Free Brine Ratio calculator
Tell it how much water you have and how strong you want the brine, and it returns the exact salt and sugar by weight — plus the spoon count for Diamond Crystal, Morton or table salt — updated live, as you type.
On this page14 sections
| Salt | g / tbsp | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond Crystal | 8.4 g | 5.63 tbsp |
| Morton kosher | 14.4 g | 3.29 tbsp |
| Table / fine | 18.0 g | 2.63 tbsp |
The gram weight is identical — only the spoon count changes. Diamond Crystal holds about half the salt of table salt per tablespoon, so weigh when you can.
Keep food and brine at 40°F or below; cook poultry to 165°F. How accurate is this?
Results are estimates. Consult a professional.
How the brine ratio calculator works
A brine is salt dissolved in water, and its strength is a percentage of salt by weight. The calculator takes your water amount, multiplies it by your target salt percentage, and gives you the exact weight of salt to add. It does the same for optional sugar. Then it converts that salt weight into tablespoons for whichever salt you keep in the cupboard.
Why weight beats volume
A spoon of salt is not a fixed amount of salt. Flaky Diamond Crystal packs far less into a tablespoon than dense table salt, so the same "1 tablespoon per cup" recipe can land anywhere from a mild 3% to a harsh 7% brine depending on the box. Working from weight removes that guesswork: 50 grams of salt is 50 grams of salt, whatever the crystal shape.
What goes into a brine: salt, water and sugar
Three ingredients decide a brine. Get the salt percentage right and the meat comes out seasoned and juicy; get it wrong and it is either bland or inedibly salty. Water sets the base, sugar is optional, and salt does the real work.
Water — the base weight
Every percentage is taken against the water. Weigh it if you can; if you are measuring by volume, one US cup of water weighs 236.6 grams, so a quart (four cups) is about 946 grams. Use enough liquid to submerge the food fully, because anything sticking out above the brine is not being seasoned.
Salt — the percentage that matters
Salt is the active ingredient. It seasons the meat, helps it hold water during cooking, and at higher strengths preserves it. A 5–6% brine suits chicken and pork, 6–7% suits a whole turkey, 3% suits delicate fish, and 8–10% is curing-and-pickling territory. The calculator lets you set the percentage directly.
Sugar — optional balance and browning
Sugar is not required, but a little softens the edge of the salt and helps the skin brown. Most brines that use it sit around 1–3% by weight of the water. The calculator adds a sugar field so you can dial it in alongside the salt without doing a second sum.
A worked example using the brine calculator
Maya is brining chicken pieces overnight. She wants a standard 5% brine in 1 quart of water (4 cups), with a touch of sugar at 2%, and she has a box of Diamond Crystal kosher salt on the shelf.
Step 1 — Turn the water volume into weight
One cup of water is 236.6 g, so 4 cups = 946.4 g of water. Every percentage now works off that number.
Step 2 — Take 5% of the water weight in salt
946.4 × 0.05 = 47.3 g of salt. That is the weight to add, whatever salt you use.
Step 3 — Convert the salt to tablespoons
In Diamond Crystal (8.4 g/tbsp), 47.3 ÷ 8.4 = 5.6 tbsp. The same 47.3 g is only 3.3 tbsp of Morton kosher and 2.6 tbsp of table salt — same salt, very different spoon counts.
Step 4 — Add the optional sugar
Sugar at 2% of the water: 946.4 × 0.02 = 18.9 g (about 1.5 tbsp of granulated sugar). Stir both into the water until they dissolve.
Brine ratio chart: salt percentage by use
If you want a starting point before you measure, this table gives a sensible salt percentage for common jobs, plus the salt weight per quart of water at that strength. Tablespoon figures use Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for Morton kosher use about 60% as many spoons, and for table salt about 45%.
| Use | Salt % | Salt per quart (946 g) water | ≈ Diamond Crystal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delicate fish, shrimp | 3% | 28 g | 3.4 tbsp |
| Chicken, pork chops | 5% | 47 g | 5.6 tbsp |
| Whole turkey | 6% | 57 g | 6.8 tbsp |
| Firm fish, quick brine | 7% | 66 g | 7.9 tbsp |
| Pickling, curing | 8–10% | 76–95 g | 9–11.3 tbsp |
Percentages are by weight of water. Diamond Crystal tablespoons assume 8.4 g/tbsp. A 5% brine is the all-purpose default for poultry and pork; go higher only for short brines or preservation.
