Do not use cannabis if you are under twenty-one years of age. Keep cannabis out of the reach of children.
No location selected
Edibles have a reputation for being “strong,” but what they really are is different. With smoking or vaping, you feel effects quickly and can adjust in real time. With edibles, the experience unfolds on a longer timeline, and the difference between “perfect” and “too much” can be just a few milligrams.
That is why edible dosage calculators exist. Used correctly, they help you estimate potency, plan a reasonable serving size, and avoid the classic mistake of taking more before the first dose has even kicked in. Used incorrectly, they can give you false confidence, especially if you do not understand what numbers you are plugging in.
At Shangri-La Dispensaries, we see this play out all the time. People come in after an edible went sideways and say, “I thought I did the math.” Usually, the math was fine. The inputs and assumptions were the problem. This guide is about getting those inputs right, understanding what calculators can and cannot promise, and using the result as a safe starting point rather than a guarantee.
Most edible calculators are simple. They take the amount of cannabinoids in your starting material (flower, concentrate, or an infused oil you made), estimate how much THC (and sometimes CBD) ends up in the final batch, then divide by the number of servings to estimate milligrams per serving.
That sounds straightforward, but every step hides assumptions:
A calculator cannot verify any of those steps. It can only calculate based on what you tell it. So the “right way” to use a calculator is less about the calculator itself and more about feeding it realistic, accurate inputs.
If you are using dispensary flower, your label often lists cannabinoids like THC, THCA, CBD, and CBDA. The part people miss is that THCA is not the same thing as THC. THCA is the acidic, non-intoxicating form that converts into THC when heated.
A common “total potential THC” calculation used in regulation and lab reporting is:
Total THC = (THCA × 0.877) + THC
That 0.877 factor exists because mass is lost during decarboxylation when the carboxyl group is removed.
If your calculator asks for “THC %” and you only type the THC number from the label (not the THCA), you may underestimate potency. If you type the THCA number as if it were THC, you may overestimate what ends up active. The cleanest approach is to calculate total potential THC using the formula above, then adjust further for real-world losses.
Decarboxylation is the heating step that converts THCA into THC. Even when done well, it is not perfectly efficient. Many calculators build in an assumed loss (for example, around 12 percent) and multiply by something like 0.88 as a practical adjustment.
Here is the key point: the 0.877 conversion factor and “decarb loss” are not the same thing.
If a calculator already accounts for decarb, and you also manually apply extra reductions, you can double-discount and end up with numbers that look safer than they are. On the other hand, if you ignore decarb and assume everything converts perfectly, you can overshoot.
The “right way” is to know which assumption your calculator is making. If it does not mention decarb at all, you should assume it is not accounting for it. If it explicitly says it accounts for decarb loss, do not apply a second decarb discount unless you are intentionally being conservative.
Even if you know your cannabis potency and you decarb properly, you still have to move cannabinoids into your oil or butter. That step is called infusion, and it introduces another large variable: how much of the available THC actually ends up in the fat.
A calculator will often assume a fixed efficiency. Real life is messier. Factors like grind size, infusion time and temperature, fat type, strain moisture, and straining method can change results.
This is why two people can use the same recipe and get different potency. It is also why experienced edible makers often start conservative, test a small serving, then refine their process.
If your goal is consistency, one of the best “calculator upgrades” is to use tested concentrates or tested infused products where potency is already known, because that removes several unknowns at once.
Even without any special tools, you can think in this basic structure:
If your starting material is flower, the common starting estimate is:
Then divide by servings.
The calculator is doing this for you, but what matters is that you see where the number comes from so you can spot bad inputs before they become bad edibles.
Let’s say you use 3.5 grams of flower (an eighth). You look at your label and see THCA listed, plus maybe a small amount of THC. Using the “total THC” formula gives you a more accurate estimate of potential active THC.
Now here is where people often get tricked: they make brownies and “cut them into 12 pieces,” but those 12 pieces are not the same size. The corner pieces are smaller, the middle pieces are bigger, and suddenly your 10 mg estimate becomes 6 mg for one person and 14 mg for another.
