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Coffee Ratio Calculator
Good coffee starts with the right proportion of coffee to water. Enter how much water you are brewing with and your ratio — 1:16 is a dependable starting point — to get the coffee dose in grams, ounces and tablespoons, and how much brewed coffee ends up in the cup.
- Ground coffee
- 0.78 oz
- Roughly
- 4.4 tbsp
- Water by weight
- 355 g
- Brewed coffee in the cup
- 10.5 fl oz
Saved setups
Save a set of inputs you reuse — your usual rate, your loan, your room sizes — and load it back in one tap.
Your recent calculations
Results you calculate here are kept on this device so you can come back to them.
Formula
How to use it
- Enter the amount of water you will pour, in fluid ounces, milliliters, cups or liters.
- Enter the ratio: the parts of water for each part of coffee.
- Weigh out the coffee shown, or use the tablespoon estimate.
- Adjust the ratio next time — a lower number for stronger, a higher one for lighter.
Worked examples
A 500 mL pour-over at 1:16
- Ground coffee
- 31.3 g
- Roughly
- 6.3 tbsp
- Water by weight
- 500 g
- Brewed coffee in the cup
- 14.8 fl oz
A 12 fl oz mug at 1:17
- Ground coffee
- 20.9 g
- Water by weight
- 355 g
- Ground coffee
- 0.74 oz
A 1-liter French press at 1:15
- Ground coffee
- 66.7 g
- Ground coffee
- 2.35 oz
Ratios by brew method
Drip machines and pour-over: 1:15 to 1:17. French press: 1:12 to 1:15, since the coarse grind extracts less. AeroPress: anywhere from 1:6 for a concentrate to 1:16. Cold brew concentrate: 1:4 to 1:8, diluted with water or milk to serve. Espresso is a different scale altogether, about 1:2 measured as ground coffee to liquid espresso.
The Specialty Coffee Association’s “golden cup” guideline is 55 g of coffee per liter of water, roughly 1:18, give or take 10%.
Why weigh instead of scoop
A tablespoon of ground coffee weighs roughly 5 g, but it can range from about 4 g to 7 g depending on the roast, the grind and how level the spoon is. Dark roasts are less dense than light roasts, so the same scoop holds less coffee. A cheap kitchen scale removes the guesswork and makes a good cup repeatable.
Also note that a “cup” on a coffee maker’s carafe is usually only 5 fluid ounces, not the 8 fluid ounces of a measuring cup.
Questions people ask
How much coffee do I need for one cup?
For an 8 fl oz (237 mL) cup at 1:16, about 15 g of coffee — roughly 3 level tablespoons. For a 12 fl oz mug, about 22 g.
How much coffee for a 12-cup coffee maker?
A 12-cup machine holds about 60 fl oz (1.77 liters). At 1:17 that is about 104 g of coffee, or roughly 21 level tablespoons.
What is the golden ratio for coffee?
About 1:18 — 55 g of coffee per liter of water — according to the Specialty Coffee Association. Many home brewers prefer a slightly stronger 1:16.
How much water for 30 g of coffee?
Multiply by your ratio. At 1:16, 30 g of coffee takes 480 g (480 mL) of water.