How much curing salt to use
Curing salts are measured in grams per kilogram of meat, and the margin between enough and too much is small. This curing salt calculator works out how much cure #1 (pink curing salt) or cure #2 to weigh for bacon, sausage, salami, ham, corned beef or pastrami, together with the salt and sugar for your recipe, and shows the resulting ingoing nitrite in parts per million (ppm).
Each method carries its USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) limit, and the calculator refuses any target above it. The amount it gives is rounded down, so the gram figure you weigh can never push you over the level you chose. Everything runs in your browser.
How to use the Curing Salt Calculator
- Choose what you are curing: sausage or other ground meat, a dry-cured whole muscle, a wet brine, or bacon.
- Enter the meat weight (and for a wet brine, the water weight).
- Pick your curing salt and check the nitrite (and nitrate) percentage against its label.
- Keep the suggested target ppm or lower it; it cannot go above the limit shown.
- Set the total salt and sugar percentages from your recipe, then weigh the cure, salt and sugar on a scale that reads 0.1 g.
Curing Salt Calculator features
Legal limits built in
156 ppm for sausage and ground meat, 625 ppm for dry-cured whole muscle, 200 ppm for immersion cures and dry-cured bacon, and 120 ppm for brined bacon.
Cure #1 and cure #2
Nitrite and nitrate are both checked; a high-nitrate blend is capped at the nitrate limit.
Salt and sugar
The salt already in the cure is subtracted, so the total salt matches your recipe.
Check a recipe
Enter an amount from a recipe or a teaspoon measure to see its ppm and whether it is over the limit.
The formula and the limits
FSIS calculates ingoing nitrite as ppm = weight of cure × % nitrite in the cure × 1,000,000 ÷ weight of meat. The calculator turns it around: cure = target ppm × meat weight ÷ (nitrite fraction × 1,000,000). With cure #1 at 6.25 % sodium nitrite, 156 ppm works out to 2.5 g of cure per kilogram of meat, or about 1.13 g per pound.
The limits come from 9 CFR 424.21(c), which allows ¼ oz of nitrite per 100 lb of chopped meat (156 ppm) and 1 oz per 100 lb for a dry cure (625 ppm), and from the FSIS processing quick reference table: 200 ppm for immersion-cured and pumped products, and nitrate at 1,718 ppm (comminuted), 2,187 ppm (dry cured) and 700 ppm (immersion). Bacon has its own rule, 9 CFR 424.22(b): 120 ppm for pumped or immersion-cured bacon and 200 ppm for dry-cured bacon; FSIS does not permit nitrate in pumped bacon, and this calculator allows none in any bacon. Sources were read on 24 October 2026.
Wet brines and equilibrium curing
In a wet brine the nitrite spreads through both the meat and the water until they reach the same concentration. The calculator therefore uses the meat weight plus the water weight as its basis for brine methods, which keeps the meat at or below the target however long it soaks. Injected (pumped) products are calculated differently by commercial plants, from the brine strength and the percentage pumped; this tool does not cover injection.
Safety notes
- Weigh, don’t scoop. A level teaspoon of cure #1 weighs roughly 5 to 6 g, and spoon measures vary, so use a 0.1 g scale.
- Cure #2 is for long dry cures such as salami and dry ham, never for bacon or quick cures.
- Too little cure is also a risk. Nitrite helps prevent Clostridium botulinum; do not cut the cure below what a tested recipe asks for.
- Follow a tested recipe for curing time, temperature (34–40 °F / 1–4 °C) and cooking or drying; the cure amount is only one step.
- Labels differ. Cure #2 blends vary between makers, so type the percentages from your packet.
Curing Salt Calculator FAQ
How much cure #1 per pound of meat?
For sausage and ground meat at the 156 ppm limit, about 1.13 g of cure #1 per pound (2.5 g per kilogram). The calculator gives the exact figure for your weight, rounded down.
How much pink curing salt for bacon?
For a dry rub, up to 200 ppm is allowed; many recipes use 156 ppm, which is 2.5 g of cure #1 per kilogram of belly. For brined bacon the limit is 120 ppm, calculated on the meat plus the water.
What is the difference between cure #1 and cure #2?
Cure #1 contains sodium nitrite (6.25 %) and salt. Cure #2 also contains sodium nitrate, which slowly turns into nitrite during long dry cures such as salami or dry ham.
Can I use more cure to cure faster?
No. More cure does not make curing safe faster and can exceed legal and safe limits. Time, temperature and salt do the work.
Is curing salt the same as pink Himalayan salt?
No. Pink curing salt is dyed pink so it is not mistaken for table salt; Himalayan salt contains no nitrite and cannot cure meat.
Is this calculator a food-safety plan?
No. It is information only. Follow a tested recipe and, for anything you sell, your local food-safety authority.