We often heard that our body is made up of 70% of water. The water we drink should contain sufficient minerals and ions to keep your body healthy and should not contain excess minerals that become overloaded in the body and make you unhealthy. High TDS in water is a problem because it may cause health issues and same with the low TDS. You can refer to the drinking water TDS chart below to find out the acceptable TDS level of drinking water. But first let us understand what is TDS in drinking water:-
Page Contents:-
- What is TDS in drinking water?
- Drinking-Water TDS Chart
- How is TDS of water measured?
- What is the Ideal Drinking Water TDS?
- How to Reduce the TDS in Water?
- How to choose the best water purifier?
- Reasons to consider Drinking water TDS Chart
What is TDS in drinking water?
TDS in water refers to Total Dissolved Solids. TDS that is present in water is made up of inorganic salts and a small amount of organic matter. Some common inorganic salts include calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium also known as cations, and carbonates, nitrates, bicarbonates, chlorides and sulfates, which are all anions these all can be present in water. When water goes through stones, pipes or different surfaces, the unwanted particles are absorbed into the water. TDS in water comes from different sources such as minerals in chemicals used for treating water in the municipal corporation units, runoff from the road salts and chemicals or fertilizers from the farms.
Drinking-Water TDS Chart
The water that you receive through municipal corporation pipeline, borewell, handpump exceed the level of TDS that should be present in water. Water TDS level above than 1000mg/L is unfit for consumption. In India, If the TDS level is above 500mg/litre, the water is considered as disagreeable. As the water resources are lacking in India, people are drinking water that has higher TDS Levels. Tds water chart will help you to know at what TDS level you can use water to drink and cook.
TDS Level (milligrams per litre) | Palatability Quotient |
Between 50-150 | Excellent for drinking |
Between 150-250 | Good |
Between 250-300 | Fair |
Between 300-500 | Poor |
Above 1200 | Unacceptable |
How is TDS of water measured?
You can test your water by using a TDS meter. It is one of the easiest ways to measure total dissolved solids(TDS) in water. Many filtration systems that are available in the market also equipped with a TDS meter to monitor the Tds of water periodically. By measuring the TDS Level in water, you will ensure whether the water you are drinking is safe or not.


Above video will help you to measure TDS in water by using TDS meter. The maximum TDS level of drinking water is 500mg/litre. The water you drink, make sure that it meets this suggested TDS level. If you see that the level is exceeding 500mg/litre, we suggest that you do not drink that water.
What is the Ideal Drinking-Water TDS?
I hope you understood the importance of TDS in water. The minerals that are useful for human health must be there in the water. Therefore, we use a water purifier that purifies the water and important minerals not dissolve from the water. There is no lower limit, but TDS of at least 80 ppm is the accepted minimum level that can be used.
TDS Level (Milligram/Litre) | Acceptability & Unacceptability |
Less than 50 | Unacceptable, because water with such a low TDS level does not contain the essential minerals. |
50-150 | Acceptable for drinking. This TDS level is ideal for areas where the water polluted by sewage or industrial waste. |
150-250 | Good. The water is ideal for people with cardiovascular disease. |
250-350 | Good. The water is ideal for cardiovascular disease patients. |
350-500 | Less acceptable |
500-900 | Less acceptable |
900-1200 | Least acceptable. Doesn’t recommend water which has a TDS level of 900 |
1200-2000 | Water is not ideal for drinking. |
Above 2000 | Unacceptable |
According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the upper limit of TDS level in water that is acceptable is 500 ppm. But the TDS level recommended by WHO is 300 ppm.
How to Reduce the TDS in Water?
A water treatment system is a great way to reduce or remove TDS from your water and can make the water drinkable. That is why we suggest you check the drinking water TDS chart. Still, If you don’t know what is causing issues in water like odours or spots on your utensils, then it can be difficult to choose the best water filtration system to solve the issue in water.
Below are three TDS water filters we recommend to reduce high levels of total dissolved solids(TDS) in your tap and drinking water:
1. Reverse osmosis (RO) system
Reverse osmosis or better known as RO system is one of the most comprehensive and recommended filters to remove contaminants. This RO System uses a sediment and carbon filter to remove other forms of contaminants. Reverse Osmosis removes TDS by forcing the water through pressure by using a synthetic membrane. The membrane used in this water filtration system contains microscopic pores which will allow only molecules smaller than 0.0001 microns to pass through. This means only healthy and important molecules particle will pass through the membrane, As the molecules of dissolved metals and salts are large compared to the water molecules. I suggest you, must buy this Ruby Economical Ro+ Uv+Tds Controller Multi-Stage Water Purifier.


