Cannabutter Ratio Calculator: How to Dose Your Edibles With Precision
A cannabutter ratio calculator is a dosage tool that helps you figure out exactly how much THC or CBD will be in each serving of your homemade edibles. It works by taking the weight of your cannabis, its potency percentage, and the volume of your infusion liquid, then breaking down the total milligrams per serving so you can cook with confidence instead of guesswork.
Cannabis edibles have become one of the most popular ways to consume marijuana in legal markets across the United States and Canada. For instance, according to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 49.8% of past-year cannabis users in the US reported eating or drinking marijuana as a mode of consumption. But unlike smoking or vaping, edibles are processed through the digestive system and converted into a stronger form of THC in the liver.
Whether you are making a batch of brownies for yourself or scaling up production for a licensed operation, understanding the math behind cannabutter ratios keeps your products consistent, enjoyable, and safe. This guide walks through how the calculator works, how to apply ratios to your favorite recipes, and how to personalize dosing based on individual tolerance.
What a Cannabutter Ratio Calculator Does
Cannabutter is the foundation of most cannabis edibles. It is made by infusing regular cooking butter with decarboxylated cannabis flower, which activates the THC and CBD compounds in the plant material. The challenge is that every batch of flower has a different potency, and every recipe calls for a different amount of butter. Without a calculator, you are essentially guessing at your dosage.
A cannabutter ratio calculator removes that uncertainty. You input three key variables: the weight of your cannabis in grams, its THC or CBD percentage, and the amount of liquid (butter or oil) you are using for the infusion. The tool then calculates the total milligrams of active cannabinoids in your batch and breaks it down per teaspoon, tablespoon, or serving.
This kind of precision matters whether you are a first-time home cook or a seasoned edible maker. The calculator accounts for both potency and weight, letting you customize the strength of your cannabutter to match your personal needs or the requirements of your recipe.
How the Calculator Measures THC and CBD Potency
The calculator measures potency in milligrams (mg). When you enter the THC percentage of your flower and the weight in grams, it converts that into a total milligram count. For example, seven grams of cannabis with 25% THC potency infused into two cups of liquid will produce roughly 1,750 mg of THC total, or about 18 mg per teaspoon.
This calculation is based on a simple formula: multiply the weight of your flower in milligrams by its THC percentage (as a decimal). The result gives you the maximum possible THC in your entire batch. From there, divide by the number of servings to get your per-serving dose.
Both THC and CBD content factor into the final potency reading. If you are working with a high-CBD strain for non-intoxicating effects, the same math applies. Just swap the THC percentage for your CBD percentage.
Can I use a cannabutter ratio calculator for CBD-only edibles?
Yes. The math is identical whether you are calculating THC or CBD. Just enter your flower's CBD percentage instead of THC, and the calculator will give you the total CBD milligrams per serving. This is especially useful for people making edibles focused on pain relief or relaxation without the psychoactive effects.
How to Use the Cannabutter Ratio Calculator
When measuring the potency of edibles, it is important to consider both THC and CBD content. The higher the cannabinoid concentration, the more potent the edible becomes. To figure out how much cannabis is in an edible, we advise using a cannabutter ratio calculator.
With this tool, the edibles' potency is measured in milligrams (mg). Below, we explain the easiest way of measuring the cannabis ratio in a product.
Before you start, you need three pieces of information: the concentration of THC or CBD in your flower, the weight of the flower you plan to use, and the volume of your infusion liquid. Once you have these measurements, the calculator handles the rest.
The potency of your cannabis-infused products depends on all three of these inputs working together. A small change in any one of them shifts the final dosage significantly, which is why precision at this stage saves you from unpleasant surprises later.
Measuring Cannabis Weight in Milligrams
To calculate the total THC in your cannabutter, follow these steps:
Weigh your cannabis flower in grams using a kitchen scale
Multiply that number by 1,000 to convert to milligrams
Multiply the milligram weight by the THC percentage of your flower (as a decimal)
The result is the total milligrams of THC in your entire batch of cannabutter
For example, if you are using 14 grams of flower with 20% THC: 14 x 1,000 = 14,000 mg of flower. Then 14,000 x 0.20 = 2,800 mg of THC total. That number becomes your starting point for dividing into servings.
Finding Your Desired Dosage
If you have been consuming cannabis for a while, you likely have a sense of your THC tolerance. But edibles hit differently than smoking. The standard starting dose for most people is no more than 5 mg of THC per serving. If you are brand new to edibles, start even lower at 2 mg per serving and work your way up gradually.
