HowMuchIt / Coffee ratio
What is the coffee to water ratio?
Two standards agree closely: 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 6 ounces of water, or 55 grams per liter. Type your pot, and the calculator gives both.
Work out your coffee
| Rule | Coffee |
|---|---|
| National Coffee Association | 1 to 2 tablespoons per 6 fl oz of water |
| Specialty Coffee Association | 55 g per liter (about 1 to 18 by weight) |
| Cold brew concentrate | 1 g of coffee to 8 or 9 g of water, 12 to 14 hours |
A coffee scoop holds about 2 tablespoons. Brew with water at about 195 to 205 deg F.
The 5-ounce cup
The cups printed on a drip coffee maker are not mugs. Makers count a cup as about 5 fluid ounces, so a 12-cup carafe holds about 60. That is why the same "12 cups" of coffee fills only six or seven real mugs. The calculator counts the maker's cups, or the water in fluid ounces if you prefer to measure.
Spoons or grams
The tablespoon rule is the easy one: a standard coffee scoop holds about 2 tablespoons, so one scoop per 6 ounces of water is the strong end. The gram rule, 55 grams per liter, about 1 part coffee to 18 parts water, is what coffee professionals use with a scale, because ground coffee packs differently from one bag to the next. Brew with water at about 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit, just off the boil.
Questions people ask
How much coffee for a 12-cup pot?
12 maker cups are about 60 fluid ounces: 10 to 20 tablespoons, or about 98 grams.
How many scoops per cup?
A standard scoop is about 2 tablespoons: one scoop per 6 ounces of water is the strong end of the rule.
What ratio for cold brew?
Much stronger: 1 gram of coffee to 8 or 9 grams of water, steeped 12 to 14 hours, then diluted about 1 to 1.
Good to know
- The common US rule (the National Coffee Association's Golden Ratio) is 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per 6 ounces of water; brands usually say 2.1,2,3,4
- The Specialty Coffee Association's Golden Cup Standard is 55 grams of coffee per liter of water (plus or minus 10 percent).5,6,7
- By weight that is roughly 1 part coffee to 18 parts water, or about 8 g of coffee per 5 fl oz cup.6,8
- On drip coffee makers one 'cup' is about 5 fl oz, not 8, so a 12-cup carafe holds about 60 fl oz.8,9,10
- A standard coffee scoop holds about 2 tablespoons of coffee.3,11
- Brewing water should be about 195 to 205 deg F.2,3,5,6
- Cold brew concentrate uses much more coffee: about 1 g of coffee to 8 or 9 g of water.12,13
- Cold brew steeps about 12 to 14 hours.12,13
- Cold brew concentrate is usually diluted about 1 to 1 with water before drinking.12,13
How we checked this page
Checked on October 27, 2026. We kept a fact only when two independent publishers agree, and each one is numbered to its sources below. Where sources give different numbers, we keep only what they share. We never write a price. This page was written with an AI assistant and checked against the sources below.
Sources
- Drip coffee - NCA About Coffee, National Coffee Association USA
- Perfecting Your Cup, Starbucks at Home
- Bringing Out the Best in Your Brew, Peet's Coffee
- Coffee to water ratio: How it can impact your brew, Breville
- Protocols and Best Practices (Brewing Best Practices), Specialty Coffee Association
- Achieving the Gold Cup Standard: Your Guide to Brewing Excellence, Seattle Coffee Gear
- How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee, Moccamaster USA (Technivorm)
- 8-Cup Coffee Maker Instruction Manual, OXO (Helen of Troy)
- Personal Brew 12-Cup Coffee Maker (DCC-12), Cuisinart (Conair)
- Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker with 3 Ways to Brew, Mr. Coffee (Newell Brands)
- How Many Scoops of Coffee Per Cup? A Comprehensive Guide, Chamberlain Coffee
- Guide To Cold Brew, Counter Culture Coffee
- How to Brew Cold Brew with a Coffee Press, Starbucks at Home