Creatine is a compound your muscles store and use to make energy quickly during short, hard efforts, such as a set of squats or a sprint. Taking it as a supplement tops up that store, which lets you do a little more work in each training session. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand on creatine, written by Kreider and colleagues (2017), calls creatine monohydrate the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes.
This calculator turns the position stand's doses into grams for your body weight. The stand gives the fastest way to fill your muscles as 5 g four times a day, or about 0.3 g per kg of body weight a day, for 5 to 7 days, followed by 3 to 5 g a day. A 2021 review by Antonio and colleagues gives the same load, 0.3 g per kg a day for 5 to 7 days, which it works out as 21 g a day for a 70 kg adult. The calculator splits your loading dose into servings, gives your daily dose, says when your muscles should be full and works out how long your tub will last. It gives targets in grams and does not track what you take.
How this creatine dosage calculator works
The calculator runs four steps of arithmetic on your body weight and tub size.
Loading dose a day = body weight in kg × 0.3In pounds: body weight in lb × 0.136Servings = 4, or more so that no serving is over 5 gDays a tub lasts = (tub grams − grams used loading) ÷ daily dose
- Convert to kilograms. Divide pounds by 2.205. A 165 lb adult weighs 74.8 kg.
- Multiply by 0.3. 74.8 × 0.3 is about 22.4 g, which the calculator rounds to the nearest half gram, 22.5 g a day for 5 to 7 days.
- Split it into servings. The position stand's load is four 5 g servings a day, and Antonio's review describes four to five 5 g servings. The calculator uses at least 4 servings and adds more so that none is over 5 g, which gives 5 servings of 4.5 g. If you would rather keep to 4 servings, the position stand's fixed load of 5 g four times a day is the simpler option.
- Drop to the daily dose. After 5 to 7 days, take 3 to 5 g a day. The loading week uses 113 to 158 g, so a 500 g tub lasts 75 to 134 days in all.
In metric there is nothing to convert. A 60 kg adult loads with 18 g a day in 4 servings of 4.5 g, and a 90 kg adult loads with 27 g a day in 6 servings of 4.5 g.
The daily dose barely changes with body weight. In their dosing table, Smith-Ryan and colleagues (2021) list it as 3 to 5 g a day, or 0.03 g per kg a day. For most adults, 0.03 g per kg comes to about 2 to 3 g, which is 2.2 g for a 165 lb adult. In the classic study by Hultman and colleagues (1996), 2 g a day held muscle creatine at its new level for 30 days after a load. The calculator shows your by-weight figure, but it recommends the position stand's 3 to 5 g a day.
How much creatine per day by body weight
The chart gives the loading dose for common body weights, rounded to the nearest half gram, with the servings that keep each one at 5 g or less. The daily dose after loading is 3 to 5 g at every weight in the chart, and the note under it gives the by-weight figure of 0.03 g per kg.
| Body weight | Loading dose a day | Servings while loading | Loading week, 5 to 7 days | Daily dose after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 lb | 15 g | 4 × 3.8 g | 75 to 105 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 1.5 g |
| 130 lb | 17.5 g | 4 × 4.4 g | 88 to 123 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 1.8 g |
| 150 lb | 20.5 g | 5 × 4.1 g | 103 to 144 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 2.0 g |
| 165 lb | 22.5 g | 5 × 4.5 g | 113 to 158 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 2.2 g |
| 185 lb | 25 g | 5 × 5 g | 125 to 175 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 2.5 g |
| 210 lb | 28.5 g | 6 × 4.8 g | 143 to 200 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 2.9 g |
| 240 lb | 32.5 g | 7 × 4.6 g | 163 to 228 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 3.3 g |
| 50 kg | 15 g | 4 × 3.8 g | 75 to 105 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 1.5 g |
| 60 kg | 18 g | 4 × 4.5 g | 90 to 126 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 1.8 g |
| 70 kg | 21 g | 5 × 4.2 g | 105 to 147 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 2.1 g |
| 75 kg | 22.5 g | 5 × 4.5 g | 113 to 158 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 2.3 g |
| 85 kg | 25.5 g | 6 × 4.3 g | 128 to 179 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 2.6 g |
| 95 kg | 28.5 g | 6 × 4.8 g | 143 to 200 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 2.9 g |
| 110 kg | 33 g | 7 × 4.7 g | 165 to 231 g | 3 to 5 gby weight 3.3 g |
The loading dose rises with weight because a bigger body holds more creatine. The daily dose barely moves because it only replaces what you use up. The position stand says about 1 to 2 percent of the creatine in your muscles breaks down each day, so the body needs about 1 to 3 g a day to keep normal stores, depending on muscle mass. A normal diet supplies 1 to 2 g a day, which leaves muscle stores about 60 to 80 percent full. A supplement fills the rest.