This cautious approach helps you avoid overdoing it. You can always eat another serving later, but you cannot undo what you have already consumed. The calculator makes it easy to set your target dose and work backward to determine how much cannabutter goes into each recipe.
Getting the Right Butter Quantity
A widely used baseline ratio is one pound of unsalted butter for every seven grams of decarboxylated, ground cannabis. This produces a moderately potent cannabutter suitable for most recipes. If you want something milder, use more butter. For stronger batches, reduce the butter or increase the cannabis.
The key is that the butter (or oil) acts as the carrier for the cannabinoids. Fats bind to THC and CBD during the infusion process, so the total amount of fat in your recipe directly affects how the cannabinoids distribute across your servings.
What happens if I input the wrong THC percentage into the calculator?
Your entire batch will be dosed incorrectly. If you overestimate the THC percentage, your edibles will seem weaker than expected. If you underestimate it, each serving will be more potent than you planned. Always check the packaging from your dispensary for lab-tested THC percentages, or use conservative estimates for homegrown flower (15% for bud, 7% for sugar leaf, 5% for trim).
Calculating Cannabutter Ratios for Different Recipes
Once you have made your cannabutter, you still need to figure out how it fits into specific recipes. Not every recipe calls for the same amount of butter, and the number of servings varies. This is where the ratio calculator becomes especially valuable, because it lets you work out exactly how many milligrams of THC end up in each cookie, brownie, or slice of banana bread.
Take an example where you used 28 grams of cannabis testing at 10% THC to make one cup of butter. That gives you 2,800 mg of THC in the full cup. If your brownie recipe calls for half a cup and produces ten brownies, each brownie contains about 140 mg, which is extremely strong for most people. Knowing this ahead of time lets you dilute with regular butter to bring the dose down to a comfortable range.
Adjusting Ratios for Brownies, Cookies, and Other Baked Goods
If a recipe produces edibles that are too potent, the simplest fix is to mix your cannabutter with plain butter. For instance, if your cannabutter tests very strong, blending it at a 1:1 ratio with regular unsalted butter cuts the THC per serving in half. A 1:3 ratio (one part cannabutter to three parts regular butter) brings it down even further.
Always divide the total milligrams of THC in your batch by the number of servings the recipe produces. That gives you the per-serving dose. If it is higher than your target, adjust the cannabutter-to-butter ratio until the math works out.
A Sample Recipe for Cannabis Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here is a straightforward recipe that produces about 16 cookies. Each cookie will contain roughly 7 grams of cannabutter, so adjust the potency by blending with regular butter as needed.
Ingredients:
1 egg
100g sugar
2g salt
5g vanilla extract
185g flour
2g baking soda
225g chocolate chips
115g of cannabutter
Mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) in one bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together the cannabutter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, then stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough for about two hours to firm it up, then portion it into 16 equal balls. Bake at 350°F in a preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes.
If 7g of cannabutter per cookie feels too strong for your tolerance, try mixing 15g of cannabutter with 100g of regular butter before adding it to the recipe. This creates a milder, more balanced experience while keeping the texture and flavor intact.
Can I substitute coconut oil for butter in my cannabutter recipes?
Absolutely. Coconut oil is one of the most popular alternatives to butter for cannabis infusions because of its high fat content, which binds well to cannabinoids. The dosage math stays the same. Just replace the butter measurement with an equal volume of coconut oil and run the numbers through the calculator as usual.
Dosage Control and Personalization
One of the trickiest things about edibles is how differently they affect each person. Unlike smoking, where the effects are almost immediate, edibles are processed through the digestive system. The liver converts THC into 11-hydroxy-THC, a compound that crosses the blood-brain barrier more efficiently and produces a more intense, longer-lasting experience.
This metabolic pathway means that the same dose can feel very different from one person to the next. Factors like body weight, age, metabolism, genetics, and even what you ate earlier in the day all play a role.
Starting Low and Adjusting Over Time
The golden rule with edibles is to start low and go slow. For new users, 1 to 5 mg of THC per serving is a reasonable starting point. You can always eat more after waiting at least two hours, but you cannot take back what you have already consumed.
Cutting your cannabutter into small, uniform pieces before cooking makes dosing easier. When you add cannabutter to a recipe, you are dosing for the entire batch. If you want 20 servings, you need to calculate enough cannabutter so each serving hits your target milligram count.
