Chemical Dilution Calculator

C₁V₁ = C₂V₂ · practical planner · serial & batch tables

Concentration unit label (free-form) Type anything — M, mM, µM, %, mg/mL, ppm, IU/mL… The same unit applies to both concentrations, so the ratio stays internally consistent.

Fill any THREE values and leave exactly one blank — the blank one is solved.

C₁ (stock)

V₁ (stock vol.)

C₂ (final)

V₂ (final vol.)

"How much do I actually pipette?" — exact stock and diluent volumes for your target.

Stock Concentration

Target Concentration

Final Volume

Starting Concentration

Dilution Factor / step

Number of Steps

Volume per Tube

Plan several sample dilutions for one lab session — each row is an independent dilution.

Result

Choose a mode and calculate to solve a missing C1V1=C2V2 value, get exact pipette volumes, or generate a full serial or batch dilution table with the dilution factor shown as 1:X

C1V1 = C2V2 assumes the solute amount is conserved and volumes are additive — strictly true for dilute solutions, slightly off when mixing concentrated solutions where volume contraction occurs (e.g. ethanol-water). Your concentration unit is treated as a label: both concentrations must share it, which keeps every ratio internally consistent without cross-unit conversion. Serial-dilution transfer volumes assume perfect mixing at each step and no pipetting loss; for critical assays, validate the series gravimetrically. For concentrated acids, always add acid to water, never water to acid.

Chemical Dilution Calculator: Solver, Practical Planner, Serial and Batch Tables in One Tool

The dilution equation, C1V1 equals C2V2, looks simple, but most calculators stop right there and leave you to work out the actual pipetting yourself. This tool goes further with four connected modes. The Solver finds whichever of the four values you leave blank. The Planner goes past the raw formula and tells you exactly how much stock to pipette and how much diluent to add for a target concentration and volume. The Serial mode, a full serial dilution calculator, generates the entire step-by-step table for a dilution series, concentration at every step plus the exact transfer and diluent volumes for each tube. And Batch mode plans several different sample dilutions for one lab session in a single table. Your concentration unit is a free-form label, M, mM, percent, mg/mL, ppm or anything else you type, so this C1V1 C2V2 solver works for whatever units your actual protocol uses.

How to Use

This tool has four tabs: Solver, Planner, Serial, and Batch. A Concentration unit label field sits above all four, type anything you want, M, mM, µM, percent, mg/mL, ppm, IU/mL, since the same label is simply applied to both concentrations to keep the ratio internally consistent, no actual unit conversion is attempted.

Step 1: Using Solver mode

Fill in exactly three of the four fields, C₁ (stock concentration), V₁ (stock volume), C₂ (final concentration) and V₂ (final volume), and leave exactly one blank.
Each volume field has its own unit dropdown, L, mL, or µL, so C₁’s stock volume and C₂’s final volume don’t need to share the same unit, the tool converts between them internally.
Tap Solve Missing Value. The tool works out whichever single value you left blank, and also shows the dilution factor in clean 1:X form.

Step 2: Using Planner mode

Switch to the Planner tab. Enter your Stock Concentration, the concentration of the solution you actually have on the shelf.
Enter your Target Concentration, the concentration you actually need for your experiment.
Enter your Final Volume, how much total diluted solution you need to end up with and pick its unit.
Tap Plan the Dilution. Instead of just showing a formula, the tool tells you directly: pipette this much stock, then add this much diluent, to reach your exact target.

Step 3: Using Serial mode

Switch to the Serial tab. Enter your Starting Concentration, the concentration of your very first tube or stock.
Enter your Dilution Factor per step, for example 10 for a tenfold series, or 2 for a twofold series.
Enter your Number of Steps, up to 20 and your Volume per Tube, the final volume you want in every single tube of the series, with its unit.
Tap Generate Serial Table. You’ll get a full table, one row per step, showing the concentration reached at that step, the cumulative dilution factor in 1:X form and the exact volume to transfer from the previous tube along with the exact diluent volume for that same tube.

Step 4: Using Batch mode

Switch to the Batch tab, useful when you have several different samples to dilute in one session rather than one single series.
Tap Add Sample for each one and enter that sample’s own stock concentration, target concentration and final volume.
Tap Plan All Dilutions to get one combined table covering every sample, plus the total stock and total diluent volume needed across the entire session.