The position stand adds that larger athletes in intense training may need 5 to 10 g a day to keep their stores full. That is the second option in the calculator's size and training menu. It is meant for big, heavily trained athletes, not for everyone who weighs more.
Creatine loading vs no loading
Loading is optional. Hultman's study tracked muscle creatine in 31 men with muscle biopsies. Six days at 20 g a day raised total muscle creatine by about 20 percent. Taking 3 g a day for 28 days produced a similar 20 percent rise, more gradually. Loading gets you to the same level sooner.
Antonio's review puts the choice in practical terms. If you want the full effect within 30 days, for example before a competition or a fitness test, loading may be advised. If you plan to take creatine for longer than that, or want to avoid the weight gain that sometimes comes with loading, the daily dose without a load is a good option. The review recommends 3 to 5 g a day for at least 4 weeks to reach the same level as a load, and the position stand gives 3 to 4 weeks.
The calculator's loading option uses the position stand's 5 to 7 days, and its no-loading option shows full stores in 3 to 4 weeks. Our research review of creatine loading vs maintenance goes through the studies behind both routes in more detail.
When to take creatine
Take your daily dose at a time you will remember, every day, rest days included. Creatine works by keeping a store full rather than by acting on the workout in front of you, so the habit matters more than the hour. The position stand notes that taking creatine with carbohydrate, or with carbohydrate and protein, has been reported to promote greater creatine retention more consistently, so a meal is a good place for it. During a load, spread the servings across meals and snacks. Our guide to the best time to take creatine covers the trials that compared taking it before and after training, plus rest days and caffeine.
Creatine for women
Women use the same doses as men. The 2021 review by Smith-Ryan and colleagues concluded that women can follow the same dosing strategy that is recommended for men. It reports that a loading phase raised total muscle creatine by about 19 percent in women, similar to the response in men, and that 5 g a day without a load fills the store in about 3 to 4 weeks. The calculator has no separate setting for women because the dose follows body weight. A 130 lb woman who loads takes 17.5 g a day in 4 servings of 4.4 g, then 3 to 5 g a day. Our article on creatine for women covers each life stage, from the reproductive years to after menopause.
Does creatine cause weight gain or bloating?
Creatine can add a little weight, and most of it is water held in your muscles. Antonio's review says a loading phase of 20 g a day for 5 to 7 days typically adds 1 to 3 kg (2 to 7 lb) of body mass, mostly from water retention. In a one-week trial by Volek and colleagues (1997), men taking 25 g a day gained 1.4 kg (about 3 lb) on average, ranging from no change to 2.7 kg. The position stand describes the early fluid retention as about 0.5 to 1.0 L and lists weight gain as the only consistently reported side effect. If you want to avoid that quick jump on the scale, Antonio's review suggests skipping the load. Our research review on whether creatine makes you gain weight separates the water from fat and muscle.
Bloating and an upset stomach are a separate issue, and they depend on how much you take at once. Ostojic and Ahmetovic (2008) gave 59 top-level male soccer players 10 g of creatine a day for 28 days, as one 10 g serving or as two 5 g servings, or a placebo. Diarrhea hit 55.6 percent of the single-serving group, 28.6 percent of the split group and 35.0 percent of the placebo group, so the split dose was no worse than the placebo. Antonio's review advises servings of 10 g or less during a load, and the calculator keeps every serving at 5 g or less. Our article on whether creatine makes you bloated covers the gut side in more depth.
Is creatine safe?
For healthy adults at these doses, the research is reassuring. The position stand reports that taking up to 30 g a day for 5 years has been safe and well tolerated in healthy people, and it found no compelling evidence that creatine harms kidney function in healthy people or in clinical groups. Antonio's review reached the same conclusion: at recommended doses, creatine does not cause kidney damage in healthy people.
