Skip to content

Pool Salt Calculator

Work out how much salt is needed to raise salinity from your measured reading to the target your salt chlorinator manufacturer specifies.

Get your target from your own manual

This calculator deliberately has no default target ppm. Salt chlorinators differ, and the wrong target can damage a cell or void a warranty. Read the target range in your chlorinator manual and enter it below.

gal

Not sure? Use the Pool Volume Calculator first.

ppm

From a salt test strip, test kit or meter — not the chlorinator display alone.

ppm
%

Between 90% and 100%. Defaults to 100% when left blank.

How this is calculated

salt (lb) = max(0, target ppm − current ppm) × gallons × 8.345404 ÷ 1,000,000 ÷ purity fraction.

8.345404 is the weight in pounds of one US gallon of water, so ppm converts directly to pounds of salt per million pounds of water.

Products mentioned in this guide

These are product categories referenced by the guide, not tested or ranked picks. Check the product description, your pool or equipment model, and the seller listing before buying.