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Creatine dosage and loading calculator
A daily creatine dose, and an optional faster loading phase, for your bodyweight.
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Short answer: 3–5 g of creatine monohydrate a day is enough; an optional loading phase of about 0.3 g per kg a day for 5–7 days raises muscle levels sooner.
- Daily dose
- 3–5 g
- Optional loading dose
- 24 g a day
- Loading length
- 5–7 days
Creatine monohydrate. 3–5 g a day works on its own, with muscle levels rising fully over about 3–4 weeks. Loading (about 0.3 g per kg a day, split into smaller doses) gets there sooner but is optional. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
How much creatine should you take per day?
For most adults, 3–5 g of creatine monohydrate a day is enough to raise and then hold muscle creatine stores. Taking it every day matters more than the exact gram figure or the time you take it.
Creatine loading phase vs daily maintenance
Loading means about 0.3 g per kg of bodyweight a day for 5–7 days, split into smaller doses, before dropping to maintenance. It fills muscle stores within about a week.
Skipping the loading phase and taking 3–5 g a day reaches the same level, just more slowly, over roughly three to four weeks. Loading is optional.
Bodyweight dosing vs a flat 5 g dose
The calculator uses your bodyweight only for the loading dose, because that is how the published loading protocol is written. Maintenance stays at a flat 3–5 g a day for most adults, whatever your size.
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How the calculation works
The calculator shows the Hub's existing creatine monohydrate maintenance range. Optional loading is bodyweight in kg × 0.3, rounded to a whole gram per day. Loading is an alternative way to reach muscle saturation sooner, not a required extra step (Kreider et al., 2017).
Worked example
For an illustrative bodyweight of 80 kg, the maintenance range is 3–5 g a day. Optional loading is 24 g a day for 5–7 days, split into smaller doses.
What the result cannot tell you
These figures concern creatine monohydrate and general educational guidance for adults. The tool does not check medical suitability or interactions. If you have a health condition or questions about medicines, ask a qualified health professional rather than treating this result as individual medical advice.
Frequently asked questions about creatine dosing
Is loading necessary?
No. The existing maintenance range works on its own; loading raises muscle levels sooner.
Does the loading amount replace maintenance forever?
No. Loading is a short optional phase. The calculator shows the ongoing maintenance range separately.
Which form of creatine does this cover?
Creatine monohydrate. These figures should not be assumed to apply to every product marketed as creatine.
How much water should I drink with creatine?
There is no special creatine water formula. Drink normally to thirst and keep your urine pale; creatine draws a little extra water into muscle, which is expected.
Does creatine timing matter?
Taking it every day matters far more than the time of day. Before or after training, with a meal or without, are all reasonable choices.
Do I need to cycle off creatine?
The International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand found no need to cycle creatine monohydrate in healthy adults. Daily maintenance can continue.
How many scoops of creatine a day?
Check the label: scoop sizes differ between products. Use the scoop amount that gives the grams shown by the calculator.
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Educational information for adults aged 18 and over. It does not diagnose, treat or manage any medical condition. If you have a health condition, or symptoms that worry you, speak to your doctor or a health professional.