Enter the original yield of a recipe and the desired yield into the calculator to determine the conversion factor. This can also be used in mathematics and chemistry.

Conversion Factor Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the conversion factor when comparing the yield of certain recipes and the desired yield.

CF = DY/RY

Where CF is the conversion factor
DY is the desired portion yield of the recipe
RY is the original recipe yield in portions

To calculate a conversion factor, divide the desired yield by the recipe yield.

Conversion Factor Definition

What is a conversion factor? A conversion factor is a numerical ratio of the desired yield of a recipe to the original yield of a recipe. For example, if the recipe normally serves 5 portions, but you would like to increase that to 10 portions then the conversion factor would be 10/5=2.

What are conversion factors used for? The conversion factor, such as the value in the above example, is a number used to convert any set of numbers to new values, but in equal ratios as the original set. This is used most often in cooking and chemistry to convert recipes to new sizes.

Conversion Factor Example Problem

How to calculate a conversion factor?

First, determine the original yield.
For this example, we will say the original yield of the recipe serves 6 portions.
Next, determine the desired yield.
We are having 10 people over, so we want to increase the yield of the recipe to 10.
Next, calculate the conversion factor.
Using the formula, we find the conversion factor to be 10/6= 1.67.
Finally, convert the ingredients.
Multiply the quantity of the ingredients by the conversion factor to get the new quantity. For example, if the original recipe called for 2 cups of water, the new amount of water would be 2*1.67 = 3.34 cups of water.