Brix to Potential Alcohol (Estimate)

Estimate the potential alcohol of a wine must from its Brix (or specific gravity) reading, using the 0.55–0.59 winemaking convention. An estimate, not an official measurement — see the disclaimer below.

Calculator

Non-regulatory estimate

Enter your must’s sugar reading to estimate the potential alcohol if it ferments to dry.

⚠️ This is a reference estimate for winemaking — not an official measurement, and never valid for a tax or label filing.

Must sugar reading

Enter your refractometer/hydrometer reading in °Brix or specific gravity.

Reading unit

Conversion factor

× 0.59 (ferments to dryness)Assumes nearly all the sugar ferments out — the higher estimate.× 0.55 (conservative)Allows for non-sugar solids that never ferment — the lower estimate.

Enter a sugar reading to see the potential alcohol.

Estimate only — the winemaking Brix × factor convention (0.55–0.59), not an official measurement.

Reference tools, not a system of record. These free calculators are provided for convenience and general reference only. They are not a system of record and must not be used as the basis for any TTB or state compliance filing — even when a result is correct. Your official filings are governed by the applicable measurement and gauging methods and by your own production records.