Actual Yield Calculator
Convert a theoretical product amount and percentage yield into the amount recovered.
01 Set up your calculation
- Enter the theoretical mass of the desired product.
- Enter its reported percentage yield.
- Read the recovered mass and compare it with the theoretical amount.
02 The relationship
For the assumptions behind these results, read the explanation below. You can also explore Percent Yield and Theoretical Yield.
Follow the numbers
A theoretical yield of 25 g at 80% recovery gives 25 × 0.80 = 20 g of actual product.
03 What actual yield represents
Actual yield is the quantity of desired product collected or measured after a reaction and its workup. This calculator reconstructs that amount from a percentage and its theoretical basis. If you have already weighed the product, that measurement is the direct actual yield.
Use a consistent definition of the product. The mass of a dry pure compound is not directly comparable with the mass of a wet precipitate or a product solution.
04 Checking a surprisingly high result
The tool permits percentages above 100% because they occur in experimental reporting, but they require investigation. Retained solvent, impurities, balance errors, or an incorrect limiting-reactant calculation can make the reported mass too large.
A low recovery can reflect incomplete reaction, competing reactions, isolation losses, or decomposition. The arithmetic alone cannot distinguish these causes. Compare the reaction stoichiometry and measurement procedure before changing the calculated theoretical amount.
Questions from the notebook
Is this a prediction of the reaction?
It applies the percentage you supply. It does not predict conversion or isolation efficiency.
Can actual yield be zero?
Yes. A zero percentage gives zero recovered product.
Can I use milligrams?
Yes. Choose the mass unit in the input or result control.
References & reading
- OpenStax, Rice University — Reaction Yields ↗
Defines actual, theoretical, and percentage yield and explains limiting-reactant calculations.
- NIST — Guide to SI conversion factors ↗
Supports physical unit conversions. Input values are converted to the formula’s base units before calculation.
Our explanations are written for ChemistryCalc. Read how we build and check our tools. These calculations are educational estimates where the underlying model requires assumptions.