Step 5: Exporting your result

Use Download CSV for the Serial or Batch tables, Print / PDF for a clean printable copy or Copy to paste the figures into your lab notebook.

Key Features

Solver mode finds any one of C₁, V₁, C₂, or V₂ from the other three
Practical Planner that gives you the actual pipette and diluent volumes, not just a rearranged formula
Full serial dilution calculator table, per-step concentration, cumulative 1:X factor and exact transfer and diluent volume for every tube
Batch mode for planning multiple, independent sample dilutions in one lab session, with running totals
Free-form concentration unit label, type M, mM, percent, mg/mL, ppm or anything your protocol actually uses
Independent volume units per field (L, mL, µL), with automatic same-dimension conversion between them
Every result shown alongside its dilution factor in familiar 1:X form
CSV export for Serial and Batch tables, ready for your lab documentation.

Formula / Logic Used

The Core Dilution Equation

$C_1 V_1 = C_2 V_2$

This holds because the actual amount of solute stays exactly the same before and after dilution, you are only adding more solvent, never removing or adding solute itself.

Practical Planner

 $V_{1} = \frac{C_2 \times V_2}{C_1}, \qquad Diluent = V_2 - V_1, \qquad Factor = \frac{C_1}{C_2}$

Serial Dilution, Concentration at Step i

$C_i = \frac{C_0}{f^i}, \qquad Cumulative\ Factor = f^i$

Where $C_0$ is the starting concentration, $f$ is the dilution factor applied at each step and $i$ is the step number.

Serial Dilution, Per-Tube Transfer and Diluent Volume

$Transfer = \frac{V}{f}, \qquad Diluent = \frac{V(f-1)}{f}$

Where $V$ is your fixed final volume per tube. This is simply the C1V1=C2V2 relationship applied at every single step, with the previous tube acting as the stock for the next.

Who Should Use This Tool

Lab technicians, research students, and anyone preparing reagents, standards or antibody dilutions who needs to move quickly from a formula to an actual pipetting plan. Also useful for diploma and B.Tech Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology students learning the dilution principle and serial dilution technique for their coursework.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I calculate how much stock solution to use for a dilution?

Rearrange C1V1 = C2V2 to solve for V1, stock volume equals target concentration times target volume, divided by stock concentration. This tool’s Solver mode does this instantly, and its Planner mode goes one step further by also telling you the exact diluent volume to add on top.

2. What is a serial dilution, and why not just do one big dilution instead?

A serial dilution repeats a fixed dilution step several times in a row, using each tube’s result as the stock for the next tube, which lets you reach an extremely low concentration using only small, precise, easily-pipetted volumes at every step, rather than one single dilution that might require impractically tiny stock volumes. This tool’s Serial mode generates the full table of transfer and diluent volumes for exactly this kind of series.

3. Do my concentration units need to match exactly for this calculator to work?

Yes, both concentration fields must share the same unit label for the ratio to be internally consistent, though the actual label itself can be anything you type, molar, millimolar, percent, milligrams per millilitre, or parts per million. This tool treats your typed label as a placeholder rather than attempting an automatic cross-unit conversion, so the responsibility to keep both concentrations in the same unit sits with you.

4. What does the dilution factor in 1:X form actually mean?

A 1:10 dilution means your final solution contains one part of the original stock diluted into a total of ten parts, so the concentration has dropped to one-tenth of the original. This tool shows this cumulative factor at every single step of a serial series, which is often easier to communicate and double-check than the raw concentration numbers alone.

5. Can I plan dilutions for several different samples at once instead of one at a time?

Yes, switch to Batch mode, add a row for each sample with its own stock concentration, target concentration and final volume, then tap Plan All Dilutions. You’ll get one combined table for every sample in the batch, along with the total stock and diluent volumes needed for the whole session.

Related Tools

Molarity / Normality Calculator – work out your stock solution’s molarity before diluting it
pH Calculator – check the pH of an acid or base solution you’ve just diluted
Reynolds Number Calculator – for the fluid flow side of the same chemical process