How Many mg in a mL? [The Full Answer]

One of the most confusing issues for medical marijuana patients, and all cannabis users for that matter, is understanding the measurements and equivalency factors. The most popular way of consuming CBD oil is by placing drops under the tongue. However, potency and bottle sizes differ across brands, which means that figuring out how many drops you should take can be very confusing, even for those who are good at math.

There’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to making cannabis-infused oils; it involves some pretty precise calculations. One of the most frequently asked questions lately is how many milligrams are in a milliliter (or ml to mg) serving of CBD oil. It’s generally recommended to start off with a 5 mg serving of CBD, but you might be wondering how that translates to a dropper that measures in milliliters.

With this in mind, let’s have a look at an example. A certain bottle of CBD oil is said to contain 20 mg of CBD per serving. The package claims that a full serving is equal to one milliliter. This means that a full drop will contain 20 mg of CBD. So, if you are only wanting a 5 mg serving, you would consume ¼ of the dropper. If you were looking for a 10 mg serving of CBD, you would consume half a dropper.

Different brands will have different ways of measuring their dose, but you can always see by looking at the supplement facts. You will find the relevant information on what is considered to be a serving, as well as how much CBD is in each serving.

Why Is There a Discrepancy on CBD Content?

You may notice that on many CBD products, the front of the packaging states the CBD content, which may differ from the hemp extract content that is stated on the supplement facts panel. This is because brands want customers to know the exact CBD content. The hemp extract content will be higher because the oil also contains other cannabinoids like CBC, CBG, and CBN, and even trace amounts of THC.

This is what accounts for the differences. Since the majority of people dose according to the CBD content, it’s also necessary to disclose the exact CBD content rather than the overall cannabinoids that are present.

Calculating Milligrams per Milliliter in Liquids

Accurately converting a percentage amount of milligrams per milliliter is often confusing, and it’s easy to get it wrong if you don’t take into account the density of the liquid suspension. This is best explained by looking at an example of how oils will typically float to the top when mixed in water, whereas other substances, like honey, will sink to the bottom. This is because their molecular weight and density differ. One is lighter and less dense, and the other is heavier and denser.

In order to accurately work out milligrams per milliliter, you will need the following information:

• Potency percentage
• Density of the suspension
• Volume of the liquid

Let’s take a look at an example. In this case, we will assume that you want to determine how many mg are in a 50 ml bottle of CBD tincture with a 2% potency. Here’s what you already know:

• Potency percentage = 2%
• Density of the suspension = 0.789 g/ml
• Volume of the liquid = 50 ml

Step 1: Firstly, you will need to convert the density from g/ml to mg/ml:

0.789 x 1000 = 789 mg

Step 2: Next you will need to multiply the density in mg/ml by Potency Percentage:

789 x 2% = 15.78 mg/ml

Step 3: Then multiply mg/ml by Volume of liquid

15.78 x 50 = 789 mg in 50 ml

There you have it. So if you follow the process step by step, it shouldn’t be as confusing as it sounds.

Now, let’s break down some other examples behind cannabis conversion rates. Most ingestible cannabis products are listed in milligrams, which is the same measuring unit that is used for most other oral medications – for instance, Tylenol. One capsule might contain 300 mg of acetaminophen, 300 mg of codeine phosphate, and 15 mg of caffeine. So how does this apply to cannabis?

Let’s assume that you want to determine how many milligrams of CBD or THC are in your dried flower that is listed as 17% per gram.

Here’s what you need to know for starters:

• 1 g = 1000mg total
• 1000mg x 0.17 (17%) = 170 mg

Then, if you want to convert milliliters to percentage by volume, here’s what there is to know:

• 100 mg/mL = 10% of THC/CBD (1000 mg x 0.10 = 100 mg)
• 10 mg/mL = 1.0%
• 1 mg/mL = 0.1%

A quick trick is to move the decimal point one spot to the left to determine the percentage of THC or CBD that is present in your product.

Let’s go through a few practical examples:

Example 1: My CBD Drops contain a potential 33mg/mL CBD. How many mg of CBD (CBD oil mg) are in the whole bottle?

Answer: 33mg/mL x 30mL = 990mg CBD

Example 2: How many mg of CBD am I getting if I ingest 0.75mL?

Answer: 33mg/mL x 0.75mL = 24.75mg CBD

How to Find the Milligrams per Droplet of Any CBD Product

If you want to determine how many milligrams are present per droplet in a CBD product, there are two important questions that you will need to answer:

• How many milliliters (ml) is the bottle? This information should be printed on the label
• How many total milligrams (mg) of CBD are the bottle? Check the label

Keep the following in mind:

• 1ml = 20 droplets of liquid
• A full dropper of most bottles is equal to 1 ml
• You will need a calculator

Let’s assume that you have a 30ml bottle which contains 1000mg of CBD in it. You first need to determine how much CBD there is per ml in order to dose properly.

• 1000mg of CBD divided by 30ml
• 1000/30 = 33.33. Always round down so that you get a bit extra CBD in the end. There is approximately 33 mg of CBD per milliliter, or one full dropper.

It may look and sound very confusing, but if you read through this carefully and apply some logic, it might not be as complicated as it seems. At the end of the day, it’s all about finding the right dosage that works for you.

Final Thoughts on CBD Potencies

There are a variety of different ways that people use CBD, and a lot of it comes down to personal preference and experimenting to find what works best for you. You can apply CBD in many different ways, using different dosages for different health conditions and it really can make your head spin. But the good news is that there are a few CBD dosing calculators out there that can really help you to convert ml to mg and vice versa.