Fermentation Salt Chart
Salt concentration is the single most important variable in vegetable fermentation: too little and spoilage organisms outcompete the lactic acid bacteria, too much and fermentation stalls. This chart gives working salt percentages by vegetable and method, plus the arithmetic for calculating either a dry salt or a brine correctly.
Salt percentages by ferment type
Sauerkraut and dry-salted shredded vegetables: 2-2.5 percent of the vegetable weight. This draws out enough liquid to submerge the kraut in its own brine.
Kimchi: roughly 2-3 percent overall, though the process differs since cabbage is brined and rinsed first, then combined with a seasoning paste.
Cucumber pickles: 3.5-5 percent brine. Cucumbers are watery and prone to softening, so they need a stronger brine than most vegetables.
Hot sauce and chilli mash: 3-5 percent brine, on the higher end for long ferments intended to keep for months.
Whole or halved firm vegetables (carrots, beans, radish): 3-3.5 percent brine, enough to protect large pieces without making them inedibly salty.
Hot climates or long ferments: add roughly 0.5 percent to any of the above, since warmth speeds everything up including the organisms you do not want.
Calculating dry salt (for kraut-style ferments)
Weigh the prepared vegetables, multiply by your target percentage, and that is your salt. For 1000 grams of shredded cabbage at 2 percent: 1000 x 0.02 = 20 grams of salt. Mix thoroughly, let it sit, and the cabbage releases its own brine.
This method only works for vegetables that release enough liquid on their own. Firm, low-moisture vegetables need a separate brine instead.
Calculating a brine (for whole vegetables)
Brine percentage is calculated against the water weight: for a 3.5 percent brine in 1 litre of water (1000 grams), use 1000 x 0.035 = 35 grams of salt.
The more precise method used by experienced fermenters accounts for the vegetables too, calculating salt against the combined weight of water plus vegetables, since the vegetables' own water content dilutes the brine. For a 1000g water plus 700g vegetables jar at 3.5 percent: (1000 + 700) x 0.035 = about 60 grams of salt.
Salt type matters less than you might think
Use any pure salt without additives: sea salt, kosher salt, pickling salt, or plain non-iodized table salt all work. Anti-caking agents can cloud the brine and iodine can inhibit the bacteria, so avoid iodized table salt specifically.
Because salts differ in crystal size, always measure salt by weight rather than by volume. A tablespoon of fine salt weighs substantially more than a tablespoon of coarse flake salt, which is enough to push a ferment out of its safe range.