Vinegar Dilution Calculator

Calculate how much water to add to dilute vinegar, such as 30% cleaning vinegar down to 5%, or how much vinegar a batch needs, in mL, cups or gallons.

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Calculator Functions

Function	What it does	What it requires
Water to add	Finds how much water brings a known amount of vinegar down to a target acidity	Requires the source acidity %, the target acidity % and the initial vinegar volume
Vinegar needed for a final batch	Finds how much vinegar goes into a batch of a set size and acidity	Requires the source acidity %, the target acidity % and the desired final mixture volume
Final acidity after adding water	Finds the acidity of a mix of vinegar and water	Requires the source acidity %, the initial vinegar volume and the water volume added

Volumes can be entered in mL, L, US fluid ounces, cups, quarts or gallons. Every result shows the vinegar, the water, the final volume, the final acidity, the dilution factor and the vinegar-to-water ratio. Water to add also lists the water needed for other target strengths.

Vinegar Dilution Formulas

The amount of acetic acid stays the same when water is added, so the acidity times the volume is equal before and after. The two acidities must be in the same units, and so must the two volumes [1]. The acidity on a vinegar label is grams of acetic acid per 100 mL, and vinegar sold as food in the United States has at least 4 grams per 100 mL [2].

Water to add

W is the water to add. To take 30% vinegar down to 5%, W = V₁ × (30 ÷ 5 − 1) = 5 × V₁, which is 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water. One cup of 30% vinegar needs 5 cups of water and makes 6 cups at 5%. To halve the strength of 5% vinegar, add an equal volume of water.

30% vinegar dilution chart

Target	Vinegar : water	Water per cup	Water per gallon	Makes per gallon
20%	1 : 0.5	0.5 cups	0.5 gal	1.5 gal
15%	1 : 1	1 cup	1 gal	2 gal
10%	1 : 2	2 cups	2 gal	3 gal
8%	1 : 2.75	2.75 cups	2.75 gal	3.75 gal
6%	1 : 4	4 cups	4 gal	5 gal
5%	1 : 5	5 cups	5 gal	6 gal

Each row starts from 30% vinegar. The last two columns are for one gallon of it.

Vinegar needed for a final batch

A half gallon of 10% vinegar made from 30% vinegar needs 10 × 0.5 ÷ 30 = 0.1667 gal of vinegar, which is 21.33 fl oz, topped up with water to the half gallon mark. Measuring the vinegar and filling to the final volume is more exact than measuring the water separately.

Final acidity after adding water

Half a cup of 20% vinegar with 1.5 cups of water makes 2 cups at 20 × 0.5 ÷ 2 = 5%. One part vinegar to 10 parts water divides the acidity by 11, so 5% vinegar becomes 0.45%.

Limits of This Estimate

• Volumes are assumed to add up exactly. That holds closely for ordinary vinegar and less well for strong acetic acid, so the water figure is approximate.
• Acidity in percent is not pH, and the result does not predict pH.
• The result does not make a pickling or canning recipe safe. Use a tested recipe with the vinegar strength and proportions it gives.
• US measures are used: 1 fl oz = 29.5735 mL, 1 qt = 946.353 mL and 1 gal = 3,785.41 mL [3]. A cup is 8 fl oz.

Sources