The Coffee LocatorFind the gear. Brew it right.

Free Coffee Tool

Last updated

Coffee Brew Yield Calculator

Affiliate disclosure: this page contains Amazon affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you, and it never affects our rankings. Learn more

Calculate your brew yield

ml
1:16.0
Concentrate (1:4)Light (1:20)

Water to pour

1143ml

Coffee dose

71.4g

Kept by grounds

143ml

Brewed (fl oz)

33.8fl oz

Next: Grounds hold back water, so you always pour more than you drink. Weigh the brewed coffee once and adjust the method if your filter keeps more or less.

The math behind the calculator

Spent grounds keep about k grams of water per gram of coffee (k ≈ 2 for drip, 2.2 for immersion, 2.5 for cold brew). Brewed coffee = water - k × coffee.

With water = ratio × coffee, the coffee needed for a target amount is: coffee = target ÷ (ratio - k). That is why stronger ratios need proportionally more extra water.

How to use the result

  1. 1Choose whether you know your target or your water.
  2. 2Pick the brew method and ratio.
  3. 3Brew, weigh the result once, and adjust if needed.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming water in equals coffee out.
  • Using the drip figure for cold brew.
  • Forgetting to dilute a concentrate.

What this calculator assumes

Every fixed figure the maths uses, so you can check the result against your own gear.

  • Water is taken as 1 g per ml, and brewed coffee as roughly the same density.
  • Grounds keep about 2 g of water per g of coffee (drip), 2.2 g (immersion) and 2.5 g (cold brew).
  • Evaporation and water left in the brewer are ignored; they are small for home batches.
  • Espresso is not covered.

Drip Machines for Big Batches

For a full carafe, a good drip machine keeps brewing temperature steady across the whole batch. These are the drip brewers we rate highest.

Fellow Fellow Aiden4.3

Fellow

Fellow Aiden

A precision brewer with app-controlled bloom, flow, and temperature per recipe — for enthusiasts who rotate coffees.

Check price on Amazon

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers before you buy.

Spent grounds hold onto water, about 2 g for every gram of coffee.

At 1:16, 1,000 ml of water uses about 62 g of coffee, which keeps roughly 125 ml, leaving about 875 ml in the pot.

At 1:16 with drip or pour-over, about 1,140 ml of water and 71 g of coffee give roughly 1 liter of brewed coffee.

A little more, because the grounds sit in the water the whole time.

The calculator uses about 2.2 g per gram for immersion and 2.5 for cold brew.

No.

Espresso is measured by the shot weight that comes out.

Use the espresso yield calculator for that.

It is a typical value.

Your filter, grind and how long you let it drip all change it, so weigh your brewed coffee once and nudge the result.

Related Guides

Keep reading: more guides on the same topic.