Cannabis Extraction Yield Calculator
Concentrate yield from biomass weight and extraction method.
About this calculator
This calculator models cannabinoid extraction as two separate outputs that are often conflated: how much crude extract you get, and how potent that extract actually is. Total cannabinoid content starts from your biomass weight (converted to grams) times input potency percentage, then five extraction methods each apply their own efficiency and typical mass-yield figures drawn from industry ranges — CO2 supercritical (88% cannabinoid recovery, ~14% mass yield), BHO/butane (85%, 20%), ethanol wash (80%, 16%), rosin press (68%, 20%), and ice water hash (60%, 12%). Crude extract weight comes from the mass-yield percentage, while recovered cannabinoids comes from the efficiency percentage — they're independent figures, and dividing one by the other is exactly how the calculator derives crude potency.
If you select trim/shake instead of flower, a flat 0.6 multiplier is applied to both cannabinoid content and crude yield, reflecting trim's characteristically lower starting potency and less resinous material. Refined Extract assumes winterization removes about 25% of the crude mass (waxes, fats, and plant lipids), concentrating the same recovered cannabinoids into a smaller final weight and therefore a higher refined potency — this is how BHO or CO2 crude becomes distillate-grade material. Cost Per Gram Extract divides only your entered biomass cost by crude extract weight, so it captures raw material cost but deliberately excludes labor, solvent, equipment, and compliance testing costs that a real production budget must add on top.
Inputs
Results
Crude extract (g)
635
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter biomass weight in lbs and input potency (% THC) from lab testing.
- Select extraction method (CO2, BHO, ethanol, rosin, ice water) and material type (flower or trim).
- Enter biomass cost per lb.
- Review Crude Extract (g), Yield (%), Concentrate Potency (%), and Cost per Gram Extract.
- Compare methods side by side to find the best balance of yield, potency, and cost.
How the result changes with Biomass weight (lbs)
| Biomass weight (lbs) | Crude extract (g) |
|---|---|
| 5 | 317.5 |
| 7.5 | 476.3 |
| 15 | 952.5 |
| 25 | 1,587.6 |
What each input means
- Biomass weight (lbs)
- Weight of input material (dried flower or trim) in pounds.
- Input potency (% THC)
- Cannabinoid potency of input material from lab testing.
- Extraction method (0-4)
- 0 = CO2, 1 = BHO, 2 = Ethanol, 3 = Rosin press, 4 = Ice water hash.
- Material type (0-1)
- 0 = Flower/nug run, 1 = Trim/shake.
- Biomass cost ($/lb)
- Purchase cost of input biomass per pound.
What each result means
- Crude extract (g)
- Total crude concentrate output in grams.
- Crude extract (oz)
- Crude concentrate in ounces.
- Yield (%)
- Extract weight as percentage of input biomass.
- Crude potency (%)
- Estimated cannabinoid concentration in crude extract.
- Refined extract (g)
- Estimated output after winterization/refinement.
- Refined potency (%)
- Estimated potency after refinement (distillate grade).
- Cannabinoids recovered (g)
- Total grams of cannabinoid actually recovered.
- Cost per gram extract
- Biomass cost per gram of crude extract (excludes processing costs).
- Total biomass cost
- Total cost of input material.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersBiomass weight (lbs) = 10, Input potency (% THC) = 18, Extraction method (0-4) = 0, Material type (0-1) = 0 = 5 input(s) provided
- Calculate Crude extractCrude extract = biomassGrams * spec.yieldPct * materialMultiplier635 = 635
- Calculate Crude extractCrude extract = round((crudeExtractG / 28.3495) * 10) / 1022.4 = 22.4
- Calculate Yield14 = 14
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the calculator report two different potency numbers — crude and refined?
Crude Potency describes the extract straight off the extraction equipment, before any cleanup: recovered cannabinoids divided by crude extract weight, which still includes waxes, fats, and terpenes alongside the cannabinoids. Refined Potency models what happens after winterization removes roughly 25% of that crude mass — the same recovered cannabinoid grams are now concentrated into a smaller total weight, so refined potency is always higher than crude potency for the same batch.
How does choosing trim instead of flower change the results beyond just lower starting potency?
Selecting trim/shake applies a flat 0.6 multiplier to both total cannabinoid content and crude extract yield, on top of whatever potency percentage you enter. That reflects trim's characteristically lower resin density and less cannabinoid-rich material compared to nug-run flower — so two batches with the same entered THC percentage will still yield noticeably less extract if one is trim.
What's the difference between a method's 'efficiency' and its 'yield percentage'?
Efficiency (e.g., 88% for CO2 supercritical) is the share of the biomass's total cannabinoids that the method actually recovers. Yield percentage (e.g., 14% for CO2) is the mass of crude extract produced as a fraction of starting biomass weight, including non-cannabinoid material like waxes and terpenes. They're independent figures pulled from different industry benchmarks — dividing recovered cannabinoids by crude extract weight is exactly how the calculator derives crude potency.
What costs does Cost Per Gram Extract leave out?
It only divides your entered biomass purchase cost by the crude extract weight produced, capturing raw material cost alone. It deliberately excludes labor, solvent purchases, extraction and refinement equipment, electricity, and compliance/lab testing costs — all of which a real production budget needs to add on top of this figure.
Why does refining increase potency without increasing the grams of cannabinoids recovered?
Winterization and refinement remove mass, not cannabinoids — about 25% of the crude extract's weight (waxes, fats, plant lipids) is stripped away, while the recovered cannabinoid content stays the same. Concentrating the same amount of cannabinoid into a smaller final weight is what raises the potency percentage, which is how BHO or CO2 crude becomes higher-potency distillate-grade material.
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