CBD dose calculation - How to do it?

24. 01. 2024

In this article, we will be talking about CBD oil dosing. We will look at how dosing can vary depending on various factors such as body weight, age, the problem you are struggling with, the efficacy of the oil you use, and more. You will learn how to find the best dose for your body and what to do if you experience side effects.



What is the standard dose of CBD?

The most common single dose of CBD is 20 - 40 mg. Some people take much less (around 1 mg); others take much more (up to 100 mg).

Depending on the strength of the product you are using, this can mean anything from a few drops to a few milliliters of oil. It can also be something between one to five CBD capsules or gummy bears. The truth is that the optimal dose of CBD varies for everyone.

It is normal for two people of the same bodyweight to react to the same dose of CBD very differently. For one person, the ideal dose could be 30 mg of CBD, while the others respond better to just 10 mg.


The ideal dose of CBD depends on a number of factors, including:

- Overall stature and bodyweight
- The severity of the condition you are trying to  treat
- Your tolerance to CBD
- Your individual mix of body chemistry
- Efficacy of CBD oils, capsules, gummy bears, and other CBD products


The best way to find the right dose is to start from lower amounts (for example, 2 mg) and gradually increase it by 2-5 mg until you find the right amount of CBD for you.



Calculate your CBD dose based on your body weight

While CBD dose is different for everyone, there is a general rule that can be used to determine the estimated amount based on your weight and the strength of the effects (low, medium, and high strength).







A guide to calculating dosage can be found below. These amounts are just demonstrative and should not be considered as a substitute for medical expert advice.

When taking CBD for the first time, we recommend that you start with a low dose and increase it slowly over time. When you find a dose that works, it is the right dose that suits your body. If you experience side effects, you have passed the upper limit. Reduce the dose to the last amount that did not show any side effects.


Calculation of the CBD dose according to bodyweight and strength of the product:

Low strength ? 2 mg of CBD per 10 kg
Medium strength ? 7 mg of CBD per 10 kg
High strength ? 13 mg of CBD per 10 kg


It is important to note that these numbers are demonstrated on pure CBD content, not CBD oil.

Later, we will take a look at how much CBD oil you need for this dose. Once you know how much CBD you should be taking, you will determine the appropriate amount of CBD oil depending on its strength.



Chart of CBD dosage by weight & strength (in mg)
 

Weight (kg)	Low strength	Medium strength	High strength
45 kg	10 mg	30 mg	60 mg
57 kg	13 mg	38 mg	75 mg
68 kg	15 mg	45 mg	90 mg
80 kg	17 mg	52 mg	105 mg
90 kg	20 mg	60 mg	120 mg
102 kg	22 mg	67 mg	135 mg
113 kg	25 mg	75 mg	150 mg

 

What strength of CBD to use?

The more CBD you use, the stronger the effects are. Treatment of some health issues requires relatively high doses of CBD to reach the desired outcomes. On the other hand, lower strength is needed for others in order to get the same remarkable results.


Ask yourself a question: What do I need CBD oil for? This is an important question that you need to answer as it will guide you towards the right dose.



Recommended strength according to health conditions

Anxiety ? medium to high strength
Arthritis ? medium to high strength
Cancer ? high strength or pharmaceutical level
Chronic pain ? medium to high strength
Colitis and inflammatory bowel diseases ? medium to high strength
Epilepsy ? high strength or pharmaceutical level
Overall health ? low strength
High blood pressure ? medium to high strength
Migraines ? low to high strength
Muscle regeneration ? low to medium strength
Nausea  ? low to medium strength
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) ? low to medium strength
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) ? low to high strength
Insomnia ? medium to high strength
Weight loss ? low to medium strength





Dosing of CBD: Four steps to determine the ideal dose of CBD oil

The easiest way to find the optimal dose of CBD is to use the above CBD dosage chart to determine the amount of "low strength" corresponding to your weight.

From this point, you can gradually increase the dose every day until you experience relief from the problems that are bothering you. You can also feel slight side effects (usually fatigue or drowsiness).  If you experience side effects, return to the previous dose that has not caused any negative effects.


Never start with high strength dose if you have never used CBD oil before. To reach an even more accurate dosage, follow the next four steps.



Step 1: Find your optimal dose of CBD

The first step is to find the ideal starting dose.  It is based on your body weight.







Here is the general rule for CBD dosing as per body weight and strength of the product:

 

Low strength	Medium strength	High strength
2 mg for every 10 kg (0.2 mg/kg)	7 mg for every 10 kg (0.7 mg/kg)	13 mg for every 10 kg (1.3 mg/kg)

 

How to calculate a dose based on your weight


[YOUR WEIGHT in KG] x [REQUIRED STRENGTH (0.2 or 0.7 or 1.3 mg)] = [YOUR DOSE of CBD in MG]



A practice example:

Let's say you are a man weighing 80 kg, and you are looking for a dose of medium strength.

