Specific Gravity to Brix Converter
Convert specific gravity to °Brix and °Plato, or Brix to SG, from 1.000 to 1.17874 SG (0 to 40 Brix), with hydrometer temperature correction and ABV. How it works
Use the Specific Gravity to Brix Converter
About the Specific Gravity to Brix Converter
A specific gravity of 1.050 is 12.39 °Brix and 12.40 °Plato. The converter turns SG into Brix with the National Bureau of Standards polynomial, valid from 1.000 to 1.17874 SG (0 to 40 °Brix), into Plato with °P = 260.4 − 260.4 ÷ SG, and Brix back into SG by inverting the same polynomial. With a final gravity of 1.010 the potential ABV estimate is 5.25%.
Specific gravity to Brix, Plato and potential ABV
| Specific gravity | °Brix | °Plato | Potential ABV (FG 1.010) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.030 | 7.56 | 7.58 | 2.63% |
| 1.040 | 9.99 | 10.02 | 3.94% |
| 1.050 | 12.39 | 12.40 | 5.25% |
| 1.060 | 14.74 | 14.74 | 6.56% |
| 1.070 | 17.05 | 17.04 | 7.88% |
| 1.080 | 19.33 | 19.29 | 9.19% |
| 1.090 | 21.57 | 21.50 | 10.50% |
| 1.100 | 23.77 | 23.67 | 11.81% |
| 1.120 | 28.08 | 27.90 | 14.44% |
Brix from the NBS polynomial, Plato from 260.4 − 260.4 ÷ SG, ABV from (OG − FG) × 131.25. Readings at 20 °C, with the hydrometer correction off.
Brix to specific gravity
| °Brix | Specific gravity | °Plato |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1.0197 | 5.02 |
| 8 | 1.0318 | 8.03 |
| 10 | 1.0400 | 10.02 |
| 12 | 1.0484 | 12.01 |
| 15 | 1.0611 | 15.00 |
| 18 | 1.0741 | 17.97 |
| 20 | 1.0830 | 19.95 |
| 22 | 1.0919 | 21.92 |
| 25 | 1.1056 | 24.88 |
The tool inverts the same polynomial. Brix to SG and back lands within 0.01 °Bx of the number you started with, because the SG is shown to 4 decimals (5 °Bx gives 1.0197, which converts back to 5.01).
How to use this tool
- Choose SG to Brix/Plato or Brix to SG.
- Type the original gravity (1.000 to 1.17874) or the Brix reading (0 to 40), and an assumed final gravity from 0.990 to 1.050 for the ABV estimate. If the final gravity is above the original gravity the conversion still shows, but the ABV estimate is left out.
- Read Brix, Plato and potential ABV. The “SG from the Brix shown (check)” row of the Conversion Summary converts the rounded Brix back to SG as a round-trip check. The reading temperature is a note only, unless you tick Apply hydrometer temperature correction and choose the calibration temperature printed on the hydrometer (68, 60 or 59 °F); the SG is then corrected before it is converted.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I convert specific gravity to Brix?
- °Bx = 182.46007·SG³ − 775.68212·SG² + 1262.7794·SG − 669.56218. For SG 1.050 that is 12.39 °Bx; for 1.060 it is 14.74 and for 1.100 it is 23.77. Wikipedia gives this polynomial as derived from the NBS table (Bates, 1942), with an RMS disagreement of 0.0009 °Bx and a stated range of 1.00000 to 1.17874 SG, which is where the tool stops.
- How do I convert Brix to specific gravity?
- The tool solves the same polynomial backwards. A wort at 10 °Brix is SG 1.0400, 12 °Brix is 1.0484 and 20 °Brix is 1.0830. It gives 1.0413 at 10.3 °Brix. Entering the SG it shows (4 decimals) brings you back to within 0.01 °Brix of the Brix you typed; 5 °Brix gives 1.0197, which is 5.01 °Brix.
- Is Brix the same as Plato?
- Both are based on the mass fraction of sucrose, and they stay close in the brewing range: SG 1.050 is 12.39 °Brix and 12.40 °Plato, and SG 1.100 is 23.77 and 23.67. Plato uses °P = 260.4 − 260.4 ÷ SG, which Wikipedia puts within 0.02 °P on average at 20 °C.
- Does it correct a hydrometer or refractometer reading for temperature?
- A hydrometer reading, yes, if you tick the correction: corrected SG = SG × f(T) ÷ f(calibration), with f the widely used VinoCalc cubic in °F, a fit rather than a standard. 1.050 read at 30 °C on a 68 °F hydrometer becomes 1.0526, or 13.00 °Brix; on a 59 °F hydrometer it becomes 1.0535. A refractometer reading gets no temperature or alcohol correction, so use it as a Brix value taken before fermentation starts.
- How is the potential ABV worked out?
- ABV = (OG − FG) × 131.25, the ABV you would reach if fermentation stopped at the final gravity you typed. From 1.050 to 1.010 that is 0.040 × 131.25 = 5.25%. Brewer’s Friend calls this the basic formula most brewing sites use. It is a straight-line approximation: an alternate formula from Michael Hall gives a higher ABV for high-gravity beers, so for a barleywine or mead read the result as a low estimate.
- Why does the converter stop at 1.17874 SG or 40 Brix?
- The Brix formula should not be used outside 0 to 40 °Brix, according to the page it comes from, so the tool refuses values above 1.17874 SG or 40 °Brix and shows a message. A stronger must or sugar syrup needs a different table.
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