How much Chlorine should I put in my Intex pool?

With spring arriving quickly, many users are asking for help with new pools or starting up a pool after the off season. One of the biggest and most important questions is how much Chlorine to add to your water. The amount of Chlorine that should be added depends on the size of your pool and how many gallons of water it holds.

The chart below should offer a good staring point for most users. It lists the size of your pool, the water capacity in gallons, and how many liquid ounces & cups that should be added to the water. Note that the calculations are approximate, and the number of Cups of Chlorine Bleach are rounded up because it’s better to have a little too much chlorine than not enough.

Also remember that adding chlorine once is not enough. You must add it continuously, possibly each day. It’s best to do so as part of daily and weekly maintenance routines.

Easyset / Inflatable Ring Pools

Pool Size
(Diameter x Depth)
Capacity
(Gallons)
Chlorine Bleach
(Oz / Cups)
8′ x 30″ 639 8.5oz / 1.25C
10′ x 30″ 1,081 14oz / 1.75C
12′ x 30″ 1,485 19.5oz / 2.5C
12′ x 36″ 1,779 23oz / 3C
15′ x 33″ 2,587 33.5oz / 4.25C
15′ x 36″ 2,822 36.5oz / 4.75C
15′ x 42″ 3,284 42.5oz / 5.5C
15′ x 48″ 3,736 48oz / 6C
16′ x 42″ 3,754 48.5oz / 6.25C
16′ x 48″ 4,273 55oz / 7C
18′ x 42″ 4,786 65oz / 8.25C
18′ x 48″ 5,455 72oz / 9C
18′ x 52″ 5,894 77.5oz / 9.75C

Frameset / Metal Frame Pools

Pool Size
(Diameter x Depth)
Capacity
(Gallons)
Chlorine Bleach
(Oz / Cups)
10′ x 30″ 1,185 15.5oz / 2C
12′ x 30″ 1,718 22oz / 2.75C
15′ x 36″ 3,282 42.5oz / 5.5C
15′ x 42″ 3,861 49.5oz / 6.25C
15′ x 48″ 4,440 57oz / 7.25C
16′ x 48″ 5,061 65oz / 8.25C
18′ x 42″ 4,950 63.5oz / 8C
18′ x 48″ 6,423 82.5oz / 10.5C
18′ x 52″ 6,981 89.5oz / 11.25C
20′ x 52″ 8,638 111oz / 14C
24′ x 48″ 11,483 147oz / 18.5C
24′ x 52″ 12,481 160oz / 20C

Rectangular Frame Pools

Pool Size
(Diameter x Depth)
Capacity
(Gallons)
Chlorine Bleach
(Oz / Cups)
18′ x 9′ x 48″ 3,881 50oz / 6.5C
18′ x 9′ x 52″ 4,545 58.5oz / 7.5C
22′ x 13′ x 52″ 7,159 92oz / 11.5C
24′ x 12′ x 52″ 8,403 108oz / 13.5C
32′ x 16′ x 52″ 14,364 184oz / 23C

Oval Frame Pools

Pool Size
(Diameter x Depth)
Capacity
(Gallons)
Chlorine Bleach
(Oz / Cups)
18′ x 10′ x 42″ 2,885 37oz / 5C
18′ x 12′ x 48″ 4,390 56.5oz / 7.5C
20′ x 12′ x 48″ 4,393 65.5oz / 8.5C
24′ x 12′ x 48″ 5,407 79oz / 10C
28′ x 12′ x 48″ 6,420 92.5oz / 12C

25 thoughts on “How much Chlorine should I put in my Intex pool?”

    • A 10′ x 30″ Frameset pool hols 1,185 gallons, which works out to about 2 cups of Chlorine Bleach. We have added this size of pool to this post. Thanks for the question!

      Reply
  1. Is it necessary to shock the pool after a garden hose fill?
    How much bleach do I add to shock the pool? 12’x30″ easyset
    How long should you let it dissipate before going into a maintenance cycle?
    How long should you wait after bleach before swimming?

    Reply
    • If you fill with treated city water, then an immediate shock shouldn’t be necessary, but there wouldn’t be any harm in doing it. If you are filling with well water or some other untreated source, then an immediate shock would be a good idea.

      Check our blog post “How much chlorine” and find your pool on the chart.

      There’s no firm guideline on how long to wait after adding bleach, but an hour or so should be plenty assuming your pump is running. If you add bleach at night, then it has time to work all night without swimmers and without the sun breaking it down.

      Reply
  2. Hello,
    I have a 14 x 42 metal frame intex above ground pool and would like to know how much chlorine granules would I put in for this size pool. Could you also tell me how much stabilizer and algaecide I need as well. Should I also be putting in shock and if so how much. This is to start up the pool as well as maintain it on a daily and weekly basis.

