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Stock & Broth Yield Calculator

Estimate the water needed and expected finished stock yield based on bones/vegetables used.

Result

Starting Water
6 quarts
Estimated Finished Yield
3.1 quarts

Uses a common ratio of about 1.5 quarts of water per pound of bones/vegetables, then accounts for gradual evaporation during a long simmer (roughly 8% loss per hour uncovered, capped at 12 hours) - covering the pot partially reduces evaporation loss but also slightly reduces flavor concentration.

About the Stock Yield Calculator

This calculator estimates how much starting water to use for a batch of stock or bone broth and projects the finished yield after accounting for evaporation during a long simmer. It's aimed at cooks planning a stock batch who want to know roughly how much liquid they'll end up with, not just how much they poured in.

How It Works

You enter the weight of bones or vegetables in pounds and the planned simmer time in hours. The calculator multiplies the weight by a fixed water ratio to get starting water volume, then reduces that figure by an evaporation percentage that grows with simmer time (capped at 12 hours) to estimate the final yield.

waterQuarts = boneWeight x 1.5; finalYieldQuarts = waterQuarts x (1 - 0.08 x min(simmerHours, 12)), with the final result floored at zero.

Formula & Methodology

Starting water is calculated at a ratio of 1.5 quarts per pound of bones or vegetables. From there, evaporation is modeled as an 8% loss of that starting volume for every hour simmered, but the hours used in that calculation are capped at 12 even if you enter a longer simmer time. So for 4 lb of bones and a 6 hour simmer: starting water is 4 x 1.5 = 6 quarts, and the evaporation factor is 1 - (0.08 x 6) = 1 - 0.48 = 0.52, giving a final yield of 6 x 0.52 = 3.12 quarts.

Examples

Default 4 lb batch, 6 hour simmer

At the defaults of 4 lb of bones and a 6 hour simmer, starting water is 6.0 quarts and the estimated finished yield is 3.1 quarts after 48% evaporation loss.

8 lb batch, 10 hour simmer

For 8 lb of bones simmered 10 hours, starting water is 8 x 1.5 = 12.0 quarts, and the evaporation factor is 1 - (0.08 x 10) = 0.20, giving a finished yield of 12 x 0.20 = 2.4 quarts.

Advantages

  • Ties pot size planning directly to how much bone or vegetable weight you're actually using, rather than a flat guess
  • Accounts for the fact that a longer simmer both concentrates flavor and shrinks final volume, showing both sides of that trade-off in one number
  • Prevents starting with too little water by basing the initial fill on a clear per-pound ratio

Common Mistakes

  • Filling the pot only to match the starting water figure and ending up short if the simmer runs long, since that number does not include evaporation loss
  • Assuming yield keeps shrinking indefinitely with simmer time past 12 hours, when the calculator's evaporation model caps its effect at that point
  • Ignoring that a partially or fully covered pot changes real evaporation significantly compared to the uncovered simmer this estimate assumes

Edge Cases to Watch For

  • Simmer time is capped at 12 hours inside the evaporation formula, so entering 18 or 24 hours produces the same evaporation loss as entering exactly 12 hours.
  • Because the evaporation factor is linear, a simmer time entered well past 12.5 hours worth of uncapped loss (1/0.08) would mathematically drive yield to zero or negative - the code guards against a negative displayed result by flooring the final yield at zero with Math.max.
  • The 1.5 quarts per pound starting ratio and 8% hourly evaporation rate are both fixed assumptions; a partially covered pot, a wider or narrower stockpot, or an unusually rolling versus gentle simmer will all shift real-world evaporation away from this estimate.

Common Use Cases

  • Home cooks sizing a stockpot before starting a long bone broth simmer
  • Batch cooks who want to know roughly how many quarts of finished stock a given amount of bones will yield for freezing and portioning
  • Anyone comparing a shorter, higher-yield simmer against a longer, more concentrated one before committing pot time
Written & fact-checked by the Calculateus TeamLast updated August 5, 2026How we verify our formulas

Frequently asked questions

Why does a longer simmer produce a more flavorful but smaller-yield stock?

Extended simmering extracts more collagen, gelatin, and flavor compounds from bones and vegetables into the liquid, but the same extended time also means more water evaporates off as steam, concentrating the remaining liquid - this is a genuine trade-off between yield volume and flavor intensity, which is why some cooks simmer longer and simply accept a smaller final batch.

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Conclusion

The Stock & Broth Yield Calculator projects both your starting water needs and a realistic finished yield after simmer-time evaporation. Since the 8% hourly loss rate and 1.5 quarts per pound ratio are fixed averages, use the output as a planning estimate and adjust for your specific pot, lid, and simmer intensity.