Acid Base Scale – Label the pH Scale from 0 to 14

All 10 boxes on the diagram

Show the list

Acidic, neutral, basic 3

Acidic Any pH below 7. The lower the number, the more acidic.
Neutral A pH of 7: neither acidic nor basic.
Basic (alkaline) Any pH above 7. The higher the number, the more basic.

Everyday examples 7

Battery acid About pH 0, the acid end of both agencies’ scales.
Lemon juice About pH 2. It tastes sour because it holds citric acid.
Black coffee About pH 5: only mildly acidic.
Pure water pH 7. Pure water is neutral.
Baking soda About pH 9 on the EPA scale, 9.5 on the USGS scale.
Ammonia About pH 11 as a solution in water.
Bleach Between pH 12.5 and 13.5, by the three sources.

How this list was compiled: Every name and number checked on 2026-09-30 in three places. (1) USGS Water Science School, pH and Water, and its pH scale diagram, https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/ph-and-water (0 to 14, 7 neutral, below 7 acidic, above 7 alkaline or basic, each number a tenfold change; examples: battery acid 0, lemon juice 2, black coffee 5, baking soda 9.5, ammonia solution 10.5 to 11.5, bleaches 13.5). (2) US EPA, What is Acid Rain?, and its pH scale figure, https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what-acid-rain (7.0 neutral, lower is more acidic, higher is more alkaline; examples: battery acid 0, lemon juice 2, distilled water 7, baking soda 9, ammonia 11, bleach 12.6). (3) Wikipedia, PH, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH (table of common solutions: black coffee 5, pure water 7, ammonia 11.0 to 11.5, bleach 12.5; lemon juice and citric acid). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Own original chart; where each example sits follows the pH scales of the USGS and the US EPA, and nothing is traced or copied. Licence: own work

How it works

This acid base scale is a chart to label the pH scale from 0 to 14. Three boxes under the bar name acidic, neutral and basic. Seven above it name everyday examples, each joined to its number.

Read the full guide

Read the scale from the middle

Seven is neutral. Every number below it is acidic, and the lower the number, the more acidic. Every number above it is basic, also called alkaline, and the higher the number, the more basic. Each whole step is a tenfold change: pH 5 is ten times more acidic than pH 6.

Draw and label the pH scale

To draw and label the pH scale by hand, print the chart blank, write the three parts under the bar and an example in each box. The print with names is the answer key.

The examples sit at whole numbers. Real values vary a little: the two agency scales give baking soda as 9 and 9.5.

Questions and answers

What is the pH scale?

A scale, usually drawn from 0 to 14, that says how acidic or basic a solution in water is. Seven is neutral, numbers below 7 are acidic and numbers above 7 are basic.

What pH is neutral?

Seven. Pure water is neutral, so it sits in the middle of the scale, neither acidic nor basic.

Is a low pH acidic or basic?

Acidic. The lower the number, the more acidic the solution: lemon juice is about 2 and battery acid about 0. High numbers are basic: ammonia is about 11 and bleach about 13.

Is basic the same as alkaline?

On a pH scale, yes. The USGS and the EPA use both words for a pH above 7, and this chart accepts either.

Acid Base Scale: Label the pH Scale