    Thank you so much. I look forward to hearing from you

    Reply
    • To start with, you’ll do best with chorine tablets because they add chlorine and stabilzer at the same time. Get a test kit that measures CYA (stabilzer) and when it starts to get to your target level, switch to plain bleach. If you keep all of your chemical levels in line, you shouldn’t need algaecide. Just an occasional shock every 7-10 days, or after a day of heavy use.

      Reply
  3. I have a 10×30 intex frame pool. I bought calcium hipochlorite, but i don’t know how much should I add and how often, daily or weekly? Any help please I’d appreciate it

    Reply
    • We’re working on adding columns for granular and tablet form sanitizer to this page. In the meantime, check the instructions on the bucket you purchased. Your pool is about 1,200 gallons so use that for your pool size. Once you get the initial startup amount put it, start monitoring your chlorine levels using a test kit. It’s ok to use what you’ve bought for a while. But as it runs out, consider switching to plain liquid bleach, as it is more cost effective and does not add any other chemicals to your water.

      Reply
    • That is an odd size of pool. If my math is right, you have about 160 cubic feet of water (9.5′ x 6.5′ x 2.5′). That converts out to about 1,200 gallons of water which is roughly the same as a 10′ x 30″ round metal frame pool. According to the chart on this page, that takes about 2 cups of bleach to get you started. Thanks for the question!

      Reply
  4. Intex 15ft X 42in Prism Frame Pool Set

    Hi! We just installed and are filling our new pool with water from a hose. We are total novices and are really clueless. Any help would be swell! We are happy to use chlorine.

    We live on the TX/Mexico border and it’s very, very hot.

    Reply
    • Since your pool is set up, your water should be fine for a few days, so just enjoy the pool for now. After that, you can just jump to the water quality section of this site where you can learn the easiest & most cost effective way to keep your water clean and inviting. Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. What bleach can I buy to use with my 12×30 metal frame pool? Or does it already come with it in the filter? And if I do have to buy it, where would I put it?

    Reply
  6. Hey there, I’m a first time pool owner, and i have the 10×30 metal frame intex pool. We purchased the chlorine granules, but i’m thinking that probably wasn’t the best idea. We can’t figure out the best way to add it to the water. From the comments and replies i have read, it looks like i could use just plan liquid bleach instead of chlorine granules or tablets. Is that correct? Is there any certain bleach i need to get? Also, how long after adding the bleach should we wait to swim? Other than that, do i need to worry about any other chemicals? Thank you for any help you are able to provide!

    Reply
    • If you are just getting the pool started, granules and/or are not a bad choice because you need to build a level of stabilizer anyway. Once you’ve established a good level of stabilizer though, you will want to switch to unstabilized chlorine, such as liquid bleach. Any brand of unscented, plain bleach is perfectly fine, however the cheapest is not always the best because it may have lower concentrations of chlorine. Look for a label on the bottle that gives a percentage of chlorine. A higher percentage may be worth a few cents extra because you’re getting a less diluted product.

      It’s not a terrible idea to wait a little while to use the pool after adding chlorine. Be sure that you add it when your pump is running, so that it dissolves evenly and quickly.

      As far as other chemicals go, just read through the rest of the information on this site, and feel free to ask if you have further questions.

      Reply
  7. I fill pool with well water and add my stuff hth products water is clear when filling it add products it turns brown?? Yuk! How and what do use so this don’t happen again

    Reply
    • What types of chemicals are you adding? Some combinations can produce a green color, but if you continue to add chlorine the water will clear up after a few days

      Reply
  8. I’ve just assembled and and added water to the 16×42 east set infladable ring pool but I’m not sure how much chlorine I need to add . And do I use just chlorine

    Reply
  9. I have a new 260cm x 160cm rectangular frame pool. Does it need chlorine and if so, how much? It will be filled with warm water from a mixer tap in the kitchen via hosepipe.

    Reply
  10. I have a 18ft intex round pool 4ft tall. I have a floater with tablets in it and it was clear for about 3 weeks now it’s green. I shocked it 3 days ago and it cleared up but just a little cloudy. But today it turn green again. I tested it and it said it is low on chlorine. What should I do? Thank you

    Reply
  11. I have an 18×52 if i filled it with city water do i need to put chlorine in it before we swim or can we swim first then treatment after.

    Reply
    • You should be fine to swim for a day or two, then start treating with chlorine as described on the site. This is actually a good idea because many cities do not actually use chlorine to treat water. Using the pool for a couple of days will allow those chemicals to dissipate allowing you to start with a clean slate.

      Reply

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