EcoTrack

Water Footprint Calculator

The hidden water behind everyday products.

Mass of product (kg)

Water footprint (L per kg)

L/kg

Water footprint

15,400 L

Default factor shown is for beef (~15,400 L/kg) — swap in any product's factor

What you entered

Mass of product (kg): 1Water footprint (L per kg): 15400L/kg

1
Water footprint = mass × water per kg
1 × 15400= 15400 L

Result

Water footprint: 15,400 L

Producing this much of this product used approximately 15,400 liters of water.

Water footprint of common foods, per kilogram

The water footprint counts all the water used to produce a food, including irrigation and the water used to grow animal feed.

Food	Litres per kg	Water for 1 kg
Vegetables	322	322 L
Milk	1,020	1,020 L
Wheat	1,800	1,800 L
Chicken	4,300	4,300 L
Pork	6,000	6,000 L
Beef	15,400	15,400 L

Beef is roughly 48 times the footprint of vegetables per kilogram, mostly because cattle eat a great deal of irrigated feed. Figures are global averages from Mekonnen and Hoekstra; local values vary widely with climate and farming method.

'Virtual water' hides in everything we consume

Growing, raising, and processing food and goods uses enormous amounts of water that never appears on the product itself — beef, for instance, has a water footprint of roughly 15,000+ liters per kilogram once feed, drinking water, and processing are all counted.

Why the factor varies so much by product

Water footprint factors differ by orders of magnitude between products (vegetables vs. beef, for example) — swapping in the right factor for a specific food or good is the key input this calculator needs from you.

Frequently asked questions

How much water does it take to produce 1 kg of beef?

About 15,400 liters, counting feed crops, drinking water, and processing. By comparison, 1 kg of rice takes about 2,500 liters and 1 kg of potatoes takes about 290 liters.

How is the water footprint different from the carbon footprint calculator?

Water footprint tracks liters of freshwater consumed per unit of product. Carbon footprint tracks kg of CO2 emitted per activity. A product can have a large water footprint but small carbon footprint or vice versa.

Does a cotton T-shirt really use 2,700 liters of water?

Yes, approximately. Growing the cotton, processing it, and dyeing the fabric all consume water. That figure covers the full supply chain from field to finished garment.