Percent solution calculator the grams you need, and what they cost
Pick a chemical, the percent and how much you need. We work out the grams, then the cheapest way to buy them from 14 stores we compare.
- You need
- 9 grams
- of Sodium Chloride
- That much costs
- $0.07
- $0.07 per litre of solution, at the lowest price per gram we found
Weigh it out, dissolve it in less water than you need, then top up to the full amount.
Common percent solutions, worked out
At the lowest price per gram we found. Open one to see every price, with the calculator set to that recipe.
- 0.9% sodium chloride (saline)$0.079 grams in 1 litre
- 10% sodium hydroxide$0.17100 grams in 1 litre
- 10% potassium hydroxide$0.94100 grams in 1 litre
- 10% SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate)$0.0810 grams in 100 millilitres
- 10% citric acid$0.54100 grams in 1 litre
- 5% sodium bicarbonate$0.0850 grams in 1 litre
- 20% glucose$5.03200 grams in 1 litre
- 10% sucrose$1.81100 grams in 1 litre
- 10% calcium chloride (anhydrous)$0.85100 grams in 1 litre
- 10% ascorbic acid (vitamin C)$0.2010 grams in 100 millilitres
How to make a percent solution
- Work out the grams. For weight in volume, grams = percent × 10 × litres. 0.9% in 1 litre is 9 grams.
- Weigh it out. On a balance, into a clean beaker.
- Dissolve it in less water than you need. About three quarters of the final amount, stirring until it is clear.
- Top up to the full amount. In a volumetric flask or measuring cylinder, then mix again.
Three kinds of percent
A recipe that just says "%" usually means weight in volume for a solid, and volume in volume for a liquid.
- Weight in volume
- Grams in each 100 millilitres of solution. 0.9% saline is 0.9 grams in 100 millilitres, or 9 grams in a litre. This is what the calculator works out
- Weight in weight
- Grams in each 100 grams of the finished solution, used for strong acids and many cosmetics. 10% is 10 grams of the chemical plus 90 grams of water
- Volume in volume
- Millilitres of a liquid in each 100 millilitres. 70% isopropanol is 70 millilitres topped up with water to 100
- Grams per litre
- Ten times the weight in volume percent: 0.9% is 9 grams per litre
More free tools
How it works: a weight in volume percent is grams per 100 millilitres, so grams = percent × 10 × litres. "Cheapest way to buy it" uses whole packs from one store. Prices cover 3,967 chemicals: each store's in-stock pack price, in US dollars at European Central Bank rates of 2026-10-29, without shipping or tax.