Salt brands: Diamond Crystal vs Morton vs table salt
Here is the part most brine recipes get wrong. They tell you a volume of salt without telling you which salt, and the brands differ by almost two to one in how much a spoon holds. That single gap is the difference between a perfect brine and a salt lick.
| Salt | Grams per tbsp | Grams per cup | Volume vs table salt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table / fine sea salt | 18.0 g | ≈ 288 g | 1× (baseline) |
| Morton kosher | 14.4 g | ≈ 230 g | ≈ 1.25× the volume |
| Diamond Crystal kosher | 8.4 g | ≈ 134 g | ≈ 2× the volume |
Densities follow the widely cited rule of thumb: 1 part table salt ≈ 1.5 parts Morton kosher ≈ 2 parts Diamond Crystal kosher by volume. Iodized table salt also carries additives that can leave a faint metallic note — most cooks brine with kosher or plain sea salt.
The fix is simple: brine by weight. If a recipe gives volume, note the brand it was written for. To swap between brands by volume, our cooking converter and butter converter handle the same density problem for other ingredients.
The roughly 2× volume gap between table salt and Diamond Crystal kosher, and the recommendation to weigh salt for accuracy, are documented by America's Test Kitchen and Serious Eats.Wet brine vs equilibrium brine
There are two ways to think about a brine, and they answer different questions. A standard wet brine fixes the strength of the liquid. An equilibrium brine fixes the final saltiness of the food. Both are useful; the calculator supports both.
Wet brine — set the liquid strength
A wet brine takes salt as a percentage of the water alone, usually 5–8%. The food soaks for a set time and you pull it before it over-salts. It is fast and forgiving, which is why it is the default for weeknight chicken and Thanksgiving turkey. The risk is timing: leave the food in too long and it keeps absorbing salt.
Equilibrium brine — set the final saltiness
An equilibrium brine takes salt as a percentage of the meat plus the water combined, at a low strength of roughly 0.5–1.5%. Because the salt is limited, the food and the liquid eventually reach the same concentration and the meat cannot over-salt no matter how long it sits. That makes it the controlled choice for sous vide, smoking and curing, where the food brines for a day or more.
How long to brine, and how to brine safely
Brine time scales with the strength and the thickness of the food. A stronger brine works faster; a thicker cut takes longer. These are starting points, not laws — check the food and taste a trimming if you can.
| Food | Typical brine | Time (5–6% wet brine) |
|---|---|---|
| Shrimp, fish fillets | 3% brine | 15–30 minutes |
| Chicken pieces | 5% brine | 1–4 hours |
| Pork chops | 5–6% brine | 2–6 hours |
| Whole chicken | 5–6% brine | 4–12 hours |
| Whole turkey | 6% brine | 12–24 hours |
Longer brining gives deeper seasoning but eventually crosses into too salty; equilibrium brining avoids that ceiling. Stop a wet brine before the food turns spongy.
Food safety is not optional. The USDA says to keep the food and brine at 40°F (4°C) or below the entire time — in the refrigerator, or in a cooler packed with ice — and to brine no longer than one to two days. Discard the used brine; never reuse it or save it as a sauce. And cook brined poultry to a safe internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) measured in the thickest part.
Hold brining food at 40°F or below, brine no more than 1–2 days, discard brine after use, and cook poultry to 165°F internal — per USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service guidance on basting, brining and marinating poultry.Brining definitions
How accurate is this brine calculator?
The salt and sugar math is exact. Multiply the water weight by your percentage and you get the precise weight of salt or sugar to add, and the water-volume conversion uses the exact 236.6 grams per US cup. Hit those weights on a kitchen scale and your brine is the strength you asked for, batch after batch.
The tablespoon figures are conversions, and they carry the only real uncertainty. Grams-per-tablespoon — about 18 for table salt, 14.4 for Morton kosher, 8.4 for Diamond Crystal — vary a little with humidity and how the salt is scooped, so a volume measurement can drift. That is exactly why weighing the salt is the reliable path, and why the percentages here are starting points to taste against rather than guarantees. Always keep the food at 40°F or below while it brines, and cook poultry to 165°F internal regardless of how it was brined.
Frequently asked questions about the free Brine Ratio calculator
About this Brine Ratio calculator
This brine ratio calculator runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere. It turns a target salt percentage into an exact weight of salt and sugar, then shows that same salt as tablespoons in whichever brand you keep on the shelf, so a recipe written for one salt never throws off your brine.
It is one of our cooking calculators; browse the full set on the all calculators page.