All you have to do is multiply the total weight (80 kg) by the required dose equivalent (0.7 mg per kilogram for medium strength).

[80] x [0.7 mg] = 56 mg of CBD

In this case, the suitable starting dose for you would be about 56 mg of CBD per day. Now you need to find out how much CBD oil you will require to reach this dose. You can measure it in drops or milliliters of oil.




Step 2: Find out the efficacy of CBD oil

The efficacy of the oil directly impacts the amount you are working with in order to achieve the optimal dose.

For example, a high-strength CBD oil containing 200 mg of CBD per 1 ml will require ten times less of total volume to achieve a chosen dose than low-strength oil with only 20 mg per 1 ml.

You will need to know how much CBD each milliliter of the oil contains.

Sometimes, manufacturers make it very easy for you and display the CBD concentration per 1 ml of the oil directly on the label. In other cases, this information is not provided. Good to know that the formula for determining the concentration of CBD oil is very simple.


This is what you need to take into account:

- The volume of the vial (in ml)
- The amount of CBD displayed on the label (300 mg, 600 mg, 1000 mg, etc.)


Use this formula to calculate efficacy:
[CBD in ML] ÷ [VOLUME of VIAL in ML] = [CBD in MG/ML]


Let's see this example:

The CBD manufacturer produces hemp oil that contains 600 mg of CBD per vial. The volume of the vial is 30 ml.


Let's enter these data into our formula:
[600 MG] ÷ [30 ML] = [20 MG of CBD / ML]


The answer is 20 mg of CBD per 1 ml of the fluid.

Now that you know how strong the oil is, you can determine how much you need to use in order to reach a particular dose.

For example, if you are after a dose of 20 mg of CBD, take 1 milliliter of the oil - which usually equals one full dropper. If you need only 10 mg, use half of the dropper. Take the amount of one and a half dropper for 30 mg, etc.


CBD oil strength reference chart:
 

Volume of the vial	300 mg of CBD oil	600 mg of CBD oil	1,000 mg of CBD oil	1,500 mg of CBD oil
15 ml	20 mg/ml	40 mg/ml	66 mg/ml	100 mg/ml
30 ml	10 mg/ml	20 mg/ml	33 mg/ml	50 mg/ml
50 ml	6 mg/ml	12 mg/ml	20 mg/ml	30 mg/ml

 

Step 3: Convert the dose into drops (optional)

To make the dosage easier, you can convert the dose into drops. The number of drops you need to reach the sought dose will depend on how strong the oil is.

Knowing the dosage of drops is useful when working with highly effective CBD oils. It is also helpful if you give CBD oil to pets or children, where even small changes in the dose can make a huge difference.

Most droppers give 30 drops per 1 ml of oil. Thus,  you can find the wanted dose in drops by dividing it into 30 ml.


Here is the formula:
[CBD in ML] ÷ [30 DROPS] = [MG/DROP]


Let's demonstrate it using the example above, which is 600 mg of CBD oil in a 30 ml vial. The efficacy of this oil was 20 mg per 1 ml. From here, we can calculate the dose of CBD per drop by dividing this number by 30 (30 drops in 1 ml):


[20 MG per 1 ML] ÷ [30 DROPS] = 0.7 MG of CBD per DROP



Standard doses of CBD oil in drops (assuming the dropper gives 30 drops per ml)

 

Volume of the vial	300 mg of CBD oil	600 mg of CBD oil	1,000 mg of CBD oil	1,500 mg of CBD oil
15 ml	0.7 mg/drop	1.3 mg/drop	2.2 mg/drop	3.3 mg/drop
30 ml	0.3 mg/drop	0.7 mg/drop	1.1 mg/drop	1.7 mg/drop
50 ml	0.2 mg/drop	0.3 mg/drop	0.6 mg/drop	0.8 mg/drop

 

How to find out the required amount of drops of CBD oil established on your target dose:

You can use all this information to find the number of drops needed to reach the target dose.

All you need to do in order to determine the exact amount of the drops required to get a specific dose of CBD is to divide the total dose by the strength of one drop of CBD oil:


[TARGET DOSE of CBD (Example: 51 mg)] ÷ [STRENGTH of CBD OIL per DROP (Example: 0.7 mg)] = DOSE of CBD OIL in DROPS


Our example would, therefore, look in practice as follows:

[51 mg] ÷ [0.7 MG/DROP] = 73 drops of CBD oil



Reference chart for determining the number of drops per dose for normal potency of CBD oil

 

Dose	300 mg	600 mg	1,000 mg	2,500 mg
5 mg	15 drops	7.5 drops	4 drops	2 drops