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Carbon-14 Dating Calculator

Age estimate from remaining ¹⁴C fraction.

Estimate the age of an organic sample from the remaining fraction of carbon-14, using the Libby half-life of 5730 years and t = (T½ / ln 2) · ln(N₀ / N).

Dr. Helena Ortiz By Dr. Helena Ortiz
Published Last reviewed 1 min read

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Results

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How to use this calculator

  1. Fill in the inputs above using the units you already have.
  2. Values update automatically as you type — no submit button needed.
  3. Hover any result row for the underlying formula and intermediate values.

Formula

t = (5730 / ln 2) · ln(1 / fraction_remaining)

In depth

Estimate the age of an organic sample from the remaining fraction of carbon-14, using the Libby half-life of 5730 years and t = (T½ / ln 2) · ln(N₀ / N).