Serial Dilution Calculator
Every step in the series, with the compounding shown.
Work out Serial Dilution. Every step in the series, with the compounding shown. Names the convention that makes the answer wrong.
10 for a 1:10 series, 2 for a doubling dilution.
Final concentration
1.0000e-6
1,000,000-fold total dilution
The factor compounds, so the dilution is the factor raised to the number of steps rather than multiplied by it. Six 1:10 steps give a millionfold dilution, not sixtyfold. That compounding is also why pipetting error compounds: a 2% error at every step of a six-step series can shift the final concentration by more than 12%, and the error is systematic if the same pipette causes it.
How the Serial Dilution Calculator works
The dilution factor compounds rather than adding, so six 1:10 steps give a millionfold dilution rather than sixtyfold. This lists every step and its cumulative factor, because it is the cumulative one that people mis-state.
Also known as: dilution series calculator · 1 to 10 dilution calculator · dilution factor calculator · tenfold dilution series
Frequently asked questions
How does a serial dilution work?
Each step dilutes the previous one by the same factor, so the total is the factor raised to the number of steps. Six 1:10 steps give 10⁶, a millionfold dilution.
How do I calculate the final concentration?
Divide the stock by the factor raised to the number of steps. 1 M through three 1:10 steps ends at 0.001 M.
Why does pipetting error matter so much?
Because it compounds too. A consistent 2% error over six steps shifts the final concentration by more than 12%, and it is systematic rather than random if the same pipette causes it.
Put this calculator on your own site
Free to use, on any site, commercial or not. Paste this where you want it to appear. It is a plain iframe, so it works in WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, Ghost and anything else that accepts HTML.
<iframe src="https://www.thecalclibrary.com/embed/serial-dilution-calculator" width="100%" height="640" style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px" loading="lazy" title="Serial Dilution Calculator"></iframe>
<p style="font:13px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif;margin:6px 0 0;color:#64748b">Powered by <a href="https://www.thecalclibrary.com/serial-dilution-calculator" style="color:#64748b">Serial Dilution Calculator</a> from The Calc Library</p>The only condition is that the credit line below the frame stays in place. That one line is what pays for the tool being free — it is how anyone else finds it.