Are starter sizes meant to be actual volumes or container sizes?

Question

I've seen a lot of references to 1L/1000mL starters being made with anywhere from 2 cups (~473mL) to 650mL of water and half a cup of DME. The 1L size seems to refer to the expected container (a 1L Erlenmeyer flask) rather than the actual volume of liquid.

However, I have also seen references to a "pint" starter which I assume means the same mixture, this time referring to the volume of water used.

Is this just an inconsistency in the homebrewing community or do some people make small starters for (literally) pint-sized flasks?

For a modern vial of White Labs yeast or Wyeast activator pack, how large a starter is generally recommended for a wort of moderate gravity (>1.060)?

Answer 1

When a starter volume is referenced it's the volume of wort the yeast is allowed to grown in. Post boil volume etc. And should have a SG of 1.040

We can't tell you how much a proper pitch is in your case as more variables need to be known.

Look for a Yeast Pitch Calculator software / website / app etc, they are all based on the same formulas, that will account for yeast death from age, wort OG, wort volume and yeast types (dry, wet, ale, lager) to give you the proper pitch amount.