01
Record exact ink identity
Keep the brand and product name with each ingredient. Optional lot notes help distinguish a formula from a vague colour label such as just red or black.
Free tattoo artist utility
Tattoo Ink Recipe Calculator.
Preserve the master formula, scale the batch you actually need, and see exactly where whole-drop rounding changes the ratio. Built for repeatable records, not colour prediction.
Free to useNo accountWhole drops + measured mlLocal recipe versions
Ratio-first station notebook
Master formula → working batch
Ingredients
Amounts are normalized as a ratio. Recording 6 / 4 / 2 drops is mathematically the same master proportion as 3 / 2 / 1 parts; the source-unit label simply preserves how your original note was written.
Normalized
50%
Normalized
37.5%
Normalized
12.5%
Approximate screen swatch
Notebook cue only. RGB blending on a display is not a physical tattoo-pigment model and does not predict fresh or healed colour.
Working batch
Scale without overwriting the master.
Choose a real batch unit. Drops stay discrete and expose rounding; measured volume stays continuous. The tool never assumes a universal drop-to-ml conversion.
InkIdealActualRatioLock
Brand A Deep Red
master 50% · exact
Brand A Black
master 37.5% · +4.17 pp
Brand A Warm Yellow
master 12.5% · -4.17 pp
Largest whole-drop deviation: 4.17 percentage points. The allocator preserves the requested total exactly and distributes unavoidable rounding by largest remainder. Lock a row only when you intentionally want that ingredient to stay at its current drop count while changing the total.
Save snapshot keeps a local version on this device. No account and no cloud recipe upload.
One formula, two records
Keep the intended ratio separate from the batch you dispensed.
A durable recipe should preserve what you meant to make and what the working batch actually became. That distinction matters as soon as whole drops force an approximation.
02
Enter proportional amounts
Use parts for a clean master formula, or preserve an existing note written in drops or measured ml. The calculator normalizes the proportions into percentages.
03
Choose the real batch unit
Scale to a whole-drop total when that is how you dispense a small batch, or to a measured ml total when the workflow supports volume measurement.
04
Expose drop rounding
The whole-drop allocator keeps the requested total exact, distributes unavoidable rounding, and reports the actual ratio instead of presenting fractional drops as executable.
05
Lock only on purpose
Lock a drop count when one ingredient must stay fixed while the total changes. The changed actual percentages remain visible so the compromise is explicit.
06
Version the record
Save local snapshots, increment the version when the formula changes deliberately, then copy, share, or print a compact recipe card for the station notebook.
Why rounding matters
A 4 : 3 : 1 formula does not fit every drop total exactly.
The master formula is 50 / 37.5 / 12.5%. At twelve drops, two ideal ingredient amounts land on half-drops. A useful calculator should show the executable approximation and its difference from the master.
Ideal math
6 / 4.5 / 1.5
Exact proportions for a twelve-unit mathematical batch. Useful for understanding the formula, but not directly countable as whole drops.
Executable drops
6 / 5 / 1
Still totals twelve drops, but the actual ratio becomes 50 / 41.7 / 8.3%. The calculator reports that deviation instead of overwriting the master.
Increasing the total often reduces the relative effect of whole-drop rounding. Measured volume avoids this discrete-step problem when your workflow genuinely measures volume.
What this tool can repeat
Ratio repeatability is real. Healed-colour prediction is not.
The calculator can preserve and scale deterministic proportions. It cannot turn that math into a guarantee about physical pigment behaviour, application, skin, healing, compatibility, sterility, or regulation.
The optional digital swatches exist only as notebook cues. RGB values describe emitted screen colour; they are not measurements of tattoo pigment and are not used by the ratio engine.
Product identity matters because a ratio such as 4 : 3 : 1 is reconstructable only when the ingredient names still identify the same inks. Keep manufacturer and exact product names with the formula whenever repeatability matters.
For the full recording method, versioning logic, and worked examples, read How to Record and Scale Tattoo Ink Recipes.
Different station job
Grey wash stays a separate tool.
A custom multi-ink formula and a black-plus-diluent wash ladder use related ratio math, but the physical workflows are different enough to deserve different interfaces.
If the real job is preparing several diluted black caps with a consistent fill level or measured cap capacity, use the dedicated Grey Wash Calculator instead of forcing that workflow into an arbitrary multi-colour recipe table.
Open Grey Wash CalculatorFAQ
Tattoo ink recipe calculator questions.
The useful boundary is precise: deterministic formula math and record keeping, without converting ratios into claims the math cannot support.
It records a multi-ink master formula as proportions, normalizes that formula into percentages, then scales it into a working batch. Whole-drop output preserves the requested total and exposes rounding. Measured-volume output scales the same ratio directly without assuming a universal drop-to-millilitre conversion.
Use the notation that matches the record you actually have. The calculator treats the entered amounts as proportional quantities and preserves the source-unit label. Parts are usually the cleanest long-lived master formula; drops or measured millilitres can document an existing working note while still normalizing the ratio for comparison.
Drops are discrete. A valid ratio can require fractional drops at a small target total. The calculator uses a largest-remainder allocation so the actual whole-drop counts add up to the requested total, then reports the resulting percentages and deviation instead of hiding the approximation.
In whole-drop mode, a lock keeps that ingredient at its current executable drop count while the remaining target is redistributed across the unlocked ingredients. This intentionally changes the resulting batch ratio, so the actual percentages and deviation remain visible.
No. The swatch is only a digital notebook cue created from the selected screen colours. Tattoo pigments are physical materials and real appearance depends on formulation, application, skin, healing, lighting, and other variables. The numeric recipe remains the source of truth.
No. Ratio math cannot establish product compatibility, sterility, regulatory compliance, or suitability for a particular use. Follow the relevant manufacturer instructions and professional requirements for those questions.
Yes. Save snapshot stores the current master formula and working-batch state in local browser storage on this device. New version increments a simple version label so deliberate changes can be saved as separate snapshots rather than silently overwriting an older formula.
Use the Tattoo Grey Wash Calculator for a black-plus-diluent multi-cap wash line. This Ink Recipe Calculator owns arbitrary multi-ink formula documentation and scaling; keeping the workflows separate makes both tools clearer.
Related tattoo tools
Keep recipe math connected to the right next job.
Move to grey wash only for a dilution ladder, or back to the broader tool catalog when the next task is print, lettering, flash, or needle configuration.
View all tattoo tools01Grey WashBuild a repeatable black-drop wash line fast, then switch to measured cap ratios when you need exact dilution counts or scaling.Quick drop setupExact ratio modeLocal recipe save02Needle FinderDecode known needle and cartridge specifications using physical millimetres as the canonical field, or explore a short set of source-reviewed configuration families by job.Structured spec decodeJob-first explorerSource-reviewed geometry03LetteringType a name, date, or phrase, compare curated tattoo lettering fonts, tune spacing and arc, mirror for transfer, and export SVG, PNG, or a true-size PDF.Curated tattoo fontsSVG + PNG1:1 PDF
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