Water Chemistry

Chemical Chart for Intex and Bestway Pools

Most dose charts start at 10,000 gallons. This one is for small soft-sided and frame pools.

Updated November 2026

Short answer

Small pools need very small doses. To raise chlorine by 1 ppm, a 1,000 gallon pool needs about 1.5 fluid ounces of 10% liquid chlorine, or about 2 fluid ounces of plain 6% bleach. Scale that up or down by your pool's gallons.

Find the gallons on the box or in the manual. A 10 foot by 30 inch frame pool holds about 1,185 gallons, a 12 foot by 30 inch about 1,718, and an 18 foot by 48 inch about 6,423.

Find your pool's gallons

For any volume, the liquid chlorine calculator and shock calculator do the math.

How much of each chemical does a small pool need?

Chemical doses for small above ground pools from 500 to 5,000 gallons
To do this	500 gal	1,000 gal	2,000 gal	3,000 gal	5,000 gal
Raise chlorine 1 ppm with 10% liquid chlorine	0.5 fl oz	1.5 fl oz	2.5 fl oz	4 fl oz	6.5 fl oz
Raise chlorine 1 ppm with plain 6% bleach	1 fl oz	2 fl oz	4.5 fl oz	6.5 fl oz	11 fl oz
Shock, raising chlorine 10 ppm with 10% liquid chlorine	6.5 fl oz	13 fl oz	26 fl oz	39.5 fl oz	65.5 fl oz
Raise alkalinity 10 ppm with baking soda	1 oz	2 oz	4.5 oz	6.5 oz	11 oz
Raise pH 0.2 with soda ash	Under 0.5 oz	0.5 oz	1 oz	2 oz	3 oz
Lower pH 0.2 with muriatic acid	0.5 fl oz	1 fl oz	2.5 fl oz	3.5 fl oz	6 fl oz
Lower pH 0.2 with dry acid	1 oz	1.5 oz	3 oz	5 oz	8 oz
Raise stabilizer 10 ppm	0.5 oz	1.5 oz	2.5 oz	4 oz	6.5 oz

Rounded to the nearest half ounce. 1 fl oz is 2 tablespoons and 8 fl oz is 1 cup. Powders are by weight. Doses use the same figures as the PoolChecker calculators.

What levels should a small pool be kept at?

Target water chemistry levels for a small above ground pool
Reading	Target
Free chlorine	2 to 4 ppm
pH	7.2 to 7.6
Total alkalinity	80 to 120 ppm
Stabilizer (CYA)	30 to 50 ppm

Small pools swing faster than large ones. A few kids, a hot afternoon or a rainstorm can use up the chlorine in hours, so test daily in summer with test strips and add small amounts often.

What is different about treating a small pool?

Measure, do not pour. An extra cup is a small error in a big pool and a large overdose in 1,000 gallons. Keep a marked measuring cup for pool use only.
Keep granules off the floor. Granules sitting on a vinyl floor can bleach or weaken it. Pre-dissolve a powder only if its label says to: fill a clean bucket with pool water, then add the powder to the water, never water to the powder, and dissolve one product at a time. If the label says not to, spread it over the deepest water with the pump running and brush until nothing is left on the floor.
Dry acid is easier to handle than muriatic acid in small amounts.
Go easy on tablets. Chlorine tablets add stabilizer every time they dissolve. In a small pool it builds up fast, and the only way to lower it is to replace water.
Run the pump. Small cartridge pumps need long hours. Add chemicals with the pump running and rinse or replace the cartridge often.

Never mix chemicals with each other, and never put different kinds of chlorine in the same floater or bucket. See what order to add pool chemicals.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much bleach do I put in a 1,000 gallon pool?

About 2 fluid ounces, or 4 tablespoons, of plain 6% bleach raises chlorine by 1 ppm. To go from 0 to 3 ppm, add about 6.5 fluid ounces. Use plain, unscented bleach with no additives.

How much shock for a 1,000 gallon pool?

To raise chlorine by 10 ppm, about 13 fluid ounces of 10% liquid chlorine. With stabilizer in the water the shock level is higher, about 40% of the stabilizer reading, so use the shock calculator for the exact amount. Bagged shock is hard to dose this small because a 1 pound bag treats about 10,000 gallons.

Do I need stabilizer in an Intex pool?

If the pool is in the sun and you use liquid chlorine or bleach, yes. Add stabilizer and aim for 30 to 50 ppm. If you use tablets, they already add stabilizer, so test before adding more.

Can I use the same chemicals as a big pool?

Yes. The chemistry is the same. Only the amounts change, and they change in direct proportion to gallons.

Sources

Get a dose for your exact gallons

Enter any pool volume, including small ones, and get the amount to add.

Liquid Chlorine Calculator Shock Calculator