Creatine Dosage Calculator
Creatine loading (0.3 g/kg a day for 5 to 7 days) and daily maintenance from body weight or lean mass, in kg or lb, with 5 g servings. How it works
Use the Creatine Dosage Calculator
About the Creatine Dosage Calculator
This creatine calculator uses 0.3 g per kg of body weight per day, up to 25 g, for an optional 5 to 7 day loading phase, and 0.03 g per kg per day with a 3 g minimum for maintenance. At 80 kg that is 24 g a day while loading, then 3 g a day.
Creatine loading and maintenance dose by body weight in kg
| Body weight | Loading phase | 5 g servings per day | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 15 g/day | 3 | 3 g/day |
| 60 kg | 18 g/day | 4 | 3 g/day |
| 70 kg | 21 g/day | 5 | 3 g/day |
| 80 kg | 24 g/day | 5 | 3 g/day |
| 90 kg | 25 g/day | 5 | 3 g/day |
| 100 kg | 25 g/day | 5 | 3 g/day |
| 110 kg | 25 g/day | 5 | 3.3 g/day |
| 120 kg | 25 g/day | 5 | 3.6 g/day |
Loading is 0.3 g × body weight in kg, held at 25 g a day, the calculator’s own ceiling, from about 84 kg. Servings are the loading dose ÷ 5 g, rounded up. Maintenance is 0.03 g × kg and never below 3 g, so it stays at 3 g up to 100 kg.
Creatine loading and maintenance dose by body weight in pounds
| Body weight | Loading phase | 5 g servings per day | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 lb | 16.3 g/day | 4 | 3 g/day |
| 140 lb | 19.1 g/day | 4 | 3 g/day |
| 160 lb | 21.8 g/day | 5 | 3 g/day |
| 180 lb | 24.5 g/day | 5 | 3 g/day |
| 200 lb | 25 g/day | 5 | 3 g/day |
| 220 lb | 25 g/day | 5 | 3 g/day |
| 240 lb | 25 g/day | 5 | 3.3 g/day |
| 260 lb | 25 g/day | 5 | 3.5 g/day |
Pounds are converted at 0.453592 kg per lb and results are shown to one decimal, as in the calculator. Loading is held at 25 g a day from about 185 lb.
Methodology
Loading = 0.3 g/kg/day for 5 to 7 days, split through the day, as in the 2017 ISSN position stand, held at 25 g a day; that ceiling is the calculator’s own, and it applies from about 84 kg. Maintenance = 0.03 g/kg/day with a 3 g minimum. The position stand gives maintenance as 3 to 5 g a day; the per-kilogram rule is this calculator’s own (it is the maintenance dose used in one football study the 2021 ISSN review cites), and the 3 g floor keeps anyone under 100 kg at the bottom of the 3 to 5 g range. Pounds are converted at 0.453592 kg per lb. Lean-body-mass mode is also the calculator’s own option: both rates use weight × (1 − body fat % ÷ 100), whereas the position stand doses by total body weight.
How to use this tool
- Enter body weight in kg or lb. Both figures appear as soon as there is a weight.
- To dose by lean body mass, tick that option and enter a body-fat percentage. The same rates are then applied to weight × (1 − body fat ÷ 100).
- Read the loading figure only if you plan to load. The maintenance figure is the daily amount either way.
Frequently asked questions
- How much creatine should I take for my weight?
- The ISSN guidance for daily maintenance is 3 to 5 g, and this calculator gives the low end: 0.03 g per kg with a 3 g floor, so 3 g a day for anyone up to 100 kg (220 lb), 3.3 g at 110 kg and 3.6 g at 120 kg. Taking 5 g a day is also within the guidance.
- How do I calculate a creatine loading phase?
- Multiply body weight in kg by 0.3 for the daily amount, split it into servings, and keep it up for 5 to 7 days. At 75 kg that is 22.5 g a day, or 5 servings of 5 g. The calculator holds the figure at 25 g a day, so at 100 kg it shows 25 g rather than 30 g.
- Is a loading phase required?
- No. The calculator marks it optional. Loading may saturate muscle stores faster; the maintenance dose alone reaches a similar level more gradually, often over about 3 to 4 weeks.
- Should I dose by total weight or lean body mass?
- Total weight is the default. Lean-body-mass mode lowers the loading figure: 80 kg at 20% body fat is treated as 64 kg, so loading is 19.2 g a day instead of 24 g. Maintenance stays at 3 g because of the minimum.
- Is creatine monohydrate better than other forms?
- The 2017 ISSN position stand calls monohydrate the most studied form and says no other form, such as creatine ethyl ester, citrate, nitrate or buffered creatine, has been shown to raise muscle creatine more. The amounts on this page are for creatine monohydrate.
- What happens to muscle creatine if I stop taking it?
- The position stand says raised muscle stores take about 4 to 6 weeks to fall back to where they started. Restarting with maintenance alone fills them again over about 3 to 4 weeks, or within a week if you load.
Related Tools
View all toolsFFMI Calculator
FFMI calculator for fat-free mass index: weight, height and body fat give fat-free mass, FFMI and the height-normalized FFMI of Kouri et al. (1995), unrated.
Protein Calculator
How much protein per day: enter weight in kg or lb, activity level and goal for a daily range in grams. 70 kg, moderate, maintain gives 70 to 84 g.
Protein Intake Estimator
Daily protein target in grams from weight, body fat %, activity and goal, worked out from lean mass and split across 3 to 6 meals.
Gym Workout Frequency Calculator
Count how many sessions a week train each muscle group in a full-body, upper/lower, push/pull/legs or body-part split, beside ACSM's 2 to 3 days per muscle.
BMI Calculator
BMI from your height and weight in cm and kg or feet, inches and lb, with the adult category and the weight range for a BMI of 18.5 to under 25.
Pool Chlorine Dose Calculator
How much chlorine to add to a pool: grams = ppm rise × litres ÷ 1,000, shown as 12% liquid chlorine, 6% bleach, trichlor, dichlor or cal-hypo.