Pesticide Dilution & Mixing Chart

Printable pesticide dilution chart: 1:100 and 1:32 to 1:256 ratios as oz per gallon, 1% to 3% mixes, backpack fills, and hose-end sprayer jar math.

Chart edition
Pick the card you carry

Pick the chart you carry — the ratio card, the percent field card, or the hose-end/RTU card. Each is a fixed printable sheet; switching just swaps the sheet, nothing is computed or saved.

How to read it
Hose-end sprayer jar

A dial-in hose-end sprayer meters concentrate into the stream at a set rate in ounces per gallon, so the dial setting, the label rate and the oz-per-gallon column above are the same number. Pick the setting and say how much water the sprayer will draw; this works out what goes in the jar. Set the dial to the rate on the product label. The label rate governs; this is arithmetic, not a recommendation.

The volume of water that will pass through the sprayer on this job.

Unit

Pick a dial setting and a water volume to size the jar.

Jar concentrate (fl oz) = dial rate (oz per gallon) × gallons of water the sprayer will draw.

Dial rate and label ratio are the same setting: oz per gallon = 128 ÷ N, so 1:100 is 1.28 oz per gallon and 1:64 is 2 oz.

Basis: 1 US gallon = 128 fl oz = 3,785 mL. Percent of the water volume, per gallon of water = oz per gallon ÷ 1.28.

How these conversions work

Two fixed identities carry the whole sheet. For a ratio, oz of concentrate per gallon = 128 ÷ N (so 1:32 → 4 oz, 1:64 → 2 oz, 1:128 → 1 oz). For a percent label, oz per gallon = % × 1.28 (so 2% → 2.56 oz, 2.5% → 3.2 oz). The small-batch columns divide the per-gallon figure by 4 for a 32-oz bottle and multiply by 2.5 and 4 for the larger tanks; to scale any mix, multiply the per-gallon amount by the number of gallons.

The hose-end jar mix runs on those same two identities. A dial-in sprayer meters concentrate at a set rate in ounces per gallon, so jar concentrate = dial rate × gallons of water drawn: a 2 oz per gallon dial with a 20-gallon draw takes 40 fl oz (1,183 mL) in the jar, gives about 20.3 gallons of finished spray, and works out to 1:64, or 1.56 percent of the water volume. That percent is read per gallon of water, the convention the percent strip and the labels it mirrors use, so it runs fractionally above the percent of the finished spray (the same mix is 1.54 percent of 20.3125 gallons). A ratio setting converts first (oz per gallon = 128 ÷ N, so 1:100 is 1.28 oz), and the percent comes back the other way through oz per gallon ÷ 1.28. Constants: 1 US gallon = 128 fl oz = 3,785 mL, and 1 fl oz = 29.5735 mL. Montana State University Extension describes hose-end systems as working in ounces per gallon and notes that on a dial-in model the setting is the dilution rate printed on the product label, which is why the dial number and the chart's oz-per-gallon column are the same figure. Which rate belongs on your product is the label's call, and the label governs.

Numbers are rounded for field use and the strong ratios (1:8 and below) are approximate. The figures come from Fulton Distributing's ratio chart and The Nature Conservancy's percent matrix, with the `% × 1.28` rule confirmed by Pesticide Environmental Stewardship and Online Pest Control Courses.

Switch the edition to preview a different card. The sheet is a static printed lookup — print landscape and laminate it for the truck.

Pesticide Dilution & Mixing Reference Chart

Quick-reference conversions — always read and follow the product label; the label rate governs.

Mixing order

  1. Fill the tank ~⅓–½ with clean water
  2. Add the measured concentrate
  3. Top off with water
  4. Agitate

Add concentrate TO the water — it counts toward final volume; never the reverse.

Ratio → ounces of concentrate per gallon

Approximate — the label rate governs. 1:N means 1 part concentrate to N parts water. US gallon (128 fl oz) basis.

