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Concentration Converter

Convert the concentration of something dissolved in water, such as chlorine, salt, sugar, nitrate or water hardness.

1 percent = 10,000 parts per million

Formula: ppm = % × 10,000

The same amount in other units

UnitValue
Percent (%)1
Gram per liter (g/L)10
Milligram per milliliter (mg/mL)10
Milligram per deciliter (mg/dL)1,000
Milligram per liter (mg/L)10,000
Part per million (ppm)10,000
Microgram per liter (µg/L)10,000,000
Part per billion (ppb)10,000,000
Grain per gallon (gpg)584.1783116

Popular conversions

What ppm, percent and mg/L mean

A concentration says how much of a substance is dissolved in a liquid. Mass-per-volume units such as milligrams per liter (mg/L) and grams per liter (g/L) describe it directly. Percent here means grams per 100 milliliters (% w/v), so 1% is 10 grams per liter, or 10,000 mg/L.

Parts per million (ppm) and parts per billion (ppb) are mass fractions. 1 ppm is 1 milligram per kilogram. A liter of water weighs almost exactly 1 kilogram, so for water and for dilute solutions in water, 1 ppm equals 1 mg/L and 1 ppb equals 1 µg/L. That's why water reports, pool guides and sanitizer labels use them interchangeably.

For liquids that are much heavier or lighter than water, such as syrups, oils or strong acids, ppm and mg/L are no longer equal. To get ppm there, divide the mg/L value by the liquid's density in kg/L. This converter assumes the density of water.

Units in this converter

Percent (%)
Grams per 100 milliliters (% w/v), so 1% is 10 g/L. Used for bleach strength, salt brines and lab solutions.
Gram per liter (g/L)
Grams of substance in one liter of solution. Used for salinity, sugar content and lab solutions.
Milligram per milliliter (mg/mL)
Milligrams in one milliliter, exactly the same as grams per liter. Used for medicines and lab stock solutions.
Milligram per deciliter (mg/dL)
Milligrams in one tenth of a liter, so 1 mg/dL is 10 mg/L. Used for blood test results in some countries.
Milligram per liter (mg/L)
Milligrams in one liter. The standard unit in water quality reports. For water, 1 mg/L equals 1 ppm.
Part per million (ppm)
One part in a million by mass, 1 mg per kg. For water and dilute solutions in water, 1 ppm equals 1 mg/L. Used for chlorine, TDS and nutrients.
Microgram per liter (µg/L)
One thousandth of a milligram per liter. Used for trace contaminants such as lead and arsenic in drinking water.
Part per billion (ppb)
One part in a billion by mass, 1 µg per kg. For water, 1 ppb equals 1 µg/L. Used for trace contaminants.
Grain per gallon (gpg)
One grain (64.79891 mg) per US gallon, about 17.1 mg/L. Used for water hardness and water softener settings in the United States.

Frequently asked questions

How many ppm is 1 percent?

10,000 ppm. To convert percent to ppm, multiply by 10,000. To convert ppm to percent, divide by 10,000. For example, 200 ppm is 0.02%.

Is ppm the same as mg/L?

For water and dilute water solutions, yes. 1 ppm is 1 mg per kg, and a liter of water weighs about 1 kg. For much denser or lighter liquids, divide mg/L by the density in kg/L to get ppm.

How do I convert water hardness from grains per gallon to ppm?

Multiply by 17.1. One grain per US gallon is about 17.1 ppm (mg/L) of hardness expressed as calcium carbonate. Water above about 7 gpg (120 ppm) is usually called hard.

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