Chandler, AZ water hardness
City of Chandler publishes a hardness range of 5 to 20 grains per gallon for its system, on the page cited below. At 17.1 mg/L per grain that is 85.5 to 342 mg/L. On the USGS scale that is very hard water, though the utility's own range crosses more than one class — it spans moderately hard and very hard water from end to end.
The published figure, exactly as it appears
This is the hardness line transcribed from the source, with nothing added:
The water hardness in Chandler's drinking water ranges from a low of 5 grains per gallon, to a high of 20 grains per gallon. […] The average hardness level of the water throughout the City is 16.5 grains per gallon.
City of Chandler
Units as published: grains per gallon. What kind of figure it is: an average with a range. Retrieved 2026-10-17.
Chandler hardness in mg/L and grains per gallon
Water-quality reports use mg/L (identical to ppm). Softener instructions and plumbing specifications use grains per gallon. Both are below. Where a figure is our arithmetic rather than the utility's own number, it says so.
| Figure | mg/L (ppm) | Grains per gallon | Whose number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published average | 282.2 | 16.5 | gpg published, mg/L is our conversion |
| Low end of published range | 85.5 | 5 | gpg published, mg/L is our conversion |
| High end of published range | 342 | 20 | gpg published, mg/L is our conversion |
| Plotted on the scale above | 282.2 | 16.5 | published gpg average, converted at 17.1 mg/L per gpg; the gpg here is our conversion at 17.1, so it can differ slightly from a utility’s own rounded gpg figure |
The conversion, both ways: gpg = mg/L ÷ 17.1 and mg/L = gpg × 17.1. Worked for this system: 282.2 ÷ 17.1 = 16.5 gpg. The converter does °dH and °f as well, and why the factor is 17.1 explains where the number comes from.
What this figure does not tell you
Service area and source water
| Utility | City of Chandler |
|---|---|
| Service area as published | The City of Chandler's water system. The FAQ answer does not break the figures down by plant or zone. |
Provenance of every number on this page
| Source document | Chandler Water Quality FAQs, “What are the water parameters so I can set my water softener?” |
|---|---|
| Source URL | https://www.chandleraz.gov/residents/water/water-quality/faqs |
| Published by | City of Chandler |
| Report year | Not stated on the source page |
| Year note | The FAQ answer states no year and cites no report. |
| Retrieved | 2026-10-17 |
| Classification bands | USGS Water Science School, retrieved 2026-10-16 |
Notes the report forces on this page
- Chandler publishes its average and its range in grains per gallon only. Every mg/L figure on this page is our conversion at 17.1 mg/L per grain.
- The published range crosses three USGS classes once converted: 5 grains per gallon is 85.5 mg/L, which is moderately hard, and 20 grains per gallon is 342 mg/L, which is very hard.
- The FAQ states no year and cites no report.
If you are sizing a softener for Chandler water
At 16.5 gpg, the sizing arithmetic starts from your household's water use, not from the hardness alone. The calculator below is pre-filled with this system's figure and every other input is an editable assumption.
Whether a softener is worth installing at this hardness is a judgement, not arithmetic, and it is not one this site makes for you. Nothing here has been tested by the author.
Where Chandler sits against other verified systems
- Portland, OR 9 mg/L 0.5 gpg Soft
- Boston, MA 16 mg/L 1 gpg Soft
- Manchester, NH 17.9 mg/L 1 gpg Soft
- Raleigh, NC 25 mg/L 1.47 gpg Soft
- New York, NY 32 mg/L 2 gpg Soft
- Charlotte, NC 32 mg/L 1.9 gpg Soft
- Memphis, TN 46 mg/L 2.7 gpg Soft
- Anchorage, AK 56 mg/L 3.3 gpg Soft
- Oakland, CA 68.4 mg/L 4 gpg Moderately hard
- Nashville, TN 77.3 mg/L 4.5 gpg Moderately hard
- Sacramento, CA 83 mg/L 4.9 gpg Moderately hard
- Fresno, CA 89.3 mg/L 5.2 gpg Moderately hard
- Saint Paul, MN 90 mg/L 5 gpg Moderately hard
- Austin, TX 93 mg/L 5.4 gpg Moderately hard
- Washington, DC 95 mg/L 5.6 gpg Moderately hard
- Birmingham, AL 98 mg/L 5.7 gpg Moderately hard
- Kansas City, MO 100 mg/L 5.8 gpg Moderately hard
- Denver, CO 105 mg/L 6.1 gpg Moderately hard
- Tulsa, OK 114.5 mg/L 6.7 gpg Moderately hard
- Louisville, KY 115 mg/L 6.7 gpg Moderately hard
- Columbus, OH 120 mg/L 7 gpg Moderately hard
- Cleveland, OH 120 mg/L 7 gpg Moderately hard
- Philadelphia, PA 125 mg/L 7.3 gpg Hard
- Ann Arbor, MI 126 mg/L 7.4 gpg Hard
- Cincinnati, OH 133 mg/L 7.8 gpg Hard
- Milwaukee, WI 137 mg/L 8.01 gpg Hard
- St. Louis, MO 138 mg/L 8.1 gpg Hard
- Fort Worth, TX 145 mg/L 8.5 gpg Hard
- Honolulu, HI 162.5 mg/L 9.5 gpg Hard
- Wichita, KS 170 mg/L 9.9 gpg Hard
- Omaha, NE 170 mg/L 10 gpg Hard
- Los Angeles, CA 192 mg/L 11.2 gpg Very hard
- Lincoln, NE 192 mg/L 11.2 gpg Very hard
- Tampa, FL 220 mg/L 12.9 gpg Very hard
- Phoenix, AZ 237 mg/L 13.9 gpg Very hard
- Mesa, AZ 239.4 mg/L 14 gpg Very hard
- San Diego, CA 276 mg/L 16 gpg Very hard
- Las Vegas, NV 280 mg/L 16 gpg Very hard
- Chandler, AZ 282.2 mg/L 16.5 gpg Very hard
- San Antonio, TX 299.3 mg/L 17.5 gpg Very hard
- Anaheim, CA 300 mg/L 18 gpg Very hard
- Indianapolis, IN 317 mg/L 19 gpg Very hard
- Madison, WI 324.9 mg/L 19 gpg Very hard
- Scottsdale, AZ 352.5 mg/L 20.6 gpg Very hard
mg/L as calcium carbonate. Each classification band is drawn the same width, so the axis is not linear in mg/L.
Systems with similar published hardness
- Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Valley Water District, 280 mg/L (16.4 gpg)
- San Diego, CA City of San Diego Public Utilities Department, 276 mg/L (16.1 gpg)
- San Antonio, TX San Antonio Water System (SAWS), 299.3 mg/L (17.5 gpg)
- Anaheim, CA Anaheim Public Utilities, 300 mg/L (17.5 gpg)
All 44 verified systems How to find hardness in your own utility's report If you are on a well instead