt about 8g, and Morton kosher salt about 16g. Same spoon, very different saltiness.
How to use this calculator
- 1Pick a brine type to load a typical strength, or enter your own percentage.
- 2Enter the weight of the water (1 mL of water ≈ 1 g).
- 3Read how many grams of salt to dissolve.
Tip: Weigh the salt. Table, Morton kosher, and Diamond Crystal kosher salts have very different weights per spoon.
How it's calculated
Salt Mass = Water Mass × (Brine % ÷ 100); Total Solution % = Salt ÷ (Water + Salt) × 100
We do the math at full precision and only round the final answer, so the numbers you see are as close as kitchen measurements allow. The assumptions and limits are listed alongside.
Worked example
Scenario: Making 2,000g (2 liters) of a 5% standard poultry wet brine.
Inputs2,000g water at 5% salt concentration
Calculation2,000 × 0.05 = 100.0 grams of salt
Result100.0 g salt dissolved in 2,000 g water
Common questions
What is equilibrium brining vs gradient brining?
A regular brine is strong (about 5-8%) and works fast, so you have to take the meat out in time. An equilibrium brine is weak (about 1.5-2% of meat + water combined), so the meat can sit for a day or more without getting too salty.