What this calculator does
Priming sugar works out sugar to add for bottle-carbonating a home-brewed beer to a target CO2 level. Enter your own figures above and the answer updates as you type: nothing is fixed in the code, so the result reflects exactly the numbers you supply.
The formula this calculator evaluates is printed under the tool and explained below, so you can check the working by hand or reuse it in a spreadsheet.
The formula
FormulaSugar (g) = 15.195 × beer volume (US gal) × (target CO2 vol − residual CO2 vol) / sugar factor
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Beer volume (US gal) | A number, measured in US gal. Starts at 5. |
| Beer temperature (highest point since fermentation) (°F) | A number, measured in °F. Starts at 68. |
| Target carbonation (vol CO₂) | A number, measured in vol CO₂. Starts at 2.4. |
| Sugar type | Choose from Table sugar (sucrose), Corn sugar (dextrose), Dry malt extract, Honey. |
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How the answer changes with beer volume
Every other input is held at the calculator’s starting values while beer volume varies. Select any row to load that scenario into the calculator.