Learn / Products
A guide to cannabis concentrates.
Concentrates pack the cannabinoids and terpenes of a lot of plant material into a small amount of product. The vocabulary can be bewildering, but nearly every name describes one of two things: how it was extracted, or its final texture.
What a concentrate is
California defines a cannabis concentrate as cannabis that has gone through a process to concentrate one or more active cannabinoids, increasing its potency. That covers the products people dab and vape oils, and it also includes things you might not expect, such as tinctures.
How they’re made
- Volatile solvent extraction (butane, propane, hexane, heptane) is used for products such as shatter, wax, badder and live resin. It requires California’s Type 7 manufacturing license.
- Non-volatile solvent extraction uses ethanol or CO₂ and falls under California’s Type 6 license.
- Mechanical methods separate resin without solvents. Examples include sifting kief, ice-water hash and rosin presses (also Type 6).
A field guide to textures
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| Shatter | Brittle, glass-like solvent extract |
| Wax and budder | Solvent extract with a soft, creamy, non-glassy texture |
| Badder | Extract whipped to a cake-batter consistency |
| Sauce | Terpene-rich liquid, often with crystals |
| Diamonds | Crystallized THCA, often sold in sauce |
| Live resin | Solvent extract of fresh-frozen plants |
| Rosin and live rosin | Solventless extract pressed with heat and pressure |
| Hash | Resin glands collected and pressed, made with or without ice water |
| Distillate | Highly refined cannabinoid oil, common in vapes and edibles |
Most of these names are industry terms rather than legal categories, so brands sometimes use them a little differently.
How strong they are
A Washington State university review found retail concentrates commonly test between 60% and 90% THC, compared with roughly 20% for typical flower. In California, adult-use concentrates can contain up to 1,000 mg of THC per package (up to 2,000 mg for medicinal-only products). The concentrate in everything you buy counts toward the 8-gram daily concentrate limit.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that the risks of dependence, addiction and other harms increase with frequent use and exposure to high concentrations of THC. That’s worth keeping in mind with concentrates.
How people use them
- Dabbing: vaporizing a small amount on a heated surface (a dab rig or electronic dab pen) and inhaling it.
- Vape cartridges and all-in-ones filled with concentrate oil.
- Adding a little to flower in a bowl or joint.
- By mouth, for tinctures and capsules, which act like edibles: slower to start and longer-lasting.
If you’re new to concentrates, start with an amount much smaller than you think you need, and wait before having more.
Safety
Buy concentrates only from licensed stores. Every batch is tested for residual solvents and processing chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals and microbial contaminants. Never attempt extraction at home with butane or other volatile solvents: it’s illegal without a license and can cause fires and explosions.
Sources
- California Code of Regulations, Title 4, § 15000. Definitions: cannabis concentrate, kief, volatile solvent
- California Department of Cannabis Control. Manufacturing license types
- Al-Zouabi I et al. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation (2018). Butane hash oil and dabbing: insights into use, amateur production techniques, and potential harm mitigation
- University of Washington and Washington State University workgroup (2020). Cannabis concentration and health risks
- California Code of Regulations, Title 4, § 17304. THC concentration limits
- California Code of Regulations, Title 4, § 15409. Daily purchase limits
- California Code of Regulations, Title 4, § 15714. Required laboratory tests
- California Health and Safety Code § 11362.3. Limits on personal cannabis activity, including volatile solvent extraction
- Volkow ND, National Institute on Drug Abuse (2020). Testimony: Cannabis policies for the new decade
This guide is general education, not medical or legal advice. Talk to a doctor about your health, and check current California law.