How-To: Dilution Ratio's

[DLB]

I see quite a few people talk about difficulties with dilution ratio's. So, I figure I would just lay down the simple solution that will work every time for those who haven't quite gotten it figured out.

It doesn't matter what your end amount of diluted product will be - the basic formula stays the same!

Ground rules:
For every dilution there are a total number of "parts".
Let's say that you want a 3:1 dilution - that means there are 4 parts (the 3 parts and the 1 part = 4 parts). Easy enough. 5:1 = 6 parts. Etc.

For this exercise we will assume that the largest portion of parts (such as the 3 in 3:1) is water. The individual part will be the product you are diluting (the concentrate).

The Formula:
x / y = z

Where x = Total amount of product, in ounces, desired in the end. This is commonly 32 (for standard spray bottles) or 128 (for a gallon mixture). However, it can be any number, as long as that is your end total amount in ounces.

Where y = Total number of parts for dilution. In a 3:1 dilution, this would be? 4. (See ground rule above for more info).

Where z = Amount of liquid, in ounces, required per part.

Examples:
•Mixing a 32 oz bottle at 6:1

32 / 7 = 4.5 (rounded off)

Therefore, we have 1 part of the concentrate @ 4.5 ounces, and 6 parts water @ 4.5 ounces (totaling 27 ounces of water). Or, 4.5 ounces of concentrate, and fill up the rest of the bottle to the fill mark with water.


•Mixing a 16.9 oz bottle at 14:1

16.9 / 15 = 1.1 (rounded off)

Therefore, we have 1 part of the concentrate @ 1.1 ounces, and 14 parts water @ 1.1 ounces (totaling 15.4 ounces of water).

So, it is pretty simple, but for those who have ever wondered how to do it quickly, there you go. And what cell phone doesn't have a calculator on it?

Other Tips:
If you buy a lot of concentrate (which I do) then you might just want to jot down the dilution's you use most commonly and hang them on your product cabinet to save yourself the trouble. I just have a handwritten chart on the side of my cabinet with the 32 oz. and 128 oz. ratio's I use commonly.

Also once you have the correct measurements, if you dedicate a bottle or a jug to a specific product and dilution, just take a permanent marker and draw a line at the fill levels. I have my APC+ jugs marked with where to fill the APC+ to, then where to fill the water to for my exact dilutions.

If anyone else has a tip on this, feel free to post up. I am sure I will think of another "shortcut" I use at some point to add.

DLB

*I know that the above examples are rounded off and do not total out to the exact decimal of ounces. However, I think the point has been made.

[Rei86]

ummmmm it's like being back in Algebra 2

A+ thread!

[Mike Phillips]

Very nice article Dalton...

Clear, concise and easy to read...

[Jimmie]

Very nice. Thank you for doing that.

[Belair]

Why can't every post be as useful as this one? Thanks D.

[BobbyG]

I love math and this is as simple as it gets!!

Thanks for posting and I'm sure this will now make it easier for anyone trying to determine how much of this and how much of that...

[5Toes]

I usually use a proportion. Funner

[clintb]

For the less math inclined, here's an online calculator that's as simple as it can get.

Enviro-One Dilution Calculator

[DLB]

For the less math inclined, here's an online calculator that's as simple as it can get.

Enviro-One Dilution Calculator

EXCELLENT source for folks that don't want to think about it. Thanks for sharing.

Never really thought of building a page or even Excel file like that. I might have to do that just for detailers.

DLB

[MI Mike]

Maybe we can get Mike, Nick or Megan to create a link ??? Hint ! Hint !

Thanks for your work on this for us.