One blood test can look worse than it is. Creatine breaks down into creatinine, and doctors use the creatinine level in your blood to estimate how well your kidneys filter. Antonio and colleagues note that the temporary rise in creatinine that comes with taking creatine is unlikely to reflect a drop in kidney function. Tell your doctor you take creatine before a blood test so the number is read correctly. If you already have kidney disease, the position stand mentions that some experts advise checking with your doctor first, out of caution, and that is the safe course. Our article on whether creatine is safe for women covers the kidney question in more depth.
Creatine for teenagers
This calculator is for adults 18 and over. The position stand considers creatine acceptable for younger athletes who are in serious, supervised training, eat a well-balanced diet, know how to use creatine properly and do not go above the recommended doses. A 2021 review by Jagim and Kerksick found consistent reports of no adverse events in studies of adolescent athletes, though it calls that research limited in scope. If you are under 18, talk to a parent and a doctor first. Our article on whether creatine is safe for teens explains why it suggests 3 to 5 g a day with no loading phase if the answer is yes.
How accurate is this creatine dosage calculator?
The calculator does the arithmetic exactly, so the accuracy question is how well the doses fill your muscles. The answer depends on how full your stores are when you start.
How much muscle creatine goes up
The position stand says a normal diet leaves muscle stores about 60 to 80 percent full, so supplements raise muscle creatine and phosphocreatine by about 20 to 40 percent. The ceiling in most people is about 160 mmol per kg of dry muscle. Hultman's two routes each produced a rise of about 20 percent. Vegetarians start lower, at about 90 to 110 mmol per kg of dry muscle, which leaves more room to fill.
Why some people barely respond
The same dose does not fill everyone by the same amount. In a study by Greenhaff and colleagues (1994), eight people took 20 g a day for 5 days. In five of them, muscle creatine rose by about 25 percent, with a range of 15 to 32 percent. In the other three, it rose only 5 to 7 percent. Syrotuik and Bell (2004) tested this calculator's load, 0.3 g per kg a day for 5 days, in 11 men. Three responders gained about 29.5 mmol per kg of dry muscle, five gained about 14.9 and three non-responders gained only 5.1. The responders started with the lowest stores, the most type II muscle fibers and the most fat-free mass. So treat the 5 to 7 days and 3 to 4 weeks on this page as averages. People who start with lower stores have the most room to fill.
Why more is not better
Once your muscles are full, extra creatine does not add muscle. A 2025 dose-response meta-analysis by Ashtary-Larky and colleagues pooled 61 trials that combined creatine with resistance training. Creatine added 1.39 kg of fat-free mass on average compared with a placebo. Trials using 5 g a day or less found a gain of 1.35 kg, trials using more than 5 g found 1.37 kg, and the authors found no dose-response relationship for fat-free mass. That is why the calculator keeps the daily dose at 3 to 5 g for most people.
Worked examples: seven people through the calculator
Each row runs the calculator for a different person. Tub days include the loading week where there is one.
| Person | Loading dose | Daily dose | Full stores | Tub lasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our default: loads, 500 g tub165 lb74.8 kg | 22.5 g a day5 servings of 4.5 g, 5 to 7 days | 3 to 5 g | 5 to 7 days | 75 to 134 days |
| The same adult, no loading, 500 g tub165 lb74.8 kg | None | 3 to 5 g | 3 to 4 weeks | 100 to 166 days |
| A woman who loads, 300 g tub130 lb59 kg | 17.5 g a day4 servings of 4.4 g, 5 to 7 days | 3 to 5 g | 5 to 7 days | 42 to 75 days |
| A man who loads, 1,000 g tub198.4 lb90 kg | 27 g a day6 servings of 4.5 g, 5 to 7 days | 3 to 5 g | 5 to 7 days | 169 to 293 days |
| An adult who skips loading, 1,000 g tub200 lb90.7 kg | None | 3 to 5 g | 3 to 4 weeks | 200 to 333 days |
| A larger athlete in intense training who loads, 1,000 g tub240 lb108.9 kg | 32.5 g a day7 servings of 4.6 g, 5 to 7 days | 5 to 10 g | 5 to 7 days | 84 to 172 days |
| A lighter adult who skips loading, 250 g tub120 lb54.4 kg | None | 3 to 5 g | 3 to 4 weeks | 50 to 83 days |
The loading dose climbs with body weight, from 17.5 g a day at 130 lb to 32.5 g a day at 240 lb. The daily dose stays at 3 to 5 g for everyone except the larger athlete in intense training. Skipping the load also makes a tub last longer: the same 500 g lasts 100 to 166 days instead of 75 to 134.
