Priming Sugar Calculator
Calculate the amount of priming sugar — or other fermentables like DME or honey — needed to carbonate your homebrew when bottling. Choose your beer style to auto-fill the target CO₂ volume, or enter it directly.
*This calculator uses the equation from "Brew By the Numbers" (Zymurgy, Summer 1995). Fermentability values from the homebrewtalk wiki.
Calculate priming sugar for bottle carbonation
Use the priming sugar calculator to estimate how much fermentable sugar to add at bottling for your target carbonation level, batch size, and beer temperature.
Example bottle-conditioning calculation
For 5 gallons of beer at 68 F and a target of 2.4 volumes of CO2, enter the batch size, beer temperature, and carbonation target. The result estimates the priming sugar needed for that bottling run.
- Set the target carbonation to 2.4 volumes of CO2.
- Enter the beer temperature and total bottling volume.
- Choose the priming fermentable that matches what you will actually use.
Watch for: Use the beer's highest post-fermentation temperature, not the serving temperature, when estimating residual CO2.
Frequently asked questions
What does beer temperature change?
Warmer beer holds less dissolved CO2, so temperature affects how much additional carbonation sugar is needed.
Can I use sugar other than corn sugar?
Yes. Different fermentables have different yield assumptions, so choose the sugar type that matches what you plan to bottle with.
Should I use style carbonation ranges?
Style targets are a useful starting point, but you can enter your own CO2 volume when you want a specific mouthfeel.
Does this work for kegging?
This calculator is for bottle conditioning. Use keg carbonation tools when force-carbonating beer.
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