Guidelines on How to Use the Chlorine Dilution Calculator

Verify the product label or accompanying instructions/technical data sheets to:

  1. Ensure that you are using a bleach or bleach-containing product that is graded for your intended end use. For example, if the chlorine solution is intended for use in a food processing environment, ensure that the bleach or bleach-containing solution is food grade; and that the label indicates that it is acceptable to use in a food processing environment.

  2. Identify the concentration (%) of chlorine or sodium hypochlorite in the product.

    Consumer grade products may not indicate the concentration of chlorine or sodium hypochlorite on their label due to “trade secrets”. If this is the case, the following concentrations can be used as a guideline:

    • Regular bleach: 5.25-6%
    • Product labelled as “Ultra” or “Concentrated”: 7-8%
    • Industrial: 12%

    The following are examples of concentrations of some well-known products that can be found on the company websites and/or technical data sheets:

    • Old Dutch: 4%
    • Lavo Pro 6: 6%
    • Chlorox concentrated bleach solution: 7.4%
    • Chlorox Germicidal Bleach: 8.25%
    • Advance 12A – 12%

    For info about Chlorox products visit: https://www.cloroxpro.ca/resource-center/

  3. Always make sure to double check labels before making a new bleach solution to ensure that there are no changes in product or concentration.

  4. Follow manufacturer instructions on how to safely use these products.

Examples of Using the Bleach Concentration Tool

Once you know the concentration of the product and know how much of the sanitizer you would like to make, you can use the tool.

Below are three examples for your guidance:

Example 1: Using 6% solution to make 1 Litre at 200ppm concentration. Measure using millilitres.

Answer: Add 3.5 millilitres of bleach to 1 litre of water.


Example 2: Using 8.25% bleach to make 20 Litres of sanitizer at 200 ppm concentration. Measure using millilitres.

Answer: Add 50.9 millilitres of bleach to 20 litres of water.


Example 3: using 12% bleach to make 100 Litres at 200 ppm concentration. Measure using millilitres.

Answer: Add 175 millilitres of bleach to 100 litres of water.