How Body Weight, Age, and Tolerance Affect Edible Dosing
While 10 mg is often cited as the average dose of THC in commercially available edibles, that number is just a baseline. Heavier individuals may need a slightly higher dose, while smaller or older adults might find 5 mg more than enough. Gastrointestinal health and prior cannabis experience also shift the equation.
There is no universal standard for cannabutter dosing. The calculator gives you the math, but your own body gives you the feedback. Keep notes on what works and adjust from there.
Safe and Responsible Usage Guidelines
Homemade edibles carry some inherent variability. The THC potency in each batch can fluctuate based on the strain, the decarboxylation process, and how evenly the cannabutter is mixed into the recipe. Legal markets require labeled THC potency per serving on all packaged edibles, but home cooks need to rely on careful calculation. Here are a few guidelines to keep your batches safe:
The THCA percentage in your raw cannabis is what gives cannabutter its strength after decarboxylation. Always label your batches with the estimated milligrams per serving
Store all cannabis edibles safely away from children and pets, preferably in clearly labeled, sealed containers
Avoid combining cannabis edibles with alcohol or other substances. Mixing can amplify effects and lead to unpleasant side effects like heightened disorientation or nausea
Why do edibles sometimes feel stronger than smoking the same amount of cannabis?
When you smoke cannabis, THC enters the bloodstream through the lungs and hits the brain quickly but at a relatively predictable intensity. With edibles, the liver converts THC into 11-hydroxy-THC, which is more potent and longer-lasting. This metabolic difference is why a 10 mg edible can feel much stronger than smoking 10 mg worth of flower, even though the milligram count is identical.
Take Your Cannabis Production From Kitchen to Scale With Sorting Robotics
Getting your cannabutter ratios right is the foundation of safe and reliable edible production. At home, a ratio calculator gives you control over potency and serving size. In a licensed manufacturing environment, that same principle becomes even more important.
Commercial cannabis production requires repeatable dosing, accurate labeling, and consistent cannabinoid distribution across every batch. Small miscalculations can lead to compliance issues, product recalls, or inconsistent customer experiences. Precision is not optional at scale.
As cannabis brands grow, automation plays a larger role in maintaining that level of consistency. Controlled infusion systems, standardized dosing processes, and repeatable workflows help manufacturers produce uniform products while reducing human error.
Sorting Robotics builds automation systems designed to bring that level of precision and repeatability to cannabis production environments. For brands focused on consistency, scalability, and quality control, automation becomes a natural next step.
Whether you are perfecting recipes at home or building a commercial operation, the principle remains the same: accurate ratios lead to reliable results.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the standard ratio for making cannabutter?
The most commonly used ratio is one pound of unsalted butter to every seven grams of decarboxylated cannabis flower. This produces a moderately potent cannabutter that works well in most baking recipes. You can adjust the ratio by adding more butter for milder effects or more cannabis for a stronger infusion. Some home cooks prefer a 1:1 ratio by weight for very potent batches, but that approach requires careful per-serving dosing to avoid overconsumption.
How long does cannabutter take to kick in after eating an edible?
Edibles typically take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours to produce noticeable effects, depending on your metabolism, body weight, and what you have eaten that day. Because the THC is processed through the digestive system and liver, the onset is much slower than smoking or vaping. The best practice is to wait at least two full hours before consuming more, even if you do not feel anything yet.
Can you freeze cannabutter without losing potency?
Yes, you can freeze cannabutter without losing noticeable potency. Freezing slows down THC degradation and helps preserve cannabinoids over time. Store it in an airtight container and avoid repeated thawing to maintain its strength.
How do you know if your cannabutter is strong enough?
The most reliable way is to calculate the expected potency using a cannabutter ratio calculator before you cook with it. If you want to test it directly, measure out one gram of cannabutter, spread it on a cracker or piece of toast, and consume it. Wait two hours and note the effects. Use that experience as a baseline for adjusting your recipes going forward.
What is the difference between cannabutter and cannabis oil?
Cannabutter uses dairy butter as the fat base for infusion, while cannabis oil uses a plant-based oil like coconut oil, olive oil, or canola oil. Both serve the same purpose of binding cannabinoids to fat for use in edibles. The main differences come down to dietary preference, flavor profile, and smoke point. Coconut oil has a higher fat content and binds cannabinoids slightly more efficiently, while butter provides a richer taste in baked goods. The dosage calculations are the same for both.
