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COFFEE · BREW GUIDECoffee Ratio Calculator
How much coffee — and how much water? Enter one, pick a ratio, and get the other instantly, for pour over, French press or cold brew. Every ratio here is a common starting point you can adjust to taste, never a rule.
- 100% free, no sign-up
- Both directions: coffee to water, water to coffee
- Grams and ounces, with a servings scaler
- Cold brew concentrate + ready-to-drink
Ratio 1:X means 1 part coffee to X parts water, by weight.
1:5 is far stronger than 1:16 — the smaller the second number, the bolder the cup.
Concentrate starts near 1:5 and is diluted before drinking; ready-to-drink starts near 1:10.
Bean size and grind change what a scoop holds, so weighing is the repeatable way.
Your brew
Enter the weight you know, and the calculator works out the other one.
These are common starting points — adjust to taste. They are not official standards.
Drag the slider to any ratio from 1:4 to 1:20 — moving it switches the preset to Custom automatically.
Brewing for more than one cup? Raise servings — totals scale up. As a guide, 1 cup is about 240 ml of water (about 240 g).
Please note: this is a weight-based calculator. Water weighs about 1 g per ml, so grams and millilitres are treated as equal here. Taste is personal — use the result as a starting point and adjust to your own cup.
How this coffee ratio calculator works
Two multiplications, in whichever direction you need — nothing hidden.
Pick a direction
Know your coffee weight? Get the water. Know your water? Get the coffee. One input is all it takes.
Pick a ratio
Choose a brew-method preset, or drag the slider to any custom ratio from 1:4 to 1:20.
Scale it
Set servings for more than one cup — coffee and water totals scale together, so the ratio never changes.
Brew-method guide
Three ways to brew, three starting ratios. Grind and steep time change with the method — the ratio math does not.
Pour over — start 1:16
- Medium grind, hot water poured slowly in circles
- Clean, bright cup that shows off the bean
- If it tastes thin, try 1:15; if bitter, try 1:17
French press — start 1:14
- Coarse grind, coffee steeped in hot water for a few minutes
- Full, heavy cup with more body and oils
- Press slowly and pour right away so it stops extracting
Cold brew — start 1:5 or 1:10
- Coarse grind, steeped in cool water for many hours, often overnight
- Smooth, sweet, low-acid cup
- See below: concentrate and ready-to-drink are two different brews
Cold brew: concentrate vs ready-to-drink
Cold brew comes in two strengths, and mixing them up is the most common cold brew mistake.
Concentrate — start 1:5
- Brewed very strong on purpose, to be stored and diluted later
- Usually diluted about 1:1 with water or milk before drinking — typical practice, adjust to taste
- Example: 100 g coffee at 1:5 makes 500 g of concentrate
Ready-to-drink — start 1:10
- Brewed at drinking strength, so it needs no dilution
- Pour over ice and drink — or refrigerate and drink within a few days
- Example: 100 g coffee at 1:10 makes 1,000 g of ready-to-drink cold brew
Worked examples
Four brews, worked through the same formula. Water = coffee × X, and coffee = water / X.
| Method | Coffee | Ratio | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pour over | 30 g | 1:16 | 480 g |
| French press | 42 g | 1:14 | 588 g |
| Cold brew concentrate | 100 g | 1:5 | 500 g |
| From water: pour over | 480 g water | 1:16 | 30 g coffee |
Pour over: 30 × 16 = 480 g of water. French press: 42 × 14 = 588 g of water. Cold brew concentrate: 100 × 5 = 500 g of water. And in reverse: 480 / 16 = 30 g of coffee for 480 g of water at 1:16.
Coffee ratio questions, answered
What is a coffee ratio?
A coffee ratio is the weight of coffee compared with the weight of water, written as 1:X. A ratio of 1:16 means 1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water — so 30 grams of coffee needs 480 grams of water. Ratios are measured by weight, not by scoops, because scoops vary.
What ratio should I use for cold brew?
Two common starting points: about 1:5 for cold brew concentrate, and about 1:10 for ready-to-drink cold brew. Concentrate is strong by design and is usually diluted about 1:1 with water or milk before drinking. Both are starting points — adjust to taste.
How much coffee do I need for one cup?
One cup is about 240 ml of water, which weighs about 240 grams. At a 1:16 ratio that means 240 / 16 = 15 grams of coffee per cup. At 1:14 it is about 17 grams, and at 1:10 it is 24 grams. Use the servings scaler on the calculator for more than one cup.
Should I measure coffee in grams or scoops?
Grams. A scoop does not always hold the same weight — bean size, roast and grind all change how much fits — so two scoops can differ by several grams. Weighing in grams (or ounces) is the repeatable way, and it is what every ratio on this page is based on.
Does grind size change the coffee ratio?
No. The ratio is only about weights: coffee weight versus water weight. Grind size changes how fast the coffee extracts and how the water flows through it, so you adjust grind (and sometimes steep time) for taste — but the ratio itself stays the same whatever grind you use.