Household stockpile calculator and shopping list | Free online tools

Q: How many gas canisters do I need?

Roughly 60 minutes on high heat per canister. The default here is six per household per week. Cooking happens per household, so this is deliberately not scaled by the number of people. Manufacturers estimate that colder weather needs more, so raise it in winter.

Enter your household and the number of days

Adults

people

Children (3 and over)

people

Infants (under 3)

people

Older adults

people

Number of pets

pets

Total weight of pets

Days to cover

days

Public guidance in Japan suggests at least three days, and a week where possible.

Adjust the per-person assumptions (all editable)

Water (per person per day)

Meals (per person per day)

meals

Toilet uses (per person per day)

uses

Gas canisters (per household per week)

cans

Roughly 60 minutes on high heat per canister. Cooking is per household, so this does not scale with the number of people. Colder weather needs more (manufacturers estimate roughly 1.4x at 10C versus 25C).

Ready-to-feed milk (per infant per day)

packs

Nappies (per infant per day)

sheets

Water for pets (per kg per day)

Pet food (per kg per day)

Battery powered devices

devices

Cells per device

cells

Spare sets

sets

The infant and pet defaults are examples, not published guidelines. They vary a great deal with age in months, body size and veterinary advice, so replace them with the amounts you actually use. The water, meal and toilet defaults do follow public guidance (see the sources).

Shopping list

Water needed

—

These figures are reference estimates based on general rules of thumb. The amount or time you actually need varies with your household, your equipment and the temperature. Always check the guidance published by your local government and by national authorities.

	Item	Quantity

Add it to your home screen and it opens offline

Once you have opened this page it is stored on your device and starts even with no connection. You cannot search for a page while you are out of signal, so add it to your home screen from your browser menu while you still can. Ads and analytics do not load offline, but every calculation runs on your device, so nothing breaks.

Saved on this device. It will open without a connection.

How to use this tool

Enter the people in your household and the number of days, and the tool works out the quantity for each item and turns it into a printable shopping list. It covers more than water and food: the items that are easiest to forget are in the list from the start.

The list is not only water and food

Portable toilet bags matter because a flush toilet stops working when the water supply does, and that is not something anyone can postpone. Gas canisters are what let you cook a hot meal when electricity and gas are unavailable. Both drop off a list more easily than water and food, so they are included by default.

Every number is adjustable

What you need depends on age, temperature, your usual diet and any medical conditions. Open "Adjust the per-person assumptions" to change everything from litres of water to the number of cells. Infant and pet rows only appear once you enter a number for them.

Being able to carry it on paper is the point

The print button outputs the checklist alone, without the input fields or the navigation. Carry it while shopping, or keep it where you store the supplies so you have a baseline the next time you review them.

Frequently asked questions

How many days should I plan for?

Public guidance in Japan suggests at least three days, and a week where possible. This tool starts at three days and switches to seven with one button. You can enter any number.

Why are portable toilets on the list?

If the water supply stops, a flush toilet cannot be used, and that is not something you can postpone. It is the item most often missing from a stockpile list, so it is included by default. You can adjust the assumed number of uses per day.

How many gas canisters do I need?

Roughly 60 minutes on high heat per canister. The default here is six per household per week. Cooking happens per household, so this is deliberately not scaled by the number of people. Manufacturers estimate that colder weather needs more (around 1.4x at 10C versus 25C), so raise it in winter.

Can I print the result?

Yes. Use the print button or your browser print function. The input fields and navigation are left out, so the page prints as a checklist of items and quantities only.

Is my household information stored on a server?

No. Everything is calculated inside your browser, and the number of people or pets you enter is never sent to or stored on a server.

Formulas
・Water [L] = litres per person per day x people (including infants) x days
・Meals = meals per person per day x people (excluding infants) x days
・Portable toilets = uses per person per day x people (excluding infants) x days
・Gas canisters = cans per household per week / 7 x days (rounded up; not scaled by people)
・Water for pets [L] = mL per kg per day x total weight [kg] x days / 1000
・Batteries = devices x cells per device x spare sets
・The water, meal, toilet and canister defaults follow public guidance (see sources). The infant and pet defaults are examples, not published guidelines. All are editable.

Sources (accessed 2026-07-28)

These are the sources for the figures used here. The numbers are based on published guidance; we do not reproduce the text, tables or illustrations of those pages. Follow the links for the full explanation.

Prime Minister's Office of Japan, "Preparing your household for a disaster" (in Japanese)
https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/headline/bousai/sonae.htmlThe 3 litres per person per day figure, three days as a minimum and a week for a major disaster.
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, "Household Stockpile Portal" (in Japanese)
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/zyukyu/foodstock/Guideline quantities for a household stockpile and the rolling-stock method.
Cabinet Office, Disaster Management (in Japanese)
https://www.bousai.go.jp/Entry point to the primary guidance published in Japan.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government, preparedness portal (in Japanese)
https://www.bousai.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/Guideline quantities including portable toilets and gas canisters.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government, "Tokyo Bichiku Navi" stockpile guide
https://www.bichiku.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/The official Tokyo service that lists stockpile items and quantities by household (a separate service from this site). Useful for cross-checking the quantities here.
Ministry of the Environment, Animal Welfare and Management (in Japanese)
https://www.env.go.jp/nature/dobutsu/aigo/Guidelines for keeping supplies for pets.

Primary sources are updated from time to time. Please check the linked pages for the latest wording before making any important decision. We link to public-sector material rather than reproducing it.

Before you use this tool
The figures shown here are reference information produced by general formulas. They are not guaranteed to be accurate, complete or safe. This site does not represent any government body, manufacturer or other organisation, and accepts no liability for any loss arising from the use of, or inability to use, this tool. Always check the manual for your equipment and the guidance published by the relevant authorities before acting. See our Terms and Disclaimer for details.