Yeast Pitch Rate Calculator
Cells needed and yeast packs or dry grams to pitch for ales and lagers at any gravity.
- billion cells
Wort strength-
Fresh liquid packs (~100 B each)-
Dry yeast (~10 B/g)-
How it works
Pitch rate is a target cell count per unit of wort and gravity. We convert your gravity to degrees Plato, multiply by the style rate and volume, and translate the result into packs or grams.
cells (billion) = rate (M/ml/°P) × °Plato × litres
Source: pitch-rate targets after Mr Malty and White & Zainasheff, Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation (2010).
Liquid-pack viability drops with age and dry-yeast cell counts vary by brand - treat packs/grams as a starting estimate.
Frequently asked questions
- How much yeast should I pitch?
- It scales with batch size and gravity. The standard target is about 0.75 million cells per ml per degree Plato for ales, 1.0 for big ales, and 1.5 for lagers. This tool turns that into total cells, plus how many fresh liquid packs or grams of dry yeast that means.
- Do I need a yeast starter?
- If the cells you have fall short of the target - common with a single liquid pack in a strong or large batch - a starter grows more yeast first. Compare the cells needed here with what your pack actually provides; if there is a gap, make a starter.
- How many cells in a pack of yeast?
- A fresh liquid pack is roughly 100 billion cells (declining with age), and dry yeast is around 10–20 billion viable cells per gram. This tool uses conservative defaults; adjust for your specifics.