Syrup Concentration Calculator 🍯

Enter sugar and water weights to calculate °Brix, °Baumé, simple ratio, and syrup category.

The Syrup Concentration Calculator converts between sugar-to-water ratio, °Brix, and °Baumé so you can mix simple syrup, soaking syrup, sorbet base, or candy syrup to a precise concentration every time. °Brix is the percentage of sugar by weight in the solution; °Baumé is the older density scale still printed in many pastry and confectionery references. Eyeballing 'equal parts sugar and water' gives you roughly 50% Brix, but pastry work demands more control: a génoise soaking syrup, a fruit sorbet, and a glazing syrup each need a different concentration to set, soak, or shine correctly. Enter your sugar weight and water weight to read the Brix and Baumé, or enter a target Brix to get the exact sugar and water amounts. This tool is for pastry chefs, cocktail bartenders, sorbet and ice-cream makers, and home canners who want repeatable, scalable syrups instead of guesswork — and who need to convert between the scales that different recipes use.

How to Use the Syrup Concentration Calculator

  1. Enter Sugar and Water — Enter the weight of sugar and the weight of water in your syrup. Weighing is far more accurate than measuring by volume because sugar packs unevenly.
  2. Read the Concentration — The calculator returns °Brix (sugar percent by weight) and °Baumé (density scale). A 1:1 sugar-to-water syrup is about 50 °Brix; a 2:1 rich syrup is about 67 °Brix.
  3. Or Set a Target Brix — Enter the °Brix you need and a total batch weight, and the calculator returns the exact sugar and water to weigh out. Use 50–60 °Brix for soaking syrups and 30 °Brix for sorbet base.
  4. Choose the Syrup Type — Match the concentration to the job — thin/light syrup for canning fruit, simple syrup for cocktails and soaks, rich/heavy syrup for glazing and confections that must resist crystallization.
  5. Dissolve and Store — Heat just until the sugar dissolves fully, then cool. Higher-Brix syrups keep longer because sugar inhibits microbial growth; store in a sealed bottle and refrigerate.

Formula Reference

°Brix = (sugar weight ÷ (sugar weight + water weight)) × 100, i.e. the percentage of sugar by mass. Sugar-to-water ratio of 1:1 → 100g sugar + 100g water = 50 °Brix; a 2:1 rich syrup → 200g sugar + 100g water = 66.7 °Brix. To hit a target Brix for a batch of total weight W: sugar = W × (Brix ÷ 100), water = W − sugar. °Baumé (for syrups, sp. gr. > 1) ≈ 145 − (145 ÷ specific gravity); as a practical pastry rule, °Baumé ≈ Brix × 0.55 in the simple-syrup range (e.g., 50 °Brix ≈ 27–28 °Baumé). Example: for 600g of 60 °Brix soaking syrup, weigh 360g sugar and 240g water.

Source: Standard °Brix definition (percent sucrose by mass); Baumé scale conversion (Bé = 145 − 145/SG); The Professional Pastry Chef, Bo Friberg (Wiley); ICUMSA sugar-solution density tables.

FAQ

What is the difference between Brix and Baumé?

Brix is the percentage of sugar by weight in a solution — straightforward and used in most modern recipes. Baumé is an older density scale still common in classic French pastry and confectionery. They measure related properties; in the simple-syrup range, °Baumé is roughly 0.55 × °Brix.

What ratio makes simple syrup?

Standard simple syrup is 1:1 sugar to water by weight, giving about 50 °Brix. Rich (or 'double') simple syrup is 2:1, around 67 °Brix — sweeter, thicker, longer-keeping, and the bartender's default because it dilutes drinks less.

What syrup concentration do I use to soak a cake?

Soaking syrups for génoise and layer cakes usually run 50–60 °Brix (close to 1:1). That is sweet enough to moisten and flavor without making the crumb soggy. Brush it on warm layers and let it absorb before assembling.

Why does my syrup crystallize?

Crystallization happens when the solution is supersaturated or seeded by stray crystals. Prevent it by dissolving the sugar completely, wiping down the pan sides, and adding a little glucose, corn syrup, or a few drops of acid (lemon juice) to interfere with crystal formation.

Does a higher-Brix syrup last longer?

Yes. Sugar binds water and lowers water activity, so high-concentration syrups (65 °Brix and above) resist mold and yeast far better than thin ones. Rich 2:1 syrups keep for weeks to months refrigerated, while a thin 25 °Brix syrup spoils much faster.

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