Pair your creatine with workouts you will stick to.
FitCraft's 3D personal trainers coach you through dumbbell and bodyweight workouts built around your goal, show you the form for every move and keep you consistent with XP, streaks and leaderboards. Take the free 2-minute quiz to get your plan.
Take the Free Assessment Free • 2 minutes • Personalized to youWhen to ignore this calculator
The doses on this page are for healthy adults. In these cases, get advice from a doctor or a registered dietitian before you take creatine.
- Kidney disease or reduced kidney function. The safety research was done in healthy people. Ask your doctor before you start.
- Medicines that affect your kidneys. If you take a prescription medicine that affects kidney function, check with your doctor or pharmacist first.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Ask your obstetric care team before taking creatine or any new supplement.
- Under 18. The calculator is for adults. Talk to a parent and a doctor first, as the section on teenagers explains.
- An eating disorder, now or in the past. The water weight from a load shows up on the scale, and tracking grams can be unhelpful. Work with your treatment team.
- Liver disease or another long-term health condition. Check with your doctor, who knows your history and your other medicines.
If a serving upsets your stomach, make the servings smaller or skip the load. You will reach the same stores in 3 to 4 weeks on 3 to 5 g a day.
Related reading
References
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, Ziegenfuss TN, Wildman R, Collins R, Candow DG, Kleiner SM, Almada AL, Lopez HL. "International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine." J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z, PMC5469049
- Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, Gualano B, Jagim AR, Kreider RB, Rawson ES, Smith-Ryan AE, VanDusseldorp TA, Willoughby DS, Ziegenfuss TN. "Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show?" J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):13. doi:10.1186/s12970-021-00412-w, PMC7871530
- Smith-Ryan AE, Cabre HE, Eckerson JM, Candow DG. "Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective." Nutrients. 2021;13(3):877. doi:10.3390/nu13030877, PMC7998865. Table 1 gives the loading and maintenance doses in g/kg.
- Hultman E, Söderlund K, Timmons JA, Cederblad G, Greenhaff PL. "Muscle creatine loading in men." J Appl Physiol. 1996;81(1):232-237. doi:10.1152/jappl.1996.81.1.232, PubMed 8828669
- Volek JS, Kraemer WJ, Bush JA, Boetes M, Incledon T, Clark KL, Lynch JM. "Creatine supplementation enhances muscular performance during high-intensity resistance exercise." J Am Diet Assoc. 1997;97(7):765-770. doi:10.1016/S0002-8223(97)00189-2, PubMed 9216554
- Ostojic SM, Ahmetovic Z. "Gastrointestinal distress after creatine supplementation in athletes: are side effects dose dependent?" Res Sports Med. 2008;16(1):15-22. doi:10.1080/15438620701693280, PubMed 18373286
- Jagim AR, Kerksick CM. "Creatine Supplementation in Children and Adolescents." Nutrients. 2021;13(2):664. doi:10.3390/nu13020664, PMC7922146
- Greenhaff PL, Bodin K, Söderlund K, Hultman E. "Effect of oral creatine supplementation on skeletal muscle phosphocreatine resynthesis." Am J Physiol. 1994;266(5 Pt 1):E725-E730. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.1994.266.5.E725, PubMed 8203511
- Syrotuik DG, Bell GJ. "Acute creatine monohydrate supplementation: a descriptive physiological profile of responders vs. nonresponders." J Strength Cond Res. 2004;18(3):610-617. doi:10.1519/12392.1, PubMed 15320650
- Ashtary-Larky D, Mohammadi S, Hajizadeh L, Mousavi SAH, Forbes SC, Candow DG, Antonio J. "Creatine supplementation and resistance training: a comparison between novice and experienced lifters. A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis." J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2025;22(sup1):2586523. doi:10.1080/15502783.2025.2586523, PMC12777911
How this calculator differs from typical creatine calculators
Some creatine calculators multiply your weight by 0.03 for the daily dose, which tells a 165 lb adult to take about 2.2 g a day, below the 3 to 5 g that the ISSN position stand gives for keeping stores full. Many give a dose without saying how to split a loading day of more than 20 g so it is easier on your stomach, how long your muscles take to fill, or how much people differ in how much creatine their muscles take up.
