Fermentation Salt Calculator
Correct salt. Better ferments. Calculate the right amount of salt for wet brines or dry-salted vegetables.
At FermentFabriek, we ferment with coarse, additive-free sea salt — that's our default here.
FermentFabriek brines at 2% or higher — lower strengths are more common with dry-salting. See the reference table below for specifics.
Starting points by vegetable
General guidance drawn from common fermentation practice — not fixed rules. Firmer, watery, or whole vegetables typically want more salt; leafy or delicate ones want less.
| Vegetable | Typical range | Notes |
|---|
Wet brine vs. dry salt
Wet brine dissolves salt in added water, then submerges the vegetables in it — the usual approach for whole or sliced vegetables like pickles, carrots, or peppers. Dry salt works the salt directly into shredded or cut vegetables, as in classic sauerkraut — no water is added; the salt draws the vegetables' own liquid out to form the brine. Use the toggle above to switch between the two, and "Find salt" vs "Find water/vegetables" to solve in either direction.
Simple vs. precise
Simple treats the percentage as salt weight against the water or vegetable weight alone — the shorthand behind most kraut and pickle recipes ("2% brine" = 20 g salt per 1 L water). Precise treats it as salt against the total finished weight (base + salt), which is how a lab would define a true solution strength. The two only diverge by a fraction of a gram at typical ferment strengths, but precise matters more once you're up near olive-brine territory.
Weigh, don't scoop
A tablespoon of salt can weigh anywhere from 8 g to 18 g depending on the crystal — fine sea salt packs denser than flaky kosher. The volume figures this calculator shows (via the salt type picker) are estimates to help you shop or measure in a pinch — for a ratio that actually holds, weigh both the base ingredient and the salt on a kitchen scale.