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Espresso dose and ratio calculator

Converts between dose, ratio and yield, and reports the ratio a shot actually achieved — the number people fail to record and therefore cannot learn from.

The question this answers: “I pulled 18 grams into 41 grams in 33 seconds. What ratio was that, and what should I have been aiming at?”

Yield divided by dose. Two means a double pulled to twice its weight.

Weighed, not read off the machine.

Result

Target yield
36 g
18 g at 1:2.
Ratio you actually got
1:2
36 g out of 18 g in.
Against target
+0 g
On target.
Average flow rate
1.29 g/s
Useful as a consistency check between shots on the same beans.

Worth knowing about this answer

  • Arithmetic, not a recipe. This tool states no correct ratio, time or temperature — those depend on the bean, the roast and the basket, and the page treats a common starting point as somewhere to move from rather than a target to hit.
  • Weigh the yield in the cup rather than reading the machine. Volume in a cup includes crema, which is foam and varies with bean age.
Show the working
  1. Target yield from dose and ratio18 g × 236 g
  2. Achieved ratio36 g ÷ 18 g1:2
  3. Flow rate36 g ÷ 28 s1.29 g/s

Target yield: 36 g. Ratio you actually got: 1:2. Against target: +0 g. Average flow rate: 1.29 g/s

How it works

Target yield is the dose multiplied by the target ratio. The achieved ratio is the yield divided by the dose. Average flow rate is the yield divided by the shot time, which is useful as a consistency check between shots on the same beans.

What it assumes

  • Both weights are measured on scales rather than estimated by volume, because volume in a cup includes crema and crema varies with bean age.
  • A target ratio supplied by the reader. The tool holds no view on what it should be.

Where it stops being reliable

  • It states no correct ratio, time or temperature. Those depend on the bean, the roast and the basket, and the home espresso page treats a common starting point as somewhere to move from rather than a target to hit — hardening it into a number here would assert a preference as a fact.
  • Flow rate is an average across the shot and hides the shape of the extraction, which is where channelling actually shows.
  • It cannot diagnose a bad shot. It can tell you what you did, which is the prerequisite for the diagnostics on the page.

Runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere. Last reviewed 2026-08-17. More on Home espresso.