Brewing · Brix to Specific Gravity Converter
Convert Brix to specific gravity — plus °Plato and potential ABV — from a refractometer reading, or run it the other way, instantly as you type.
Worked example
12° Bx → 1.048
Potential ABV = (SG − 1.000) × 131.25. Convert either direction below.
Live converter · updates as you type
Corrects for alcohol distortion in refractometer readings after fermentation. Enter your original and final Brix readings above.
Brix measures dissolved sugar as a weight percentage — a refractometer reads it directly. This converter applies the standard polynomial to translate between Brix and specific gravity. The FG correction uses the Terrill formula to account for alcohol distorting refractometer readings after fermentation.
Common pre-fermentation readings across all four scales. °Plato tracks Brix almost exactly; potential ABV assumes the sugar ferments out to about 1.000.
| Brix (°Bx) | Specific gravity | °Plato | Potential ABV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1.020 | 5.0 | 2.6% |
| 8 | 1.032 | 8.0 | 4.2% |
| 10 | 1.040 | 10.0 | 5.3% |
| 12 | 1.048 | 12.0 | 6.3% |
| 14 | 1.057 | 14.0 | 7.5% |
| 16 | 1.065 | 16.0 | 8.6% |
| 18 | 1.074 | 18.0 | 9.7% |
| 20 | 1.083 | 20.0 | 10.9% |
| 22 | 1.092 | 22.0 | 12.1% |
| 24 | 1.101 | 24.0 | 13.3% |
| 26 | 1.110 | 26.0 | 14.5% |
Brix to ABV guide
Refractometers read Brix, recipes want specific gravity, and you want ABV. This guide shows how to go from a Brix reading to alcohol, gravity, and Plato, and when those conversions are safe to trust.
Roughly the gravity points — 12 Brix ≈ 1.048.
Brix and Plato are interchangeable for home use.
Ethanol distorts a raw refractometer reading.
Dissolved sugar raises density, so Brix and specific gravity move together. Convert the original reading to gravity, then estimate potential ABV as (SG − 1.000) × 131.25.
Pick a direction — Brix to specific gravity, or specific gravity to Brix. Enter your reading and the converter returns the matching value plus °Plato, an approximate dissolved-sugar figure, and the potential ABV if that sugar ferments fully.
Use it before fermentation to translate a refractometer reading into the gravity your recipe or calculator expects, or to check a hydrometer reading against a target Brix. Everything updates live as you type.
Brix measures dissolved sugar as grams of sucrose per 100 grams of solution. Specific gravity measures density relative to water. Because dissolved sugar raises density, the two track together and can be converted with a fixed relationship.
The exact conversion is SG = 1 + (Brix / (258.6 − ((Brix / 258.2) × 227.1))). A quick mental version is “gravity points ≈ Brix × 4”, which is close enough to sanity-check a reading but drifts at high sugar levels — the converter uses the full formula.
Brix and °Plato are nearly identical scales — both express sugar as a percentage by weight. The difference comes from slightly different reference tables and is far smaller than normal measurement error, so for home brewing and winemaking you can treat them as the same number.
By convention, winemakers and fruit growers read in Brix, while brewers often work in °Plato. If a recipe is written in one and your instrument reads the other, no conversion maths is needed — just read the value straight across.
Once you know the original gravity, potential ABV is simply how much alcohol you would get if the yeast fermented the sugar all the way out. The estimate is (OG − 1.000) × 131.25, which the converter reports for you.
It is a ceiling, not a guarantee. If the yeast stops early, or you deliberately leave residual sweetness, the finished ABV will be lower. Use potential ABV to plan a recipe, then confirm the real number with original and final gravity after fermentation.
Take your original Brix reading, convert it to specific gravity, then estimate potential ABV as (SG − 1.000) × 131.25. If you also have a final gravity reading after fermentation, use (OG − FG) × 131.25 for the actual ABV instead of the potential.
The converter does this in one step: enter your Brix reading and read the potential ABV directly. For actual ABV from a finished batch, take your OG (from the pre-fermentation Brix) and FG (from a hydrometer after fermentation) into an ABV calculator.
