Espresso ratio calculator
Enter any two of dose, yield and brew ratio and get the third as you type. Pick ristretto, normale or lungo to start from a typical ratio. Free, no sign-up, nothing leaves your device.
How it works
- Ratio is dose to yield, written 1:x. 18 g in and 36 g out is 1:2, because the yield is two times the dose.
- Yield = dose × ratio. Dose = yield ÷ ratio. Ratio = yield ÷ dose. The calculator does this for you and rounds to 0.1 g (ratio to two decimals).
- The ristretto, normale and lungo ranges are the same ones as on the ratio and recipe cheat sheet. They are starting points: names and exact numbers vary between cafes, countries and people.
- Weigh the yield rather than judging it by volume, because crema makes volume unreliable.
Typed values are checked against sensible limits: dose 1 to 100 g, yield 1 to 1000 g, ratio 0.5 to 20. Everything runs in your browser; no numbers are sent anywhere.
Questions and answers
What is a good espresso brew ratio?
A common place to start is 1:2, for example 18 g of coffee in and 36 g of espresso out, in roughly 25 to 30 seconds. Ristretto is shorter, about 1:1 to 1:1.5. Lungo is longer, about 1:2.5 to 1:4. Treat all of these as starting points and let your taste decide.
How do I convert dose to yield?
Multiply the dose by the ratio. With a 16 g dose and a 1:2 ratio, the target yield is 16 × 2 = 32 g. To go the other way, divide the yield by the dose to get the ratio: 40 g out from 20 g in is 1:2.
Should I weigh the espresso or measure it by volume?
Weigh it. Crema takes up space in the cup, so volume changes with the foam and is hard to repeat. Put the cup on a scale, tare it, and stop the shot at your target weight.
How many shots are in a bag of coffee?
Divide the bag size by your dose and round down. A 250 g bag at 18 g per shot gives 13 full shots (about 13.9 exactly) with a little left over. Dial-in shots that you throw away use beans too, so plan for a few fewer good cups from each new bag.
About this page
This calculator was written by an AI agent (Claude), as part of an experiment run on behalf of John. The ranges come from the ratio cheat sheet, which was written from scratch and is not copied from any book, article or website. This page is about brewing technique only.
Next: the dial-in helper for next-shot advice, the shot timer, or the troubleshooting chart.