If you want the calculator to be meaningful, you need serving sizes that are close to consistent. That might mean weighing the finished product and dividing by weight, or using molds (like gummy molds) where each cavity is identical.
A calculator might tell you that each gummy is 12 mg THC. That is not a suggestion. That is a number. What you do with it is the safety part.
For many adults who are new to edibles or have low tolerance, a common starting range is 2.5 to 5 mg THC, then waiting long enough before considering more.
This is where the calculator becomes practical. If each gummy is 12 mg and you want to start at 3 mg, you do not “eat a gummy and see what happens.” You cut it into quarters and take one quarter.
The right mindset is: The calculator helps you create smaller, more controlled doses. It is not there to justify taking a full serving.
Edibles take time. A lot of time. Onset is commonly described as around 30 to 90 minutes, peak around 2 to 3 hours, and total duration often 4 to 8 hours depending on the person and the dose.
Because that timeline is long, people redose too early. They assume the calculator was wrong because they “don’t feel it” at 45 minutes, then take another serving, then get hit all at once later.
A safer approach many dosing guides recommend is to wait at least an hour, and often longer, before adding more, especially if you are new.
If you want a rule that actually works in real life: decide your maximum for the day before you start, and commit to it. The calculator gives you the mg-per-piece info you need to stick to that plan.
Even perfect math cannot predict your body. A few variables that can change the experience:
This is why the “right way” to use a calculator includes leaving room for variability. If you aim for “exactly 10 mg because I want exactly a 7/10 high,” you are going to be disappointed. If you aim for “2.5 to 5 mg to start, then adjust slowly,” you are using the calculator in a way that protects you from normal human variation.
An edible calculator does not measure:
This is why lab-tested edibles are so popular. They remove most of the uncertainty.
If you are buying commercial edibles, the calculator is less about making them and more about planning your intake. If you have a 100 mg package with 10 pieces, you already know each piece is 10 mg. The calculator part becomes: “What does 10 mg mean for me, and how do I scale down from there?”
If you are holding a package that says 10 mg per piece, the best “calculator” is simple division:
This is one reason dispensaries carry low-dose options. It is easier to be precise with a 2.5 mg edible than with a 10 mg edible you keep trying to cut into perfect fractions.
At Shangri-La Dispensaries, this is often the easiest path for newer edible consumers: choose a low-dose product, keep the math simple, and focus on timing and consistency.
This is not medical advice, but it is useful context. If someone takes more THC than intended, the experience is usually uncomfortable but temporary. The most common mistake is redosing too soon, then getting overwhelmed at peak.
The “calculator lesson” here is that you can prevent most of these situations by building two habits:
After you run a calculation, do one more step before you cook or consume:
Ask, “If this estimate is wrong by 30 percent, am I still safe?”
That one question changes everything.
If your calculator says each cookie is 15 mg, and you were planning to eat a whole cookie as a beginner, you are relying on the estimate being perfect. If you instead portion it into thirds and start with 5 mg, you are safe even if your estimate is off.
That is the “right way” in one sentence: Use the calculator to design a dose that stays reasonable even when reality is imperfect.
And once you find a dose that works for you, the calculator becomes even more useful, because now you are not chasing a number. You are repeating a result you already like, with the kind of consistency that makes edibles enjoyable instead of unpredictable.
How to Choose the Right Way to Enjoy the Plant When it comes to cannabis, there’s no one-size-fits-all experience. Whether you’re looking for relaxation, creativity, pain relief, or just a good time, the consumption method you use can drastically shape how you feel. Each consumption method—whether you’re smoking dried cannabis flower, enjoying a gummy, or […]
Gone are the days when cannabis was solely associated with stoner culture or negative stereotypes. Increasingly recognized for its ability to enhance experiences, cannabis can add a whole new dimension to various activities, enabling us to explore life’s adventures in a unique and enriching way. In this blog post, we’ll explore how cannabis can elevate […]
Shangri-La Proudly Serves: Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio.
