Creatine Dosage CalculatorLoading & Maintenance Dose by Body Weight
Get your evidence-based creatine monohydrate dose, with or without a loading phase, plus a 30-day saturation calendar, scoop and tub estimates, and a pharmacist’s safety check for your kidneys and medicines.
Built & medically reviewed by Manzoor Ahmad, Pharmacist & Calculator Developer · Updated
Dosing from the ISSN creatine position stand and Hultman et al. (1996). Safety evidence from Antonio et al. (2021).
How much creatine should you take?
Take 3–5 g of creatine monohydrate a day. That’s about one level teaspoon, and it saturates your muscles in about 3–4 weeks. For faster results, use an optional loading phase of 0.3 g/kg a day (about 20–25 g, split into 4 doses) for 5–7 days, then drop to 3–5 g. Timing matters far less than taking it every day.
Dose your creatine
About 1 level teaspoon of monohydrate powder. Full muscle saturation in about 4 weeks.
Your 30-day saturation timeline
Creatine dosage by body weight
Loading uses 0.3 g/kg/day for 5–7 days. Maintenance is 0.03 g/kg/day, which rounds up to the evidence-based 3–5 g. We suggest 3 g under 60 kg (132 lb) and 5 g above.
| Body weight | Loading (5–7 days) | Maintenance / day |
|---|---|---|
| 120 lb (54 kg) | 15 g | 3 g (or 5 g) |
| 150 lb (68 kg) | 20 g | 5 g |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | 25 g | 5 g |
| 210 lb (95 kg) | 30 g | 5 g |
| 250 lb (113 kg) | 35 g | 5 g |
The dosing formulas
The 3–5 g/day protocol (Hultman et al., 1996) produces the same end result as loading with fewer stomach complaints. For most people it’s the simplest choice.
180 lb (82 kg) lifter
- Option A, no loading: 0.03 × 82 = 2.5 g, so use the standard 5 g a day. Saturated by about day 28.
- Option B, loading: 0.3 × 82 = 25 g a day (4 × 6.25 g) for 6 days, then 5 g. Saturated by about day 6.
- First month: 150 g (A) vs about 270 g (B).
- Expect 2–4 lb of water weight inside muscle. That’s not fat.
Creatine safety: what I actually tell people
At 3–5 g a day, creatine monohydrate is one of the most-studied and safest sports supplements, with up to 5 years of data in healthy adults. It doesn’t damage healthy kidneys. But it raises blood creatinine, the standard kidney marker, which can make a normal lab result look abnormal. Always mention it before blood tests.
Avoid it, or ask your doctor first, if you have kidney disease, diabetes with kidney involvement, or take nephrotoxic combinations (regular NSAIDs plus a diuretic plus an ACE inhibitor or ARB, the so-called “triple whammy”) or lithium. Don’t buy “proprietary creatine blends” or products with stimulants. Plain monohydrate with third-party testing is all you need.
Related calculators
Creatine Dosage calculator FAQs
3–5 g of creatine monohydrate a day suits most adults. Bigger athletes can use about 0.03 g per kg of body weight (5 g for most people). Optional loading uses 0.3 g/kg a day (about 20–25 g, split into 4 doses) for 5–7 days.
No. Loading saturates your muscles in about 5–7 days, while 3–5 g a day gets you to the same level in about 3–4 weeks. Loading is useful if you want quick results, but it causes more bloating and stomach upset.
Timing matters very little. Consistency matters most. Some studies suggest a slight benefit from taking it around your workout. Taking it with a meal containing carbs and protein may slightly improve uptake.
Yes, usually 1–2 kg (2–4 lb) in the first weeks. That’s water drawn into muscle cells, not fat. Over the longer term, any further gain comes from muscle built by better training.
In healthy people, studies of up to several years show no kidney harm at standard doses. It raises blood creatinine on lab tests, though, so tell your doctor. People with existing kidney disease should avoid it unless their doctor approves.
There’s no evidence that cycling is needed. Continuous daily use at 3–5 g is safe and keeps your muscles saturated. If you stop, levels return to baseline over about 4–6 weeks.
Yes. Women see similar benefits in strength, lean mass and possibly bone and mood. The same 3–5 g a day dose applies, and stores are often lower to begin with.
Manzoor Ahmad
Pharmacist · Supplement & Nutrition Writer (9+ yrs) · Calculator Developer (13+ yrs)
I’m a practising pharmacist who has written about supplements for more than 9 years, and I build DexoCalc’s calculators. Creatine questions are among the most common I get from gym-goers. The answer is almost always plain monohydrate, 3–5 g a day, plus telling your doctor before blood tests. That’s exactly what this calculator delivers.
References
- Kreider RB, et al. ISSN position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. PubMed
- Hultman E, et al. Muscle creatine loading in men. J Appl Physiol. 1996;81(1):232–237. PubMed
- Antonio J, et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):13. PubMed
- Jagim AR, Kerksick CM. Creatine supplementation in children and adolescents. Nutrients. 2021;13(2):664. PubMed
Medical disclaimer: For healthy adults only. This is not medical advice. Don’t use creatine without medical advice if you have kidney disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, are under 18, or take medicines that affect kidney function.