Beer color (SRM) calculator
The standard Morey estimate used across brewing software: grain weight × color per gallon gives malt color units, and SRM follows a power law from there.
How it works
Malt color units are the sum of (weight in pounds × color in °Lovibond) divided by batch volume in gallons. Dan Morey's fit — SRM = 1.4922 × MCU0.6859 — corrects for the fact that perceived color rises more slowly than pigment concentration. EBC is simply 1.97 × SRM.
FAQ
What’s the difference between SRM, EBC, and Lovibond?
SRM and EBC both measure finished beer color (EBC ≈ 1.97 × SRM); Lovibond rates malt color. For malts, EBC ≈ 2.65 × °L − 1.2.
Why does the Morey equation cap MCU at 167?
Beyond that, color measurements saturate — the beer is effectively opaque black, and the power-law fit was derived from data below that ceiling.
How accurate is the estimate?
Within a couple of SRM for typical beers. Boil vigor, kettle caramelization, pH, and malt lot variation all shift real color, so treat it as a good estimate rather than a measurement.
Does late-addition or steeped grain count?
For color, yes — everything that ends up in the kettle contributes. (Mash pH is a different question: grains steeped outside the mash don’t affect it, which the full calculator models separately.)
Daniel Morey, “Approximating SRM Beer Color” — the standard conversion across brewing software. Malt colors vary by lot; use your malt analysis where you have it.