Ratio Oz / 1 gal 32-oz bottle 2.5 gal 4-gal backpack ≈ %
1:8 16 oz 4 oz 40 oz 64 oz ~11%
1:16 8 oz 2 oz 20 oz 32 oz ~6%
1:32 4 oz 1 oz 10 oz 16 oz ~3%
1:64 2 oz 0.5 oz ≈ 1 tbsp 5 oz 8 oz ~1.5%
1:100 1.28 oz 0.32 oz ≈ 2 tsp 3.2 oz 5.1 oz ~1%
1:128 1 oz 0.25 oz ≈ 1.5 tsp 2.5 oz 4 oz ~0.8%
1:256 0.5 oz ~0.125 oz ≈ ¾ tsp 1.25 oz 2 oz ~0.4%

1:8 · 16 oz / gal (~11%)

32-oz: 4 oz · 2.5 gal: 40 oz · backpack: 64 oz

1:16 · 8 oz / gal (~6%)

32-oz: 2 oz · 2.5 gal: 20 oz · backpack: 32 oz

1:32 · 4 oz / gal (~3%)

32-oz: 1 oz · 2.5 gal: 10 oz · backpack: 16 oz

1:64 · 2 oz / gal (~1.5%)

32-oz: 0.5 oz ≈ 1 tbsp · 2.5 gal: 5 oz · backpack: 8 oz

1:100 · 1.28 oz / gal (~1%)

32-oz: 0.32 oz ≈ 2 tsp · 2.5 gal: 3.2 oz · backpack: 5.1 oz

1:128 · 1 oz / gal (~0.8%)

32-oz: 0.25 oz ≈ 1.5 tsp · 2.5 gal: 2.5 oz · backpack: 4 oz

1:256 · 0.5 oz / gal (~0.4%)

32-oz: ~0.125 oz ≈ ¾ tsp · 2.5 gal: 1.25 oz · backpack: 2 oz

Percent → ounces of concentrate per gallon

oz per gallon = % × 1.28. Approximate — the label rate governs.

Label % Oz / 1 gal 2.5 gal 25 gal 50 gal
0.5% 0.6 oz 1.6 oz 16 oz 32 oz
1% 1.3 oz 3.2 oz 32 oz 64 oz
2% 2.56 (≈2.6) oz 6.4 oz 64 oz 128 oz
2.5% 3.2 oz 8 oz 80 oz 160 oz
3% 3.8 oz 9.6 oz 96 oz 192 oz
5% 6.4 oz 16 oz 160 oz 320 oz
10% 12.8 oz 32 oz 320 oz 640 oz

0.5% · 0.6 oz / gal

2.5 gal: 1.6 oz · 25 gal: 16 oz · 50 gal: 32 oz

1% · 1.3 oz / gal

2.5 gal: 3.2 oz · 25 gal: 32 oz · 50 gal: 64 oz

2% · 2.56 (≈2.6) oz / gal

2.5 gal: 6.4 oz · 25 gal: 64 oz · 50 gal: 128 oz

2.5% · 3.2 oz / gal

2.5 gal: 8 oz · 25 gal: 80 oz · 50 gal: 160 oz

3% · 3.8 oz / gal

2.5 gal: 9.6 oz · 25 gal: 96 oz · 50 gal: 192 oz

5% · 6.4 oz / gal

2.5 gal: 16 oz · 25 gal: 160 oz · 50 gal: 320 oz

10% · 12.8 oz / gal

2.5 gal: 32 oz · 25 gal: 320 oz · 50 gal: 640 oz

Volume equivalence & scaling

  • 128 oz = 1 gal = 4 qt = 8 pt = 16 cups
  • 3 tsp = 1 tbsp = 15 mL
  • 1 fl oz = 2 tbsp = 30 mL
  • 1 gal = 3.8 L

Multiply the per-gallon amount by the number of gallons.

Add one product at a time; mix only what you’ll use; wear label-required PPE.

1:N means 1 part concentrate to N parts water. US gallon (128 fl oz) basis. Approximate — the label rate governs.

Shop / operator: ______________________________

Quick-reference conversions only. Always read and follow the product label — the label rate and PPE requirements govern. Not a substitute for the label and not a compliance/regulatory document.

