Step 1: check your utility's data first (free)
If you're on town water, your water supplier already tests fluoride, often daily. Look for its annual drinking water quality report, or ask for monthly results for your supply zone. In NSW, for example, fluoridated supplies target 1.0 mg/L and results must stay between 0.9 and 1.5 mg/L, with monthly samples cross-checked by the state laboratory. Start with your town's page.
Step 2: if you want your own test, use a lab
A 2025 University of Massachusetts study tested consumer water-test kits and found the fluoride kits it evaluated could not accurately measure fluoride in any water type. Combination "test everything" kits did worse. A smaller study found a home kit read samples of 1 to 6 ppm as "below 0.5 ppm".
The reliable methods are an ion-selective electrode (the method named in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, accurate to 0.1 mg/L) or lab colorimetric testing. To find a lab:
- Search the NATA website for labs accredited for "Fluoride, ion selective electrode". Accreditation is listed test by test.
- Large commercial labs such as Eurofins and ALS hold NATA accreditation for drinking water testing.
- Some councils test residents' tank or tap water, but often not for fluoride. Ask.
Tank and bore water
Rainwater contains essentially no fluoride. Bore water can contain any amount, depending on the local rock; some Queensland and NT bores exceed 1.5 mg/L. If you rely on a bore, a lab fluoride test is worth doing, especially with young children.
Reading the result
- Under 0.3 mg/L: no meaningful added fluoride.
- 0.6 to 1.1 mg/L: typical fluoridated supply.
- Above 1.5 mg/L: above the health guideline. Tell your utility, or for a private bore, seek advice.
Testing a filter? Test before and after. See our guide to filters that remove fluoride.