SRM Color Calculator
Predict your beer's color from your grain bill. Add your malts and see the estimated SRM, EBC, and Lovibond with a visual color preview.
Batch Settings
Grain Bill
Common Lovibond values: Pilsner 1.5, Pale 2-Row 1.8, Munich 10, Crystal 40-120, Chocolate 350, Black Patent 500, Roasted Barley 300
Understanding Beer Color
Beer color is one of the most visual aspects of your homebrew. It's determined primarily by the malts and adjuncts in your grain bill, with darker specialty grains contributing more color per pound.
SRM (Standard Reference Method)
SRM is the standard color measurement used in North America. It measures the attenuation of light at 430nm wavelength through a 1cm sample. The scale runs from about 1 (very pale straw) to 40+ (opaque black).
MCU and the Morey Equation
The calculation starts with Malt Color Units (MCU):
MCU = (grain weight in lbs × grain color in °L) / batch volume in gallons
MCU values for each grain are summed, then converted to SRM using the Morey equation, which accounts for the non-linear relationship between MCU and perceived color:
SRM = 1.4922 × MCU^0.6859
This formula is accurate for SRM values between 1 and 50.
SRM to EBC and Lovibond
EBC = SRM × 1.97Lovibond ≈ (SRM + 0.76) / 1.3546
Color by Beer Style
- Light Lager / Pilsner: 2-4 SRM (pale straw to gold)
- Blonde Ale / Kolsch: 3-6 SRM (gold)
- Pale Ale / IPA: 5-14 SRM (gold to amber)
- Amber / Red Ale: 10-17 SRM (amber to copper)
- Brown Ale: 15-22 SRM (deep amber to brown)
- Porter: 20-35 SRM (brown to dark brown)
- Stout: 30-45+ SRM (very dark brown to black)