This calculator uses the position stand's numbers: about 0.3 g per kg a day for 5 to 7 days if you choose to load, in servings of 5 g or less, then 3 to 5 g a day, or 5 to 10 g for larger athletes in intense training. It shows your by-weight figure next to the recommended range, gives the days to full stores for both routes and works out how long your tub lasts. The accuracy section reports the biopsy studies of responders and non-responders and a 2025 meta-analysis in which doses above 5 g a day added no more lean mass.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much creatine should I take a day?
Take 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate a day, every day, rest days included. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand gives 3 to 5 g a day to keep muscle stores full and says larger athletes in intense training may need 5 to 10 g. If you want full stores in about a week, you can first load with about 0.3 g per kg of body weight a day for 5 to 7 days. For a 165 lb (75 kg) adult, that is 22.5 g a day.
How do you calculate a creatine loading dose?
Multiply your body weight in kilograms by 0.3. That gives the grams to take each day for 5 to 7 days. A 165 lb adult weighs 74.8 kg, so the load is about 22.4 g, or 22.5 g rounded to the nearest half gram. Split it into servings of 5 g or less, such as 5 servings of 4.5 g, because single 10 g servings caused more diarrhea in a 2008 trial. After the load, drop to 3 to 5 g a day.
Do you need to load creatine?
No. Loading only fills your muscles faster. In Hultman's 1996 study of 31 men, 20 g a day for 6 days raised muscle creatine by about 20 percent, and 3 g a day for 28 days produced a similar 20 percent rise. The ISSN position stand says 3 to 5 g a day fills stores over 3 to 4 weeks. Load if you want the effect within about a week. Skip it if you would rather avoid the quick gain of 1 to 3 kg on the scale that a load usually brings.
How much creatine per day for a 90 kg man?
A 90 kg (198 lb) man who loads takes 27 g a day for 5 to 7 days, which is 0.3 g per kg, split into 6 servings of 4.5 g. After that, or from the start if he skips loading, he takes 3 to 5 g a day. The ISSN position stand allows 5 to 10 g a day for larger athletes in intense training. More does not build more muscle, though: a 2025 meta-analysis of 61 trials found the same gain in lean mass on more than 5 g a day as on 5 g or less.
Should women take a different creatine dose?
No. A 2021 review in Nutrients by Smith-Ryan and colleagues concluded that women can follow the same dosing strategy recommended for men, and it reports that a loading phase raised muscle creatine by about 19 percent in women, similar to men. So a woman uses the same numbers: about 0.3 g per kg a day if she loads, then 3 to 5 g a day. A 130 lb woman who loads takes 17.5 g a day for 5 to 7 days.
Does creatine make you gain weight or feel bloated?
It can add water weight, mostly during a load. A 2021 review by Antonio and colleagues says a loading phase of 20 g a day for 5 to 7 days typically adds 1 to 3 kg of body mass, mostly water. Stomach trouble depends on the size of each serving. In a 28-day trial in 59 soccer players, diarrhea hit 55.6 percent of those taking 10 g at once, against 28.6 percent of those taking two 5 g servings. This calculator keeps every serving at 5 g or less.
Is creatine safe for your kidneys?
For healthy adults at the usual doses, the research says yes. The ISSN position stand found no compelling evidence that creatine harms kidney function and reports that doses of up to 30 g a day for 5 years were safe and well tolerated in healthy people. Creatine can raise creatinine, the blood marker doctors use to estimate kidney function, without any change in the kidneys, so tell your doctor you take it before a blood test. If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor before you start.
How long does a tub of creatine last?
Divide the grams in the tub by your daily dose. A 500 g tub lasts 100 days at 5 g a day and 166 days at 3 g a day. A loading week uses more: at 22.5 g a day, 5 to 7 days of loading take 113 to 158 g, so the same tub lasts about 75 to 134 days in all. At 3 to 5 g a day you use 90 to 150 g a month.