How Many Hits on a Dab Pen Equal a Joint?

This question is so common amongst people that first make the switch from flower to wax. Since wax is way more potent and powerful than flower, just a few dabs should give you a similar feeling to smoking a joint. BUT, there's a big difference between these two consumption methods.

One is the act of vaporizing while the other is “burning”. Different consumption routes will change the overall feeling of your high. With the obvious differences in potency and approach when medicating, we'll just have to face the fact that there isn't a perfect conversion.

That said, we can still put together a rough estimate by considering puff size and THC potency.

Understanding The Difference Between Dab Pens and Joints

What is a Dab Pen?

A dab pen looks very similar to a writing pen, designed for ultimate portability, perfect for vaporizing concentrates while you're on the move. This could include all-in-ones or disposables, pod devices, and cart and battery bundles.

A dab pen's section that contains oil normally includes a mouthpiece, a reservoir (where the oil is), and a heating element called a coil. A coil contains a tiny embedded heating wire that heats up your oil which turns it into vapor. The vapor is then inhaled for the "effect" you're looking for.

The most common type of dab pen has a wax tank, coil/atomizer, and battery. These types of devices are used strictly with wax concentrates, so the thc percentage is anywhere around 60-90%.

What is a Joint?

A joint looks similar to a cigarette, sometimes with a paper filter, sometimes without. The dry herb is grinded up and rolled into a thin paper which makes it easy to carry around, light and smoke.

This method of lighting and inhalation is called combustion, the paper is dried and the grinded herbs are dried so that they ignite and sustain high temperature to burn down until it's done! Flower tends to have a lower THC percentage when compared to wax, so you can expect a joint to have around 10-25% thc.

THC Content Comparison Chart

DAB PEN VS JOINT: Estimating How Many Dab Pen Hits Equal a Joint

How to Calculate THC Consumption with Flower

This part requires just a tiny bit of work if you are rolling your own joints, but if you purchased a preroll you might have a label somewhere on the product that has this breakdown for you!

A typical joint contains around a half gram of flower and the average thc percentage for flower is 20%. The first thing we're going to do is convert the weight of your flower into milligrams, I just want to make this clear, this is NOT milligrams of total thc, it's JUST the weight of the flower.

A half gram of flower is 0.5 grams which is then converted into 500 milligrams in weight. Since the percentage of thc in this example is 20%, that means 20% of the 500 milligrams is thc. This brings us to a total of 100mg of total THC in one joint.

• 0.5 grams x 1000 = 500 milligrams
• 500 milligrams x 0.20 (percentage) = 100 milligrams of THC

Although you are consuming 100mg of thc when smoking a joint, this doesn't mean that your body completely absorbs all of it. You are most likely absorbing around 20-30mg of thc total.

DAB PEN POTENCY: How to Calculate THC Consumption with Dab Pens

Alright for dab pens, for example carts or disposable dab pens the math is pretty much the same. You will want to start with how much oil/wax is in your cart/chamber. The box of your packaging should tell you if you are dealing with a 0.5 gram cart or a 1 gram cart, the most common is 1 gram.

Concentrates are more potent than flower as previously mentioned, the average thc percentage on a disposable dab pen or cart is around 80%.

Same calculation we previously did with calculating thc percentage with a joint. The 1 gram cart is converted into milligrams based on total weight, NOT thc milligrams, which totals to 1000mg of oil. Now 80 percent of that is THC, which leaves you with 800mg of total THC.

• 1.0 gram x 1000 = 1000 milligrams
• 1000 milligrams x 0.80 (percentage) = 800 milligrams of THC

Now, not everyone is able to consume an entire cart in one sitting so the 800 milligrams of thc needs to be broken down per puff. This roughly breaks down to 2-5mg of THC per puff, smaller puffs average around 2.5mg while larger puffs should put you around 5.5 puffs.

This is calculated by puff count, smaller puffs should get you around 300 puffs per cart while larger puffs will get you 150 puffs per cart.

• 800 milligrams divided by 300 puffs = 2.6 milligrams of THC
• 800 milligrams divided by 150 puffs = 5.3 milligrams of THC

Your body won't absorb this entire amount of THC; its bioavailability is around 30-50% depending on the person. From a smaller puff your body absorbs 0.5-1 milligram of thc, and larger puffs your body absorbs 1.5-2.5 milligrams per puff.

The FINAL answer to this question is really dependent upon short or long pulls, but you can expect 5 pulls from a dab pen should feel like a light “joint sesh”. While roughly 10 pulls from a dab pen should give you the equivalent of thc you would consume from smoking an entire joint.

VAPE PEN VS FLOWER: Why the Experience Still Feels Different

Combustion vs Vaporization

As previously mentioned, vaporizing will have a different end result than smoking. This is because of bioavailability, experts have estimated that vaping can be 50-80% more bioavailable than smoking which means much more THC is absorbed.

This goes for vaporizing flower or concentrates when compared to smoking flower. The open flame and active burning of material destroys cannabinoids including THC with intense heat!

Puff Size

This is specific to dab pens, your experience might be different when using a dab pen depending on how large or small your pulls are. A small pull is around 1-2 seconds while a larger puff can be 5-8 seconds or until the dab pen starts to blink!

High Temperatures

Higher temperatures produce larger clouds and more intense sessions, however higher temperatures also destroy cannabinoids and terpenes. Although some might believe that smoking flower would result in lower temps than dabbing, this isn't necessarily the case. A joint burns at approximately 500-900 degrees, and sometimes can exceed temperatures of 1500 degrees.

Using a device like a dab pen, provides a more controlled experience when it comes to temperature. This will allow you to take in more cannabinoids and terpenes at lower temps instead of a straight shot to high heat!

HOW MANY HITS IN A VAPE CART: How Long Does a Dab Pen Cart Last Compared to a Joint

A 1 gram cartridge can last you around 150-300 puffs as mentioned before, depending on how long your inhales are. Since roughly 10 pulls from a pen equals smoking one joint, you can presume that a full 1 gram cart is the equivalent to 15-30 joints!

For this reason, going the dab pen route might be more cost effective, discreet, and overall more enjoyable with lower temperatures.

HOW STRONG IS A DAB PEN?: Is a Dab Pen Stronger than a Joint?

Since the thc percentage is A LOT higher with concentrate rather than flower, a dab pen is significantly stronger than a joint. As previously stated the method of inhaling smoke and vapor are also very different.

Some people just prefer smoking flower for its slower onset instead of a dab pen's more intense effect!

Tips for Using a Dab Pen Without Overdoing It

If you are someone that does not use THC frequently, it's best to start with smaller pulls from your dab pen, and wait a few minutes in between pulls. This will give you a chance to gauge how you feel before consuming more and then taking it too far.

Pay attention to the labels on your product so that you can calculate the amount of thc you are actually consuming. Start off on the lower end and gradually increase your thc percentage over time!