United KingdomTier 2
Force carbonation calculator
Beer temperature and target CO₂ volumes in. Regulator PSI out.
Free·No sign-up·Last checked 2026-08-27
Formula
PSI = −16.6999 − 0.0101059T + 0.00116512T² + 0.173354TV + 4.24267V − 0.0684226V² (T in °F, converted from °C)Worked example. 3°C (37.4°F) targeting 2.4 volumes → about 9.9 PSI.
Method
°C input, PSI output
The CO₂-solubility regression was fitted in °F, so this calculator converts your °C reading internally before applying it — the regulator output stays in PSI, since kegging hardware is graded that way internationally regardless of the rest of a country's units.
Questions
CO2 is more soluble in cold liquid, so a colder keg absorbs the same number of volumes at a lower pressure than a warmer one would need.
Set-and-forget at serving pressure typically takes 1–2 weeks to fully equalize; agitating the keg or using a higher pressure briefly can shorten that to a day or two, but this calculator only gives the equilibrium PSI, not a timeline.