Basics and units
Brewing unit converter
An American recipe in gallons and Lovibond, a hydrometer in SG, a refractometer in Brix: this converter speaks every brewer's language. Enter a value and its unit, and it gives every unit of the same quantity.
Result
Fill in the values and run the calculation, or try the example.
This is the calculation Krausi uses. Create an account to save it in a recipe or a brew.
Create my accountWhy convert brewing units?
Most recipes and forums mix systems: gravities in SG or degrees Plato, colours in EBC, SRM or Lovibond, volumes in litres or gallons. A conversion error throws the whole recipe off. Confusing degrees Plato with gravity points, or forgetting that the imperial gallon is 4.546 L when the US gallon is 3.785 L, is enough to miss an original gravity.
The converter also accepts a gravity given without a unit, the way it is said aloud: “56”, “1056” or “1.056”. Choose “Best-suited unit”: the tool explains how it understood the value, and says when it is ambiguous.
You use it when preparing a recipe from elsewhere, when reading a refractometer graduated in Brix, or to set a regulator in bar when the carbonation chart is in psi.
How are the conversions done?
The tool knows 14 quantities, each with its units. If you do not specify the target unit, it returns every unit of the quantity.
Proportional conversions use the official factors (1 US gal = 3.785 L, 1 lb = 453.6 g, 1 bar = 14.5038 psi). The others follow the formulas of the trade:
°P = 258.6 × (SG − 1) / (0.12 + 0.88 × SG)
°Bx = °P / 0.96
EBC = 1.97 × SRM
SRM = 1.3546 × °L − 0.76Results are shown with the number of decimals suited to each unit (three for SG, one for degrees Plato).
The 14 quantities and their units
| Quantity | Recognised units |
|---|---|
| Gravity | specific gravity (SG) (), gravity points (GU, (SG − 1) × 1000) (points), degrees Plato (°P), degrees Brix (°Bx = °P / 0.96) (°Bx), degrees Baumé (liquids denser than water) (°Bé) |
| Mass | kilogram (kg), gram (g), milligram (mg), avoirdupois pound (453.59 g) (lb), avoirdupois ounce (28.35 g) (oz) |
| Volume | litre (L), millilitre (mL), centilitre (cL), decilitre (dL), hectolitre (hL), cubic metre (m³), US gallon (gal US), US quart (qt US), US pint (473 mL) (pint US), US fluid ounce (fl oz US), US cup (236.6 mL) (cup US), US tablespoon (14.8 mL) (tbsp US), US teaspoon (4.93 mL) (tsp US), imperial gallon (UK) (gal imp.), imperial pint (UK, 568 mL) (pint imp.), imperial fluid ounce (fl oz imp.), US beer barrel (31 US gal) (bbl US), UK beer barrel (36 imp. gal) (bbl UK) |
| Length | centimetre (cm), millimetre (mm), metre (m), inch (2.54 cm) (in), foot (30.48 cm) (ft) |
| Temperature | degree Celsius (°C), degree Fahrenheit (°F), kelvin (K) |
| Temperature difference | temperature difference in °C (or K) (°C difference), temperature difference in °F (°F difference) |
| Colour | European Brewery Convention (EBC), Standard Reference Method (SRM), degrees Lovibond (grain colour) (°L) |
| Bitterness | International Bitterness Units (IBU), European Bitterness Units (EBU) |
| Carbonation (dissolved CO2) | volumes of CO2 (vol CO2), grams of CO2 per litre (g/L CO2) |
| Pressure | bar (bar), millibar (= hPa) (mbar), kilopascal (kPa), pascal (Pa), pound-force per square inch (PSI = bar × 14.5038) (psi), standard atmosphere (atm) |
| Mass concentration (dosage) | grams per litre (g/L), milligrams per litre (≈ ppm in water) (mg/L), grams per hectolitre (g/hL), ounces per US gallon (oz/gal US), pounds per US barrel (lb/bbl US) |
| Mash water-to-grain ratio | litres of water per kg of grain (L/kg), US quarts of water per pound of grain (qt/lb) |
| Extract potential | points per pound per US gallon (PPG), hot water extract (points·L/kg) (L°/kg), extract in % (laboratory yield, sucrose = 100%) (% extract) |
| Diastatic power | degrees Lintner (°Lintner), degrees Windisch-Kolbach (°WK) |
Worked example
Values entered
- Value to convert: 12
- Unit of the value: Degrees Plato
Result from the tool
- Grandeur
- gravity
- Source: Unite
- plato
- Source: Rounded to 2 decimals (3 for SG)
- 12
- Source: Value and symbol
- 12 °P
- Conversions
Unite Rounded to 2 decimals Value and symbol sg 1.048 1.048 points 48.38 48.38 points brix 12.5 12.5 °Bx baume 6.69 6.69 °Bé - Notes
- °P = 258.6 × (SG − 1) / (0.12 + 0.88 × SG); SG = 1 + °P / (258.6 − 0.88 × °P); °Bx = °P / 0.96.
What the tool does not do
- A gravity is only accepted between 0.950 and 1.500.
- Without a unit, a value between −10 and 35 is ambiguous (gravity points or degrees Plato): the tool returns both readings instead of choosing for you.
- The relation between Lovibond and SRM is approximate: it is fine for grain colour, not for laboratory control.
Frequently asked questions
What gravity is 12 °Plato?
12 °P corresponds to a gravity of 1.048, that is 48 gravity points and 12.5 °Brix. It is the typical original gravity of a blonde at around 5% alcohol.
What is the difference between Brix and Plato?
Both measure the share of dissolved sugars, in grams per 100 g of wort. Brix comes from the world of wine and sugar, Plato from brewing. For the homebrewer, you go from one to the other with °Bx = °P / 0.96: the gap stays small, about 4%.
How do I convert EBC to SRM?
Divide the EBC by 1.97: a beer at 20 EBC is 10.15 SRM. The other way round, multiply the SRM by 1.97. For malts given in Lovibond, use SRM = 1.3546 × °L − 0.76.
And with the assistant?
Ask Krausi the same question in plain language: he picks this tool, does the calculation and files the result in your project.
My American recipe gives an OG of 1.056 and 5 gallons, what is that in metric?
A gravity of 1.056 is 13.8 °P. And 5 US gallons are 18.93 L. I'm noting these values in the recipe of the “American Pale Ale” project.