What is the Salt Dough Calculator?
Salt dough is a simple, no-cook modelling material made from flour, salt and water. This calculator uses the classic 2:1:1 ratio by weight — two parts flour to one part salt to one part water — to tell you exactly how much salt and water you need for any amount of flour, and how to scale the recipe across several batches.
How to use it
Enter the weight of flour you want to start with (in grams) and the number of batches you plan to make. The calculator returns the salt and water needed per batch, the totals for all batches, and the combined dough weight so you know how much modelling material you will end up with.
The formula explained
Because the ratio is 2:1:1, salt and water each weigh half as much as the flour: salt = flour \(\times 0.5\) and water = flour \(\times 0.5\). One batch of dough therefore weighs flour + salt + water = flour \(\times 2\). Multiplying each ingredient by the number of batches gives the totals, and adding them gives the total dough weight.
$$\text{Total Dough} = (F + S + W)\times B$$$$\text{where}\quad \left\{ \begin{aligned} F &= \text{Flour (g)} \\ S &= 0.5\times\text{Flour (g)} \\ W &= 0.5\times\text{Flour (g)} \\ B &= \text{Batches} \end{aligned} \right.$$
Worked example
With 200 g of flour: salt \(= 200 \times 0.5 = 100\) g, water \(= 200 \times 0.5 = 100\) g. One batch weighs 400 g. For 3 batches you need 600 g flour, 300 g salt and 300 g water, for a total of 1,200 g of dough.
$$\text{Total Dough} = 2 \times 200 \times 3 = 1{,}200 \text{ g}$$
FAQ
Can I add oil? A tablespoon of oil makes the dough smoother but is optional and not counted in the ratio.
How do I bake it? Bake at about 100°C (200°F) for 2–3 hours per centimetre of thickness, or air-dry over several days.
Why measure by weight? Weight gives consistent results regardless of how packed your flour is, unlike cup measurements.
