Carbonation Calculator: Priming Sugar and Keg PSI
How much priming sugar to bottle with, or what pressure to set on your keg, for the carbonation your beer style wants. With a printable carbonation chart.
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How to use it
Pick bottle or keg, then your beer style. The calculator fills in the usual carbonation for that style in volumes of CO₂, which you can change.
- Bottling: enter how much beer goes into the bottling bucket and the warmest temperature the beer reached after fermentation ended. Beer that stayed cool already holds more CO₂, so it needs less sugar. For 5 gallons of a 2.5-volume ale that finished at 68°F, that is about 136 g of corn sugar or 124 g of table sugar.
- Kegging: enter the beer temperature in your kegerator. At 38°F, 2.5 volumes takes about 11 psi. Set it, leave it for 7–10 days, and the beer settles at exactly that level.
Carbonation chart: keg PSI by temperature
Find your beer temperature on the left and the carbonation you want across the top. The number is the regulator setting in psi. The same chart works for carbonating in a pressure-rated fermenter such as a Unitank.
| Beer temperature | 1.8 vol | 2.0 vol | 2.2 vol | 2.4 vol | 2.6 vol | 2.8 vol | 3.0 vol | 3.2 vol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32°F (0°C) | 1.6 | 3.5 | 5.4 | 7.3 | 9.2 | 11.0 | 12.9 | 14.8 |
| 34°F (1°C) | 2.3 | 4.3 | 6.3 | 8.2 | 10.2 | 12.1 | 14.1 | 16.0 |
| 36°F (2°C) | 3.1 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 9.2 | 11.2 | 13.3 | 15.3 | 17.3 |
| 38°F (3°C) | 3.9 | 6.0 | 8.1 | 10.2 | 12.3 | 14.4 | 16.5 | 18.6 |
| 40°F (4°C) | 4.7 | 6.8 | 9.0 | 11.2 | 13.4 | 15.5 | 17.7 | 19.8 |
| 42°F (6°C) | 5.5 | 7.7 | 10.0 | 12.2 | 14.4 | 16.7 | 18.9 | 21.1 |
| 44°F (7°C) | 6.3 | 8.6 | 10.9 | 13.2 | 15.5 | 17.8 | 20.1 | 22.4 |
| 46°F (8°C) | 7.1 | 9.5 | 11.8 | 14.2 | 16.6 | 19.0 | 21.3 | 23.7 |
| 48°F (9°C) | 7.9 | 10.4 | 12.8 | 15.3 | 17.7 | 20.1 | 22.6 | 25.0 |
| 50°F (10°C) | 8.7 | 11.3 | 13.8 | 16.3 | 18.8 | 21.3 | 23.8 | 26.3 |
| 55°F (13°C) | 10.8 | 13.5 | 16.2 | 18.9 | 21.6 | 24.3 | 27.0 | 29.7 |
| 60°F (16°C) | 13.0 | 15.9 | 18.8 | 21.6 | 24.5 | 27.4 | 30.2 | 33.0 |
Regulator pressure in psi at sea level. Add about 1 psi per 2,000 ft of elevation.
Priming sugar chart for 5 gallons
Weigh the sugar, don’t measure it by the cup. Corn sugar and table sugar both ferment completely and taste the same at this dose; table sugar needs about 10% less.
| Carbonation you want | Corn sugar (dextrose) | Table sugar |
|---|---|---|
| 1.8 volumes | 78 g (2.8 oz) | 71 g (2.5 oz) |
| 2.0 volumes | 95 g (3.3 oz) | 86 g (3.0 oz) |
| 2.2 volumes | 111 g (3.9 oz) | 101 g (3.6 oz) |
| 2.4 volumes | 128 g (4.5 oz) | 116 g (4.1 oz) |
| 2.6 volumes | 145 g (5.1 oz) | 132 g (4.6 oz) |
| 2.8 volumes | 161 g (5.7 oz) | 147 g (5.2 oz) |
| 3.0 volumes | 178 g (6.3 oz) | 162 g (5.7 oz) |
For 5 gal (19 L) of beer that finished fermenting at 68°F (20°C). Cooler beer already holds more CO₂: use the calculator.
Carbonation by beer style
- British ales and bitters: 1.5–2.0 volumes
- Stouts and porters: 1.8–2.3
- Pale ales, IPAs and American ales: 2.2–2.7
- Lagers and pilsners: 2.4–2.7
- Belgian ales and saisons: 2.8–3.4
- Wheat beers: 3.0–4.0
Above about 3 volumes, use heavy Belgian-style or champagne bottles. Standard bottles aren’t built for that pressure.
Questions
How much priming sugar for 5 gallons of beer?
For about 2.5 volumes of CO₂, a typical ale or lager that finished fermenting at 68°F needs about 136 g (4.8 oz) of corn sugar or 124 g (4.4 oz) of table sugar. Beer that fermented cooler needs less, because it already holds more CO₂.
What PSI should I set to carbonate a keg?
It depends on the beer temperature and the carbonation you want. For 2.5 volumes at 38°F, about 11 psi. Use the chart above or the calculator for your numbers, and serve at the same setting.
How long does it take to carbonate a keg?
About 7–10 days at the serving pressure (set it and forget it). A carbonation stone gets it done in a day or two. Shaking the keg at high pressure is faster but easy to overshoot.
Corn sugar or table sugar?
Either. Both ferment completely and taste the same at priming doses. Table sugar is pure sucrose, so you need about 10% less of it than corn sugar for the same carbonation.
Why does the temperature matter for priming?
Beer keeps some CO₂ from fermentation, and cooler beer keeps more: about 0.86 volumes at 68°F, 1.0 at 60°F and 1.2 at 50°F. The priming sugar only has to make up the difference. Use the warmest temperature the beer reached after fermentation ended, even if you cold crashed it since.
What is a volume of CO₂?
One volume means the beer holds its own volume of CO₂ gas, measured at 0°C and normal air pressure. Most beer sits between 2.2 and 2.7 volumes; British ales are lower and wheat beers higher.