Priming sugar (grams)
137 g
Priming Sugar Calculator
Bottle-conditioned beer gets its fizz from a small dose of sugar added at bottling. Enter your batch size, the beer's temperature, and the carbonation level you want, and this calculator gives the weight of corn sugar, table sugar, or dry malt extract to use.
Priming sugar (ounces)
4.83 oz
0.86 volumes CO₂ already in the beer
How the priming sugar formula works
Residual CO₂: fermented beer already holds some carbon dioxide. The amount depends on temperature (°F):residual = 3.0378 − 0.050062 × T + 0.00026555 × T².
Table sugar needed:grams = 15.195 × gallons × (target volumes − residual). These are the widely used formulas from Glenn Tinseth's priming calculator.
Other sugars: corn sugar (dextrose monohydrate) yields about 91% as much CO₂ as table sugar per gram, and dry malt extract about 68%, so the table-sugar weight is divided by 0.91 or 0.68.
Dissolve the sugar in a little boiling water, cool it, and gently mix it into the full batch so every bottle gets the same dose.
Sugar for 5 gallons at 68°F and 2.5 volumes
| Sugar | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| Corn sugar (dextrose) | 137 g | 4.83 oz |
| Table sugar (sucrose) | 124 g | 4.39 oz |
| Dry malt extract (DME) | 183 g | 6.46 oz |
Typical carbonation by beer style
| Style | CO₂ volumes |
|---|---|
| British ales (bitter, mild) | 1.5–2.0 |
| Porter and stout | 1.7–2.3 |
| American ales and IPA | 2.2–2.7 |
| Lagers and pilsners | 2.4–2.8 |
| Belgian ales | 2.0–3.2 |
| German wheat beer | 3.3–4.5 |
Above about 3 volumes, use bottles rated for higher pressure, such as Belgian or champagne-style bottles.
Residual CO₂ by beer temperature
| Beer temperature | CO₂ already dissolved |
|---|---|
| 50°F (10°C) | 1.20 volumes |
| 60°F (16°C) | 0.99 volumes |
| 65°F (18°C) | 0.91 volumes |
| 68°F (20°C) | 0.86 volumes |
| 72°F (22°C) | 0.81 volumes |
| 76°F (24°C) | 0.77 volumes |
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FAQ
How much priming sugar for 5 gallons of beer?
For 5 US gallons at 68°F aiming for 2.5 volumes of CO2, use about 137 g (4.8 oz) of corn sugar or 124 g of table sugar. Weigh it rather than using cups, because sugar packs differently.
Which temperature should I enter?
Enter the warmest temperature the beer reached after fermentation finished, not the bottling-day temperature. Warmer beer holds less CO2, so it needs more priming sugar. A lager that stayed cold holds more dissolved CO2 and needs less.
Can I swap corn sugar for table sugar?
Yes. Table sugar gives about 10% more CO2 per gram than corn sugar, so you need slightly less of it. The calculator adjusts the weight for each sugar type.
What causes bottle bombs?
Bottling before fermentation is finished is the most common cause, followed by too much priming sugar or a wild-yeast infection. Confirm a stable final gravity over two or three days before bottling, and stay within the style ranges below.