Pool Salt Calculator
Running a saltwater pool? Your salt chlorine generator needs the salt level in a specific range to make chlorine. Enter your pool volume, your current salt reading, and your target level to see exactly how much salt to add.
Most salt chlorine generators target around 3,000–3,400 ppm — check your system's manual for its ideal range. Salt is sold in 40 lb bags.
Enter your pool volume and salt levels.
How the calculation works
To raise salt, you add pounds of salt equal to your pool volume times the ppm increase you want, scaled by a constant (8.34 lb per million gallon-ppm). We then divide by 40 to estimate how many standard salt bags you'll need.
- Salt needed (lbs) = gallons × (target − current) ppm × 8.34 ÷ 1,000,000
A few tips: add salt with the pump running and brush it around to dissolve, then wait 24 hours before re-testing. You can only raise salt by adding more; the only way to lower it is to partially drain and refill with fresh water. Not sure of your volume? Use the Pool Volume Calculator first.