How to Calculate Edible Dosage: A Beginner's Guide

Why Dosage Matters More Than Anything

If there is one thing that separates a good edible experience from a terrible one, it is dosage. Eat too little and you feel nothing. Eat too much and you are in for a rough few hours. The goal is to find your sweet spot, and that starts with understanding how many milligrams of THC you are actually consuming.

Unlike smoking or vaping where the effects hit quickly and you can gauge your intake in real time, edibles take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to kick in. By the time you realize you took too much, it is too late to do anything about it. That is why calculating your dose beforehand is so important.

THC Milligram Dosing Tiers

Everyone responds to THC differently, but after years of community feedback and research, the cannabis world has settled on some general dosing tiers. Here is a breakdown:

Microdose: 1 to 2.5 mg THC

This is the entry level. You might feel a slight mood lift or mild relaxation, but nothing overwhelming. Great for people who are completely new to cannabis or who want functional, barely-there effects. Many medical users start here.

Low Dose: 5 mg THC

Five milligrams is often considered the standard starting dose for casual users. You will likely feel noticeable relaxation, mild euphoria, and perhaps some enhancement to music or food. This is where most people discover whether they enjoy edibles.

Standard Dose: 10 mg THC

Ten milligrams is what most commercially sold edibles consider a single serving. For someone with low tolerance, this can be quite strong. Experienced users tend to find this a comfortable, enjoyable dose. Effects include pronounced relaxation, euphoria, and altered perception of time.

High Dose: 25 mg THC

This is territory for experienced users only. At 25 mg, coordination and perception are noticeably impaired. Some people love it for a lazy weekend; others find it overwhelming. Know your tolerance before going here.

Very High Dose: 50 mg and Above

At 50 mg or more, even experienced users may feel intense effects. This range is typically reserved for people with high tolerance or specific medical needs. If you are new to edibles, please do not start anywhere near this level.

Golden rule: start low, go slow. You can always take more next time. You cannot un-eat an edible.

How to Calculate THC in Homemade Edibles

Here is the basic formula for calculating how many milligrams of THC end up in each serving of your homemade edibles:

Step 1: Know Your Flower's THC Percentage

If your cannabis is 20% THC, that means each gram contains 200 mg of THC. The formula is simple: weight in grams multiplied by THC percentage multiplied by 10. So 1 gram at 20% THC equals 200 mg of THC.

Step 2: Account for Decarboxylation Loss

Not all of that THC makes it into your butter or oil. The decarboxylation process (heating your cannabis to activate the THC) and the infusion process both result in some loss. A realistic estimate is about 70% efficiency, meaning roughly 30% of the THC is lost during processing.

So if you started with 200 mg of THC per gram, after decarb and infusion you have approximately 140 mg of usable THC per gram.

Step 3: Calculate Total THC in Your Infusion

Multiply the per-gram THC (after loss) by the number of grams you used. If you infused 7 grams of 20% flower into butter: 7 grams times 140 mg equals 980 mg total THC in your entire batch of butter.

Step 4: Divide by Servings

If your recipe makes 20 brownies and uses all of that butter, each brownie contains approximately 49 mg of THC. That is a very strong dose. You might want to use less flower or make more servings.

Butter and Oil Ratios

A common starting ratio is 7 grams of flower per 1 cup (225g) of butter. This produces a moderately strong infusion. For milder edibles, use less flower. For stronger ones, use more. Here are some reference points:

• Mild infusion: 3.5 grams per cup of butter (about 490 mg total THC at 20%)
• Medium infusion: 7 grams per cup of butter (about 980 mg total THC at 20%)
• Strong infusion: 14 grams per cup of butter (about 1960 mg total THC at 20%)

Remember, these numbers assume 70% efficiency. Your actual results will vary based on your decarb method, infusion time, and how evenly the THC distributes through your fat.

Tips for First Timers

If this is your first time making or eating homemade edibles, here are the most important things to keep in mind:

1. Start with a low dose. 5 mg is a sensible starting point for most adults.
2. Wait at least 2 full hours before considering eating more. Edibles can sneak up on you.
3. Eat something beforehand. Taking edibles on an empty stomach hits harder and faster.
4. Stay in a comfortable, safe environment, especially your first few times.
5. Write down your dose and how you felt. This helps you dial in your perfect amount over time.

Use Our Free Dosage Calculator

If math is not your thing, we built a tool for exactly this purpose. The Herbistry420 Dosage Calculator lets you enter your flower weight, THC percentage, infusion volume, and number of servings, and it does all the calculations for you.

For ongoing dose tracking and journaling, check out DoseCraft, our companion app designed to help you find and maintain your ideal dose over time.

Getting your dosage right takes a bit of practice, but once you dial it in, homemade edibles can be one of the most enjoyable and controllable ways to use cannabis. Take your time, be patient with yourself, and always err on the side of caution.