Get Your Creatine Amount in Seconds
Pick loading or daily maintenance and see the amount from your body weight.
This tool was built by Serge (MSc) using established science and government sources. My academic background covers plant biology, environmental biology, and biogeochemistry. My tools are for educational purposes and give practical guidance, not professional advice.
Creatine monohydrate has two common routes: a short loading phase that fills muscle stores quickly, or a steady daily amount that reaches the same point over a few weeks. This calculator shows both, using the position stand of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Enter your body weight and pick a phase.
Two routes, one destination
Loading = 0.3 g per kg per day, split into 4 doses, for 5 to 7 days
Maintenance = 3 to 5 g per day
For an 80 kg person, loading is about 24 g a day, taken as four doses of roughly 6 g, for 5 to 7 days. After that, or from the start if you skip loading, 3 to 5 g a day keeps the stores topped up.
Do you need to load?
Loading fills muscle stores faster, and that is the only difference. Taking 3 to 5 g a day reaches the same level over about 3 to 4 weeks.
Many people skip loading to avoid the larger amounts, which can upset the stomach. That is also why a loading day is split into four doses. Some larger or very active people use more than 5 g for maintenance, but 3 to 5 g is the standard.
Form, timing, and who should check first
Creatine monohydrate is the most studied form. The position stand reports no harm from long-term use in healthy adults, with studies lasting up to five years.
People with kidney problems should speak with a doctor before taking creatine. Creatine can also raise the creatinine reading on a blood test, which does not by itself mean kidney damage, so tell your doctor if you take it.
Measure it properly
A scoop is not a fixed weight, so check what yours holds with the Scoop to Grams Converter. If a study gave its dose per kilogram, the Dose per Body Weight Converter turns it into grams.
To see what each gram costs, use the Cost Per Dose Calculator, and for the wider picture of what people discuss for exercise, the Supplement Stack Builder.
Where this comes from
The loading and maintenance amounts, and the safety findings, come from the International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand on creatine, hosted by the National Library of Medicine.
This calculator is for general education only and is not medical or professional advice. Speak with a qualified professional before starting a supplement, especially if you have a health condition.