Creatine Calculator
Creatine loading and maintenance doses by bodyweight, per the ISSN position stand.
Quick answer
- Loading is optional speed, not a requirement: 0.3 g/kg/day for 5–7 days saturates muscle creatine fastest, but a steady maintenance dose reaches the same saturation in about 3–4 weeks.
- The ISSN's practical maintenance guidance is 3–5 g/day for most adults — the 0.03 g/kg figure this calculator shows scales that idea to bodyweight and explains the larger doses heavier athletes use.
- Timing and form matter far less than consistency: plain creatine monohydrate, taken daily, with water; missed days simply slow saturation slightly.
- Worked example — Loading dose per day (5–7 days): 24.0 g (full example below).
Creatine Calculator
| Loading dose per day (5–7 days) | 24.0 g |
| Each loading dose (4 per day) | 6.0 g |
| Maintenance dose per day (0.03 g/kg) | 2.4 g |
At 80 kg, loading is 24.0 g per day — four doses of 6.0 g — for 5–7 days, then about 2.4 g per day by the weight-based 0.03 g/kg method (the ISSN's practical guidance for most adults is 3–5 g/day).
Creatine monohydrate dosing scales with body weight because the goal is to fill a muscle pool sized to your body. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand describes two evidence-based routes: a loading protocol of about 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for 5–7 days, split into four doses, or a lower daily dose that saturates stores more slowly over about three to four weeks.
For maintenance, the ISSN describes 3–5 g per day as sufficient for most people, and the weight-scaled equivalent used throughout the literature is about 0.03 g/kg/day — heavier athletes sit at the top of that range. This calculator gives the loading total, the per-dose split, and the weight-based maintenance figure. It is supplement information, not medical advice: if you have kidney disease, are pregnant, or take medication, talk to a clinician before supplementing.
The formula
Worked example
At 80 kg, loading is 24.0 g per day — four doses of 6.0 g — for 5–7 days, then about 2.4 g per day by the weight-based 0.03 g/kg method (the ISSN's practical guidance for most adults is 3–5 g/day).
The example is pre-loaded in the result panel — press Calculate with your own numbers to replace it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to load creatine?
No. Loading saturates your muscles in about a week; skipping it and taking the maintenance dose daily reaches the same point in roughly three to four weeks. Loading is for people who want the effect fastest, and splitting it into four smaller doses reduces the stomach upset some people get from one large dose.
Is the 0.03 g/kg maintenance dose or 3–5 g right for me?
They are two descriptions of the same idea. The ISSN position stand states 3–5 g/day maintains stores for most people; the 0.03 g/kg/day figure scales that to bodyweight (1.8 g at 60 kg, 3 g at 100 kg), which is why very heavy athletes are sometimes advised toward 5–10 g/day.
Is creatine safe?
The ISSN position stand, reviewing decades of research, concludes creatine monohydrate is safe and effective for healthy adults at recommended doses, with no evidence of kidney or liver harm in that population. It is not a steroid. People with pre-existing kidney disease or other conditions should get medical advice first, and this calculator is not medical advice.
Category: Health & Fitness calculators
Sources & methodology
Loading dose = 0.3 g per kg bodyweight per day (ISSN position stand, Kreider et al. 2017), divided into four equal doses as the stand recommends. Maintenance = 0.03 g/kg/day, the bodyweight-scaled method used across the creatine literature alongside the stand's 3–5 g/day practical range. Figures describe creatine monohydrate; other forms have thinner evidence and different effective content.
Content last reviewed by CalcHub Editorial.
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