Grind Size Chart
Ten methods on one scale, fine to coarse, so the overlaps show. Pick a method to read what the grind looks like and why the brewer wants it.
Medium-fine
400–700 µm · like granulated sugar, slightly coarser
A cone with one big hole drains as fast as the bed lets it. Grind sets the drawdown, and the drawdown sets extraction.
How to Read the Chart
Each bar is the range of particle sizes a method usually works in, in microns, a thousandth of a millimetre. The ranges are approximate and every published chart draws them a little differently; what matters is the order and the overlaps. The AeroPress bar is wide because the brewer is: a one-minute recipe grinds near espresso and a three-minute one near drip. Chemex and cupping sit together because both want a coarse-ish bed and a long contact time.
The Chart as a Table
| Method | Grind | Microns | Looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkish / ibrik | Extra fine | 40–220 | flour or powdered sugar |
| Espresso | Fine | 180–380 | finer than table salt |
| Moka pot | Fine to medium-fine | 360–660 | table salt |
| AeroPress | Medium-fine to medium | 400–800 | granulated sugar |
| V60 and pour-over | Medium-fine | 400–700 | granulated sugar, slightly coarser |
| Drip machine | Medium | 500–800 | sand |
| Chemex | Medium-coarse | 600–900 | coarse sand |
| Cupping | Medium-coarse | 650–900 | coarse sand |
| French press | Coarse | 800–1200 | coarse sea salt |
| Cold brew | Extra coarse | 900–1400 | breadcrumbs or peppercorns |
Which Way to Move
Grind size is the main control over how fast water moves through coffee and how much it takes with it. Finer means more surface, slower flow, more extraction. Coarser means the opposite. So the rule for every method is the same: if the cup is sour, thin, or salty, it is under-extracted, and the grind goes finer. If it is bitter, drying, or hollow, it is over-extracted, and the grind goes coarser. Move one step at a time and keep the ratio still, or you will not know what changed. The pour-over calculator and the espresso ratio calculator hold the ratio for you while you do.
Why Grinder Settings Are Not on This Chart
Two grinders on the same number give different grounds, and one grinder drifts as its burrs wear, so a setting is only meaningful on your own machine. What carries across grinders is the look and feel in the list above and the taste in the cup. Find the setting that makes your V60 draw down in the window and write it on the bag. Our guide to grinders and grinding explains why burr shape matters more than the number, and how much to spend is the question that usually comes next.