Print or save

Frequently asked questions

How many ounces per gallon is a 1:64 dilution?
2 fl oz of concentrate per US gallon. The whole ladder is one identity — 128 ÷ N — because a US gallon holds 128 fl oz: 1:32 gives 4 oz, 1:64 gives 2 oz, 1:128 gives 1 oz, 1:256 gives 0.5 oz. Fulton Distributing's published dilution ratio chart prints the same figures from the other side of the colon: 2 ounces of concentrate to 128 ounces of water at 64-to-1, 1 ounce at 128-to-1, 0.50 ounce at 256-to-1. Pesticide Environmental Stewardship works off the identical 128-ounces-per-gallon basis. The sheet above prints the ladder so you read a row instead of dividing. Which ratio applies is on the product label — the label rate governs.
How do I convert a percent label rate to ounces per gallon?
Multiply the percent by 1.28, which is just the 128 fl oz in a gallon divided by 100. A 2% solution is 2.56 oz per gallon (printed field-rounded as 2.6) and a 2.5% solution is 3.2 oz. Online Pest Control Courses publishes both worked examples; Pesticide Environmental Stewardship reaches the same 2.6 oz by multiplying 0.02 × 128; The Nature Conservancy's liquid-herbicide mixing chart prints 2.6 and 3.2 in its per-gallon column. Bigger vessel, same arithmetic: multiply the per-gallon amount by the number of gallons. For a percent or a tank size the strip does not print, the pesticide dilution calculator takes any value.
How much concentrate does a 4-gallon backpack sprayer take?
Four times the per-gallon figure: 4 oz at 1:128, 8 oz at 1:64, 16 oz at 1:32 — the backpack column on the sheet. Fulton's chart states the scaling rule outright: for mixes in multiple gallons, multiply the chemical amount by the number of gallons. A 2.5-gallon hand can is the same sum at ×2.5; a 32-oz bottle is a quarter-gallon, so it is the per-gallon amount ÷ 4. The label rate still governs the ratio. If you also need the water half of the mix, use the dilution calculator; to find what your own backpack actually puts out, see backpack sprayer calibration.
What is a 1:64 dilution in metric — mL per litre?
A ratio carries no units, so 1:64 is 1 part concentrate to 64 parts water in whatever you measure with: 1,000 ÷ 64 ≈ 15.6 mL per litre, exactly as 128 ÷ 64 = 2 oz per US gallon. Fulton's chart supplies the bridging equivalents — 128 fl oz = 1 gallon = 3.8 litres, 1 fl oz = 2 tbsp = 30 mL, 3 tsp = 1 tbsp = 15 mL — so that 2 oz per gallon also reads as roughly 60 mL of concentrate per gallon. Percent rates are unit-free the same way: 2% is 20 mL per litre just as readily as it is 2.56 oz per gallon.
Is a hose-end sprayer setting the same number as the oz-per-gallon column?
Same unit, yes. Montana State University Extension describes hose-end systems as working in "ounces per gallon over given unit area", with the sprayer jar "generally marked with two scales: fluid ounces and gallons", and notes that on a dial-in model the setting is the dilution rate printed on the product label. So the figure a hose-end asks for is the same oz-per-gallon number the ratio and percent columns produce: 1:64 → 2 oz per gallon, 2% → 2.56 oz. What no chart can supply is which rate belongs on your product — that is the label's, and the label governs.
Chart or calculator — which should I use?
The chart is the lookup: fixed, pre-checked rows for the ratios and percents that recur, sized to print and keep in the truck. The pesticide dilution calculator is the any-value version — any rate, any tank size, and it returns the water alongside the concentrate. Neither knows your product; the rate comes from the label. For the numbers either one feeds, spray coverage turns a per-1,000-sq-ft rate into finished gallons and tank loads, the active-ingredient ppm converter restates a mix as ppm, and the herbicide tank-mix calculator handles oz/acre label rates.

Sources

  1. Dilution Ratio Chart (PDF). Fulton Distributing. Retrieved .
  2. Mixing Chart for Liquid Herbicides (PDF). The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved .
  3. Calibration — Doing the Math. Pesticide Environmental Stewardship. Retrieved .
  4. How to Calculate Pesticide Dilution Ratios. Online Pest Control Courses. Retrieved .
  5. Calibrating Home and Garden Sprayers (MT200015AG, rev. 09/23). Montana State University Extension. Retrieved .

Get early access

Fieldwynn is the field-first app we are building for small crews — simple in the truck, powerful in the back office. It is not out yet; join the early-access list and be first when it launches for your trade.