🎨 Leather Dye Mixing Ratio Calculator
Enter your desired total mixed dye amount and the concentrate-to-diluent ratio (check your dye's label) to see exact amounts of each.
How the split is worked out
The ratio is read as two part counts. They are added together and your total volume is divided by that sum:
total parts = concentrate parts + diluent parts
per part = desired total / total parts
concentrate = concentrate parts × per part
diluent = diluent parts × per partThe defaults show it: 400 ml at 1,3 is four parts, so each part is 100 ml — 100 ml of concentrate to 300 ml of diluent. Note that 1:3 is 25 % dye, not a third; for a third, type 1,2. Both figures are rounded to whole millilitres, so on an awkward total the two lines can sit a millilitre either side of the total.
Mixing, and the numbers worth checking
- Match the diluent to the dye. Alcohol-based leather dye thins with denatured or isopropyl alcohol; water-based dyes and antiques thin with water. Water in a spirit dye dries blotchy and slow.
- Dilute rather than scrub harder. A 1,1 cut in two or three light coats colours veg-tan far more evenly than one pass of full strength, which floods the grain and dries patchy at the edges.
- Mix once for the whole job. Straps, gussets and a lid dyed from separate batches rarely match. Add up every piece, then add about 20 % for what the wool dauber and the dish keep.
Frequently asked questions
What does a 1:3 dye ratio mean in ml?
One part concentrate to three parts diluent, so dye is a quarter of the mix. For 400 ml that is 100 ml of dye and 300 ml of alcohol or water.
Can I thin leather dye with water?
Only if it is a water-based dye. Spirit dyes such as Fiebing's Pro Dye need denatured or isopropyl alcohol; water separates out of them and dries as pale streaks.
How much diluted dye does a belt take?
A 44 in strap, both faces and the edges, takes roughly 60–80 ml at working strength. Mix 100 ml so there is enough left for touch-ups once the first coat has dried.