2. Water Distiller
A water distiller filtration method removes contaminants through the same process used in nature, that is evaporation. As water evaporates, contaminants that are present in water are unable to evaporate. This is why rainwater is pure quality water. The system mimics this phenomenon by distilling water leaving the contaminants behind. The process involves boiling water to produce water vapour. The water vapour rises to a cool surface where it is condensed back into the liquid form. The dissolved salts are unable to vaporize and remain in the boiling solution. You should definitely try this Generic Water Distiller Filter Machine.


3. Deionization (DI) system
Deionization filtration systems remove TDS through ion exchange, using resins that control the electrical charge of ions. Water ions are used to replace charged ions from total dissolved solids. The water produced after this filtration process is completely pure. In this process, water is passed through a positive and negative electrode present in the deionization system. The ion-selective membranes enable the positive ions and separate them from the water and move towards the negative electrode.
How to choose best water purifier?
One of the important factors that you need to consider when looking for the best water purifier in India is the TDS level. Depending on the TDS level, you can decide whether you need an RO, UF or UV water purifier. You don’t have to stress we are here to make your work simple, here’s a table that will assist you with understanding which water purifier is ideal for a specific TDS level.


Areas where water with a very high TDS level supplied are recommended to use water purifiers that is a combination of RO+UV/UF with TDS Controller. The combination of various water purification technologies removes chemical, dissolved physical impurities from water and make it pure and suitable for consumption.
Reasons to consider Drinking water TDS Chart-
Because quality water is pure, absent of taste, odour and colour, testing the level of TDS in your water can be a great way to analyze the overall quality of your water. Here are the reasons to consider drinking water TDS chart-
- Taste: High levels of TDS in water can affects the taste of your drinking water. Depending on the type of dissolved solids, water could cause a bitter, salty, or even a sulfuric taste or odour.
- Health: High TDS water has a great impact on health. Some substances, such as lead or copper, are known as health hazards.
- Filter maintenance: Water filtration systems are the only solution to total dissolved solids(TDS) in water, but they do not last forever. High TDS can impact water filtration life.
- Cooking: TDS in water can highly impact your cooking, You can feel the change in taste. High TDS water is not recommended for cooking purpose.
- Cleaning: If your dishes have water spots and if your clothes fade in the wash no matter how well you clean them then it may be the time to test your water TDS level.
Installing the right water purifier can help you in dealing with a high TDS level in the water. You can choose a water purifier which best suits your needs and according to TDS water chart. Installing an innovative RO water purifier can help you monitor the TDS level to ensure that you drink safe water.
Also read- Top Highest Paying Most In-Demand Skills for the Future- Must Know
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Ans– In simple terms, TDS refers to Total Dissolved Solids. TDS comprises of inorganic and organic salts present in water. Some common inorganic salts include calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium also known as cations, and carbonates, nitrates, bicarbonates, chlorides and sulfates, which are all anions these all can be present in water.
Ans– Measuring TDS in water is easy and simple as nowadays TDS meter is available in the market. You can find it online on Amazon.
Ans– When a water source has a high level of TDS or a low pH, it is likely that there are other harmful contaminants in the water such as pollutants, To avoid these harmful substances, we need to monitor TDS in water.