Refractometers read Brix, but most brewing recipes and calculators work in specific gravity. Converting is straightforward arithmetic: SG = 1 + (Brix / (258.6 − ((Brix / 258.2) × 227.1))). The converter applies this formula automatically.
Going the other direction is just as useful. If a recipe calls for an OG of 1.065 and you only have a refractometer, enter 1.065 in the SG field and read off the Brix target (about 15.9 Brix). That saves you a trip to a conversion table.
This converter is built for readings taken before fermentation, when the only thing raising density is sugar. In that state Brix and specific gravity map cleanly onto each other.
After fermentation begins, alcohol distorts a refractometer reading, so a raw Brix value no longer converts straight to gravity. For a finished reading, use a hydrometer for final gravity, or an ABV calculator that applies a refractometer correction.
The reference table pairs common Brix values with their specific gravity, °Plato, and the potential ABV if fermented dry. Use it to eyeball a reading without typing, or to pick a starting Brix for a target strength.
For a target ABV, find the potential-ABV column first, then read the Brix and SG on that row. A 10–11% cider or wine starts near 20 Brix; a 5–6% beer starts near 12 Brix.
If the converted gravity looks off, check that your refractometer is zeroed on distilled water and that the sample is at room temperature — heat skews both refractometers and hydrometers. A single drop that has not settled can read high.
If Brix and hydrometer readings disagree by more than a point or two, recalibrate both. A hydrometer should read 1.000 in plain water at its reference temperature; if it does not, note the offset and apply it to every reading.
Common questions about converting Brix to ABV, Brix to specific gravity, and reading a refractometer.
A close approximation is SG = 1 + (Brix / (258.6 − ((Brix / 258.2) × 227.1))). For most brewing and winemaking readings a simpler rule of thumb is SG points ≈ Brix × 4 (so 12 Brix ≈ 1.048). This converter applies the full formula so you get an accurate value instantly.
Practically, yes. Brix and °Plato both measure grams of sucrose per 100 grams of solution and differ only by tiny amounts from slightly different reference tables. Wine and fruit use Brix; brewing tends to use Plato. For homebrew and home winemaking you can treat them as interchangeable.
Convert your original Brix to specific gravity, then assume the sugar ferments out to roughly 1.000. Potential ABV ≈ (OG − 1.000) × 131.25. This converter shows that potential ABV automatically. Actual ABV depends on how far your yeast attenuates and any residual sweetness left behind.
Only with correction. Once alcohol is present, a raw Brix reading no longer maps cleanly to gravity, so a straight Brix-to-SG conversion will be wrong. This converter is for pre-fermentation (original) readings. For finished-gravity ABV from a refractometer, use an ABV calculator with refractometer correction instead.
Small differences are normal — instruments are calibrated to a reference temperature and can drift. Temperature, dissolved solids, and calibration all shift readings. Calibrate the refractometer with distilled water at 0 Brix and the hydrometer in water at 1.000 before trusting either.
Work backwards: pick your target ABV, divide by 131.25 to get the gravity drop, add 1.000 for the original gravity, then read the matching Brix in the reference table. For example, a 12% wine needs about OG 1.091, which is roughly 22 Brix.
Convert the Brix reading to specific gravity using the formula SG = 1 + (Brix / (258.6 − (Brix / 258.2 × 227.1))), then calculate potential ABV as (SG − 1.000) × 131.25. A 15 Brix reading converts to roughly SG 1.061, giving a potential ABV of about 8%. This calculator does both steps for you.
Yes. Enter any Brix value and the calculator returns specific gravity, °Plato, and potential ABV in one result. The potential ABV assumes the sugar ferments out fully. For actual ABV after fermentation, take the original gravity from your Brix reading and the final gravity from a hydrometer, then use an ABV calculator.
The same formula works for any fermented beverage. A Brix-to-ABV conversion is just a Brix-to-gravity conversion followed by the standard ABV estimate. Wine musts typically read 20-26 Brix (potential 11-15% ABV), cider juice reads 10-14 Brix (potential 5-7% ABV), and beer wort 10-18 Brix (potential 5-10% ABV).