📊 Mass Percent & PPM Calculator

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📘 About the Mass % & ppm

Mass percent (w/w %) tells you what percentage of a solution's mass is solute. For very dilute solutions, such as pollutants in water, concentration is given in parts per million (ppm) or parts per billion (ppb).

Enter the mass of solute and the mass of solvent. The calculator adds them to get the mass of the solution, then gives every form of the concentration.

🧮 Formula

Mass percent
w/w % = (mass of solute ÷ mass of solution) × 100
Parts per million
ppm = (mass of solute ÷ mass of solution) × 10⁶

Where

  • Mass of solution = mass of solute + mass of solvent
  • 1 ppm = 1 mg of solute per kg of solution (≈ 1 mg/L in water)
  • 1 ppb = 1 µg per kg
Use the same unit for both masses. For water samples, 1 ppm is about 1 mg per litre.

✏️ Worked examples

5 g sugar in 95 g water

You enter
Mass of solute5 g
Mass of solvent95 g
You get
Mass percent (w/w, %)5
Mass fraction0.05
Parts per million (ppm)50,000
Parts per billion (ppb)50,000,000
Mass of solution (g)100

The solution is 5% sugar by mass.

Try this example →

Fluoride in water

You enter
Mass of solute0 g
Mass of solvent1,000 g
You get
Mass percent (w/w, %)0.0001
Mass fraction1e-6
Parts per million (ppm)1
Parts per billion (ppb)1,000
Mass of solution (g)1,000

1 mg of fluoride in 1 kg of water is 1 ppm.

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🧭 How to use this calculator

What you enter

  • Mass of solute (g)
  • Mass of solvent (g)

What you get

  • Mass percent (w/w, %)
  • Mass fraction
  • Parts per million (ppm)
  • Parts per billion (ppb)
  • Mass of solution (g)

💡 Other ways to express concentration

  • Volume percent (v/v): volume of solute ÷ volume of solution × 100
  • Mass by volume (w/v): grams of solute per 100 mL of solution
  • Molarity: moles per litre of solution
  • Molality: moles per kilogram of solvent
  • Mole fraction: moles of a component ÷ total moles

❓ Frequently asked questions

What is mass percent?

The mass of solute divided by the mass of the whole solution, times 100.

How do you convert mass percent to ppm?

Multiply by 10,000. 0.1% = 1,000 ppm.

What does 1 ppm mean?

One part of solute per million parts of solution by mass, e.g. 1 mg per kg.

Is mass percent the same as w/v percent?

No. w/w uses the mass of solution; w/v uses its volume in mL (×100).