# How much creatine should I take?

Works out a creatine monohydrate loading dose from body weight (0.3 g per kg a day in four doses for 5 to 7 days) and the maintenance and no-loading doses from the ISSN position stand.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/health/creatine-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/health/creatine-calculator.json
- Version: a57b48352d9b

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Weight in lb, Body weight (lb) 170): Load with about 23.1 g a day (5.8 g four times a day) for 5 to 7 days, then take 3 to 5 g a day.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| u | Weight in | Kilograms or pounds. |
| wt | Body weight (lb) | Your body weight in pounds. |
| wtkg | Body weight (kg) | Your body weight in kilograms. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| loadDay | Loading dose per day (g) | 0.3 g per kg of body weight a day, for 5 to 7 days. |
| loadDose | Each of 4 daily doses (g) | The daily loading dose split into four equal doses. |
| loadMin | Loading total over 5 days (g) | The daily loading dose × 5. |
| loadMax | Loading total over 7 days (g) | The daily loading dose × 7. |
| kg | Body weight (kg) | Body weight in kilograms (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg). |
| maintenance | Maintenance dose | The daily dose after loading, from the ISSN position stand. |
| noLoad | Without loading | The ISSN alternative to loading: 3 g a day for 28 days (84 g in all). |

## Method

Loading per day = 0.3 g × body weight in kg, in four equal doses, for 5 to 7 days; then 3 to 5 g a day.

## Assumptions

- Doses are for creatine monohydrate in healthy adults, as in the ISSN position stand.
- Loading is optional: 3 g a day for 28 days fills muscle creatine stores without it.
- 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg exactly.

## Worked examples

1. u = kg, wtkg = 70 gives loadDay = 21, loadDose = 5.3, loadMin = 105, loadMax = 147, kg = 70. Source: Kreider RB et al., 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 (loading about 0.3 g/kg a day, 5 g four times daily, for 5–7 days; maintenance 3–5 g/day; or 3 g/day for 28 days), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5469049/.
2. u = lb, wt = 170 gives loadDay = 23.1, loadDose = 5.8, kg = 77.1. Source: Kreider RB et al., 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 (loading about 0.3 g/kg a day, 5 g four times daily, for 5–7 days; maintenance 3–5 g/day; or 3 g/day for 28 days), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5469049/.
3. u = kg, wtkg = 55.5 gives loadDay = 16.7, loadDose = 4.2, maintenance = 3 to 5 g a day. Source: Kreider RB et al., 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 (loading about 0.3 g/kg a day, 5 g four times daily, for 5–7 days; maintenance 3–5 g/day; or 3 g/day for 28 days), https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5469049/.

## FAQ

### How much creatine should I take a day?

The ISSN position stand gives two ways. Load with about 0.3 g per kg of body weight a day (about 5 g four times a day) for 5 to 7 days, then take 3 to 5 g a day. Or skip loading and take 3 g a day; muscle stores fill in about 28 days.

### Do I need a loading phase?

No. Loading fills the muscles in about a week. Taking 3 g a day without loading gets to the same place in about four weeks. Choose loading only if you want the effect sooner.

### How do I split the loading dose?

Into four equal doses through the day. A 70 kg adult loads with 0.3 × 70 = 21 g a day, about 5.25 g four times a day.

### Is creatine safe?

The ISSN position stand concludes that creatine monohydrate is safe for healthy people at these doses, short and long term. People with kidney disease, who are pregnant, or who take medicines should ask a doctor first.

### Which kind of creatine do these doses use?

Creatine monohydrate, the form studied in most research and the one the ISSN dose advice is based on. Other forms contain a different share of creatine per gram.

## Sources

- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J and others. 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 (loading with 5 g, about 0.3 g/kg, four times daily for 5–7 days; maintenance 3–5 g/day; alternative 3 g/day for 28 days). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5469049/ (retrieved 2026-10-19)
- NIST Special Publication 811 (2008), Appendix B.8: 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg exactly. https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811 (retrieved 2026-10-19)