Pool chemical dosage chart
Updated:
Every dose you are likely to need, in one place, in both unit systems. The tables below are per 10,000 gallons and per 10,000 liters, multiply by your own volume, or use the calculator to have it scaled and rounded for you.
How to read these tables
Each row is a single job: a goal, the product that does it, and the amount for a 10,000-gallon (or 10,000-liter) pool. Scaling is linear, so a 15,000-gallon pool needs 1.5× the listed amount and a 7,500-gallon pool needs 0.75×. The one place scaling is not linear is pH: how much acid you need depends on your total alkalinity, so those rows state the alkalinity they assume.
Before you dose anything
Get your volume right first, every number here multiplies by it, so a 20% volume error is a 20% dosing error. Then add one product at a time with the pump running, and re-test before the next. Never mix two chemicals together, and never add acid and chlorine in the same pass: concentrated, they produce toxic chlorine gas.
What you are dosing toward
| Reading | Target | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Free chlorine | TFP’s minimum for your CYA, then its target range | TFP chart; CDC floor of 1 ppm, or 2 ppm with CYA |
| pH | 7.2–7.8 | Hayward and Pentair manuals; the CDC allows 7.0–7.8 |
| Total alkalinity | 80–120 ppm | Hayward and Pentair manuals; the MAHC allows 60–180 |
| Cyanuric acid | 30–50 ppm | Hayward and Pentair manuals; the MAHC caps public pools at 90 |
| Calcium hardness | 200–400 ppm; 80–200 for vinyl or fiberglass | MAHC Annex 5.7.4.4.3 and 5.7.4.6 |
| Salt | Your generator’s range | MAHC 5.7.3.1.5.2 |
Chlorine dosage chart
How much of each chlorine product raises free chlorine by 1 ppm. Your target rises with CYA: Trouble Free Pool puts the minimum at 7.5% of your CYA reading.
| Product | Per 10,000 gal | Per 10,000 L | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid chlorine 12.5% | 10 fl oz | 80 mL | Adds nothing but chlorine and a trace of salt |
| Household bleach 8.25% | 14 fl oz | 111 mL | Same chemistry, weaker per bottle |
| Cal-hypo 73% | 1.8 oz | 13.7 g | Adds calcium hardness every dose |
| Dichlor 56% | 2 oz | 17.9 g | Adds about 1 ppm CYA every dose |
Shock dosage chart
Shock means raising free chlorine to about 40% of your CYA, Trouble Free Pool’s SLAM level, and holding it there. The amounts assume you start from 0 ppm.
| Your CYA | Shock target | Liquid chlorine 12.5% | Cal-hypo 73% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 ppm | 12 ppm | 3.8 qt (123 fl oz) | 1 lb 6 oz |
| 40 ppm | 16 ppm | 1.28 gal | 1 lb 13 oz |
| 50 ppm | 20 ppm | 1.6 gal | 2 lb 5 oz |
| 80 ppm (salt pool) | 32 ppm | 2.56 gal | 3 lb 11 oz |
pH and alkalinity dosage chart
Acid doses assume the alkalinity shown, because alkalinity is what resists the pH change. At double the alkalinity, expect roughly double the acid for the same drop.
| Goal | Product | Per 10,000 gal | Per 10,000 L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower pH 7.8 → 7.6 (TA 100) | Muriatic acid 31.45% | 5 fl oz | 42 mL |
| Lower pH 8.0 → 7.5 (TA 100) | Muriatic acid 31.45% | 12 fl oz | 97 mL |
| Lower pH 7.8 → 7.6 (TA 100) | Dry acid (sodium bisulfate) | 7 oz | 54 g |
| Raise pH 7.2 → 7.4 (TA 80) | Soda ash | 10 oz | 76 g |
| Raise total alkalinity +10 ppm | Baking soda | 1 lb 6 oz | 168 g |
| Lower total alkalinity 120 → 100 | Muriatic acid 31.45% | 51 fl oz | 400 mL |
Stabilizer, calcium and salt dosage chart
These three move slowly and none of them can be lowered with a chemical: the only way down is diluting with fresh water. Aim slightly low and top up.
| Goal | Product | Per 10,000 gal | Per 10,000 L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raise cyanuric acid +10 ppm | Stabilizer (CYA) | 13 oz | 100 g |
| Raise calcium hardness +10 ppm | Calcium chloride 77% | 1 lb 4 oz | 147 g |
| Raise salt +1,000 ppm | Pool salt (99% NaCl) | 84 lb | 10.1 kg |
| Lower CYA, calcium or salt | Fresh water | Drain and refill | Drain and refill |
FAQ
How much chlorine per 10,000 gallons?
About 10 fl oz of 12.5% liquid chlorine raises 10,000 gallons by 1 ppm, or roughly 1.8 oz of 73% cal-hypo. Multiply by the ppm gap you need to close.
How many kilos of salt does my pool need?
About 10.1 kg of pool salt raises 10,000 liters by 1,000 ppm. A 50,000-liter pool going from 2,000 to 3,200 ppm needs roughly 60 kg, about three 20 kg bags.
How much baking soda raises alkalinity?
Around 1 lb 6 oz per 10,000 gallons (168 g per 10,000 liters) raises total alkalinity by 10 ppm, in line with the 1.4 lb the MAHC Annex gives. It nudges pH up only slightly, which is why it is the right tool when alkalinity is the low reading.
Can I use this chart for a hot tub?
Scale it down carefully. A 400-gallon spa is 4% of the 10,000-gallon column, so doses land in teaspoons and capfuls where a rounding error matters far more. Use the hot tub calculator instead.
Why does the acid amount depend on alkalinity?
Alkalinity is the water's buffer against pH change. A pool at TA 150 needs roughly twice the acid of a pool at TA 70 for the same pH drop, which is why any chart that ignores alkalinity will overshoot or undershoot.
Sources
- CDC, Home Pool and Hot Tub Water Treatment and Testing (May 10, 2024). Free chlorine minimums and pH range
- CDC, Model Aquatic Health Code, 5th edition (2024), Code Language. Sections 5.7.3.1.1.2, 5.7.3.1.3.2, 5.7.3.1.5.2, 5.7.3.4.1 and 5.7.4.4.1
- CDC, Model Aquatic Health Code, 5th edition (2024), Annex. Sections 5.7.4.4.1 (baking soda dose) and 5.7.4.4.3 (calcium hardness)
- Trouble Free Pool, CYA Chlorine Relationship (Chlorine/CYA chart). Minimum free chlorine and shock level as shares of CYA
- Hayward, AquaRite 900 Series Electronic Chlorine Generator manual (092623 Rev D). pH, alkalinity and stabilizer ranges
- Pentair, IntelliChlor IC15/IC20/IC40/IC60 Installation and User’s Guide (P/N 520589 Rev. R, 2023). pH, alkalinity and stabilizer ranges
- NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.8: conversion factors. Liters per US gallon
Related
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