Definition of Grains Per Gallon

Water hardness is a factor considered with the use of some appliance household products such as dishwashers, water softeners or water filtration systems. This article explains the measurement of water hardness and the meaning of grains per gallon of water.

Understanding the Grains Per Gallon Measurement of Water Hardness

Hardness is a term to describe the presence of calcium and magnesium minerals in water. A chemical analysis accurately measures the amount of minerals in grain weight. To relate it to something familiar, one aspirin tablet usually weighs five (5) grains.

For example, one gallon of water with 5 GPG (grains per gallon) hardness has dissolved minerals, calcium and magnesium, that if solidified would equal the size of 1 ordinary aspirin tablet. One gallon of water that has 25 GPG of hardness has the mineral content of 5 aspirin tablets. A water softener rated at 23,000 GPG simply stated, means that the softener will remove 23,000 GPG before it regenerates. A 31,000 GPG water softener removes 31,000 GPG before it regenerates and so on.

• Sometimes hardness is provided in PPM (parts per million). Use the following information to convert GPG to PPM: 1 grain per U.S. gallon (GPG) = 17.1 milligrams per liter (mg/L) = 17.1 PPM (PPM).

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