D-76

Film DeveloperStock Solution

KodakDilution: Full strength or 1:1

standardfine-graingeneral-purpose

The most widely used black-and-white film developer in history.^[1] D-76 (sold by Ilford as ID-11) is a fine-grain MQ (Metol-Hydroquinone) developer that delivers excellent tonal range with moderate grain. Stock solution produces finer grain; 1:1 dilution yields slightly more apparent sharpness with a modest increase in grain. Suitable for virtually all black-and-white films. A true workhorse developer that remains the standard against which all others are measured.^[2]

References

BOOK Anchell, Steve; Troop, Bill. The Film Developing Cookbook 2nd ed. Routledge, 2019. ISBN 9781138959187. ↩
BOOK Haist, Grant. Modern Photographic Processing, Volume 2 1st ed. John Wiley & Sons, 1979. ISBN 0-471-04635-X. ↩

Mixing Instructions

Start with 750 ml of water at 52 °C (125 °F).

Dissolve Metol first, stirring until completely clear.
Add sodium sulfite and stir until dissolved.
Add hydroquinone and stir until dissolved.
Add borax and stir until dissolved.
Add water to make 1 liter.

Let cool to working temperature (20 °C). Stock solution keeps 6 months in a full, tightly capped bottle. For 1:1 dilution, mix equal parts stock and water immediately before use; discard after one use.

Ingredients for 1L of Stock Solution

Volume:

#	Chemical	Role	Qty (1L)	Unit
1	Metol	Developing Agent	2.0	g
2	Sodium Sulfite	Preservative	100.0	g
3	Hydroquinone	Developing Agent	5.0	g
4	Borax	Accelerator	2.0	g

Process Parameters

Temp:°C

Volume:

Film Stock	ISO	Dilution	Temp	Time	Agitation	Mix (per 1L)	Source	Notes
Fomapan 100	100	stock	20.0°C	7:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Foma Technical Data
Fomapan 200	200	stock	20.0°C	8:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Foma Technical Data
Fomapan 400	400	stock	20.0°C	9:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Foma Technical Data
Fujifilm Acros II 100	100	stock	20.0°C	6:45	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Fujifilm Technical Data	Modern T-grain emulsion. Excellent reciprocity.
Ilford Delta 100	100	stock	20.0°C	8:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Ilford Technical Data	T-grain film. Extremely fine grain in D-76.
Ilford Delta 3200	3200	stock	20.0°C	12:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Ilford Technical Data	Push film. Rated speed is nominal.
Ilford Delta 400	400	stock	20.0°C	8:30	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Ilford Technical Data
Ilford Delta 400	400	1:1	20.0°C	12:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	500ml + 500ml water	Ilford Technical Data
Ilford FP4+ 125	125	1:1	20.0°C	10:30	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	500ml + 500ml water	Ilford Technical Data
Ilford FP4+ 125	125	stock	20.0°C	7:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Ilford Technical Data	Beautiful fine grain and tonal range.
Ilford HP5+ 400	400	stock	20.0°C	7:30	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Ilford Technical Data	Good general-purpose combination.
Ilford HP5+ 400	400	1:1	20.0°C	11:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	500ml + 500ml water	Ilford Technical Data
Ilford HP5+ 400	800	stock	20.0°C	9:45	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Ilford Technical Data	One-stop push.
Kodak T-Max 100	100	stock	20.0°C	7:30	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Kodak Technical Data	T-grain film. Fine grain with good sharpness.
Kodak T-Max 100	100	1:1	20.0°C	10:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	500ml + 500ml water	Kodak Technical Data
Kodak T-Max 400	400	stock	20.0°C	7:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Kodak Technical Data
Kodak T-Max 400	400	1:1	20.0°C	9:30	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	500ml + 500ml water	Kodak Technical Data
Kodak Tri-X 400	400	stock	20.0°C	6:45	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Kodak Technical Data	Classic combination. Fine grain with full tonal range.
Kodak Tri-X 400	400	1:1	20.0°C	9:45	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	500ml + 500ml water	Kodak Technical Data	Slightly sharper than stock with marginally more grain.
Kodak Tri-X 400	800	stock	20.0°C	9:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Kodak Technical Data	One-stop push. Moderate grain increase.
Kodak Tri-X 400	1600	stock	20.0°C	12:00	Continuous first 30s, then 10s every 60s	—	Kodak Technical Data	Two-stop push. Noticeable grain and contrast increase.