Serial Dilution Calculator Formula

Understand the math behind the serial dilution calculator. Each variable explained with a worked example.

Use the Serial Dilution Calculator

Formulas Used

Final Concentration

final_conc = initial_conc / pow(dilution_factor, num_steps)

Total Dilution Factor

total_dilution = pow(dilution_factor, num_steps)

Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
initial_concInitial Concentration(M)1
dilution_factorDilution Factor10
num_stepsNumber of Steps3

How It Works

How to Calculate Serial Dilution

Formula

C_final = C_initial / (DF)^n

Each step reduces concentration by the dilution factor.

Worked Example

3 serial 1:10 dilutions starting from 1 M.

initial_conc = 1dilution_factor = 10num_steps = 3
  1. 01Total dilution = 10^3 = 1000
  2. 02C_final = 1 / 1000
  3. 03C_final = 0.001 M

Ready to run the numbers?

Open Serial Dilution Calculator