Just when you thought you were ready to order CBD oil, you notice some mysterious numbers on the packaging. Now you have some questions.
What does it all mean?!
Never fear. Any inkling of your existential CBD crisis will disappear after reading this article. We’re answering the most common CBD dose measurement questions.
We hear this question a lot, along with more specific Qs, like “How much CBD to relax?” and “How many drops of CBD oil do I need?”
Oh, how we wish we could provide you with a personalized answer here and now. But that’s simply not how CBD works.
Here’s why: You have a unique tolerance to cannabidiol (CBD). Another person’s ideal dose could be a letdown to you, yielding little to no results. Or, it could be more than your body wants to deal with.
Ultimately, the only way to dial-in on your ideal CBD dose is to start using it at a low dose, and gradually increase from there (if an increase is needed).
But we’re not about to set you loose on that endeavor without any CBD dosage guidance. Once you understand how to read a CBD label and measure a dose, you’ll know which products to get started with and how much to take.
The first place to look for clues about CBD dosage and measurement is on the product label. Here you’ll find specs like the strength/potency, serving size, and the amount of CBD per serving.
The CBD strength or potency is usually the most obvious number on a CBD bottle. Common CBD strengths range from 300-1000mg. Higher potencies like 2000mg and 3000mg CBD oil can be harder to find, but they’re out there for those who need a higher dosage.
CBD strength is measured by weight (in milligrams), reflecting the total amount of CBD in the bottle. To be clear as crystal, that’s the amount of CBD in the entire bottle regardless of the bottle size. For example:
That means each dose would be weaker in the 3fl oz bottle of CBD than in the 1fl oz bottle.
In the case of products like CBD softgels and CBD gummies, the potency still reflects what’s in the whole package — not in each gummy or softgel. For the strength of each dose, you’d look to the serving information.
CBD potency is important to understand. But as we touched on when comparing a 1fl oz bottle of 1000mg CBD to a 3fl oz bottle of 1000mg CBD, the potency could be misleading depending on the amount of total product you’re getting.
This is where the serving size info comes in to clarify. CBD packaging should break down the serving size and amount of CBD per serving. Not all CBD oil packaging is this easy to comb through, but the information should be there.
For example, the serving details for Pure Craft’s 1000mg broad-spectrum CBD oil looks like this:
1 dropperful is a full dose. But you can take a partial dropperful if you want less than 33.33mg of CBD at one time.
Circling back to CBD products that have pre-measured doses, like softgels and gummies: The strength of each dose can be found on the product label, but you can also do some math to figure it out. If a 30-count bottle of CBD softgels contains 750mg of CBD, that means each softgel contains 25mg of CBD. And, again, for some of these product formulations — like CBD gummies — you can take a partial dose.
You’ve officially learned the basics of buying CBD based on potency. But you might still have some questions, particularly about how CBD is measured (mg vs mL) and how drops add up to doses.
Now we’re getting into the nitty-gritty details, answering FAQs like:
Bust out the abacus — let’s start calculating!
There are two types of measurements for CBD:
The amount of CBD is measured by weight, while the total amount of liquid is measured by volume. That’s because there are other ingredients in the product, like carrier oils and natural flavors.
This might seem confusing at first. But when you think about CBD as an ingredient in a recipe, it makes perfect sense. If someone asked you how much flour was in a cake recipe, you wouldn’t say “one-sixth of this cake’s total volume is made of flour.” You’d say “this cake contains 1 cup or 136 grams of flour.”
It’s the same concept with CBD, but with a different recipe.
Knowing how to convert mg to mL can be handy if you’re having trouble locating how much CBD is in each dose on the label. The total potency in mg divided by the number of mL in the whole bottle will tell you the potency per dose.
Real world example: 1000mg potency ÷ 30 mL bottle = 33.33mg of CBD per 1 mL dropperful
Measuring by the drop might sound menial. But knowing how to calculate the strength of a drop of CBD oil can actually be helpful if you’re aiming to be super accurate with your CBD dosage.
Let’s look at the math for a 3000mg strength, 30 mL size bottle of CBD oil.
One drop measured out of a CBD oil dropper equals 0.05 mL. That means a 30 mL bottle of CBD oil contains 600 drops.
3000mg (the amount of CBD in the entire bottle) ÷ the number of total drops (600) = 5mg of CBD per drop.
Now you know how to crunch the numbers to get to the bottom of what’s in every dose and drop of CBD.
Knowing the number of doses in a bottle and their potency can help you figure out which product is best for your needs, goals, and preferences. For example...
As we mentioned earlier, everyone has a different tolerance for CBD. Just because something is a better “deal” upfront doesn’t mean it will be the best choice for your go-to CBD product.
The convenience of a pre-measured, travel-friendly softgel might win over CBD oil tinctures, even if tinctures can cost less per serving. And a 600mg CBD oil may be a better option than a higher strength oil if CBD is new to you.
Understanding CBD measurements is handy when shopping for and using CBD products.
The first place to look for dose measurement information is on the product label. You can fill in the gaps to calculate the strength of CBD drops and doses with number-crunching. (When you’re shopping Pure Craft CBD, you’ll find these deets on the product page. No math needed!)
Use these numbers to guide your initial CBD dose, kicking things off with a low strength. Then increase gradually to acclimate and find the dose that works best for you.
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