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Caffeine lookup: what is in your drink?
Pick any drink from the 25 on the chart — coffee, tea, energy drinks, soda, chocolate — and see its caffeine in mg and what share of the FDA’s 400 mg/day guideline one serving is.
REFERENCE TABLE · HEALTH · NUTRITION
Caffeine Content Chart
An 8 oz brewed coffee carries 95 mg of caffeine (USDA); a 12 oz Celsius carries 200 mg; a 16 oz Bang carries 300 mg. Two Celsiuses land exactly on the FDA’s 400 mg/day guideline; two Bangs blow past it at 600 mg. Look up any of 25 drinks below, tally your servings against the 400 mg line, or print the full chart.
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Servings vs the 400 mg/day limit
Choose a drink and a daily serving count: get the total milligrams, how it compares to the FDA’s 400 mg/day guideline for healthy adults, and whether you are under, at, or over it.
The 60-second rule
mg per drink comes from USDA FoodData Central, FDA figures, and manufacturer labels (see the table). Daily total = servings × mg. Compare it to the FDA’s 400 mg/day guideline for healthy adults — about four 8 oz brewed coffees — and the ACOG 200 mg/day ceiling during pregnancy. One Celsius (200 mg) is half the daily guideline; one Bang (300 mg) is three-quarters of it.
The worked example, line by line
Setup: look up brewed coffee, then tally two Celsiuses and two Bangs against the 400 mg line.
Drink → mg. Brewed coffee (8 oz) → 95 mg (USDA) — 23.8% of the FDA’s 400 mg/day guideline. About 4.2 cups like this reach the full guideline.
Servings → limit, Celsius. 2 × 200 mg = 400 mg — exactly at the FDA’s 400 mg/day guideline. A third can (600 mg) goes 200 mg over.
Servings → limit, Bang. 2 × 300 mg = 600 mg — 200 mg over the guideline, in just two cans. This is the branch that surprises people: the can is bigger and stronger per ounce.
The printable reference table
Twenty-five common drinks with caffeine per serving and each serving’s share of the FDA’s 400 mg/day guideline. Figures marked ~ vary with brew, bean, and brand. Use your browser’s print function for a hard copy — the table is print-styled.
| Drink | Caffeine per serving | % of 400 mg/day |
|---|---|---|
| brewed coffee (8 oz) | 95 mg | 23.8% |
| brewed coffee (12 oz) | 140 mg | 35% |
| espresso (1 oz) | 63 mg | 15.8% |
| espresso, double (2 oz) | 126 mg | 31.5% |
| latte / cappuccino (12 oz) | 126 mg | 31.5% |
| cold brew (12 oz) | ~200 mg | 50% |
| instant coffee (8 oz) | 62 mg | 15.5% |
| decaf coffee (8 oz) | 2-7 mg | 1.1% |
| black tea (8 oz) | 47 mg | 11.8% |
| green tea (8 oz) | 28 mg | 7% |
| matcha (2 g powder) | ~70 mg | 17.5% |
| white tea (8 oz) | ~15 mg | 3.8% |
| yerba mate (8 oz) | ~85 mg | 21.2% |
| Red Bull (8.4 oz) | 80 mg | 20% |
| Monster (16 oz) | 160 mg | 40% |
| Celsius (12 oz) | 200 mg | 50% |
| Bang (16 oz) | 300 mg | 75% |
| 5-Hour Energy (2 oz) | 200 mg | 50% |
| Coca-Cola (12 oz) | 34 mg | 8.5% |
| Diet Coke (12 oz) | 46 mg | 11.5% |
| Mountain Dew (12 oz) | 54 mg | 13.5% |
| hot chocolate (8 oz) | 5-10 mg | 1.9% |
| dark chocolate (1 oz) | 12-23 mg | 4.4% |
| milk chocolate (1 oz) | 2-7 mg | 1.1% |
| chocolate milk (8 oz) | ~5 mg | 1.2% |
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Caffeine per drink | USDA / FDA / label value | 95 mg for brewed coffee (8 oz) — the per-serving dose from the reference table. |
| Share of daily guideline | mg ÷ 400 × 100 | 23.8% for one coffee — how much of the FDA’s 400 mg/day line a single serving eats. |
| Cups to reach the guideline | 400 ÷ mg | ~4.2 coffees (8 oz) — or exactly 2 Celsiuses, or 1.3 Bangs. |
| Daily total | servings × mg | 400 mg for 2 Celsiuses (exactly at the line); 600 mg for 2 Bangs (200 mg over). |
| Over / under the line | daily total − 400 | 0 for 2 Celsiuses (at the line); +200 mg for 2 Bangs (over). |
Who uses this
- The pre-workout Celsius drinker: types in 2 cans, sees 400 mg — exactly at the line, and learns the third can is the one that crosses it — plus the pre-workout scoop they forgot to count.
- The pregnant coffee lover: looks up brewed coffee (95 mg) and green tea (28 mg), and works out that two 8 oz coffees = 190 mg fits under the ACOG 200 mg/day ceiling — barely.
- The night-shift worker: reads the 4–6 hour half-life note and works backward from bedtime: 200 mg at 2 a.m. is still ~100 mg at 7 a.m. — sleep math, not just dose math.
- The parent of a teen: looks up Monster (160 mg) and learns one can is already 40% of the adult guideline — and pediatricians say teens should keep far below it.
Accuracy & limitations
Every value is a typical average, not a guarantee: coffee varies with bean, dose, grind, and brew time (the FDA’s own range for a 12 oz cup spans 113–247 mg); tea varies with steep time; energy-drink formulas change. Values marked ~ move the most. The FDA’s 400 mg/day is guidance for healthy adults — not a prescription, not a target, and not valid for everyone: pregnancy (200 mg ACOG), some heart conditions, anxiety, and many medications lower the safe ceiling — talk to your clinician. Guarana and “energy blends” add caffeine beyond what the headline mg suggests; proprietary blends can hide the true total. Tolerance shifts the felt effect but not the milligrams — needing more to feel it does not mean the dose got smaller.
Cite this calculatorBright Side Kit. “Caffeine Content Chart 2026: mg per Drink | Bright Side Kit.” brightoolbox.com, 2026.
Bright Side Kit. "Caffeine Content Chart 2026: mg per Drink | Bright Side Kit." https://brightoolbox.com/caffeine-content-chart/ Accessed October 23, 2026.Data sources- U.S. FDA — 400 mg/day caffeine guidance for healthy adults; published caffeine ranges by drink.
- USDA FoodData Central — brewed coffee ~95 mg/8 oz, espresso ~63 mg/oz, black tea ~47 mg/8 oz, green tea ~28 mg/8 oz, instant coffee ~62 mg/8 oz.
- ACOG — under 200 mg/day caffeine guidance during pregnancy.
- Manufacturer nutrition labels — Red Bull 80 mg/8.4 oz, Monster 160 mg/16 oz, Celsius 200 mg/12 oz, Bang 300 mg/16 oz, 5-Hour Energy 200 mg/2 oz, Coca-Cola 34 mg/12 oz, Diet Coke 46 mg/12 oz, Mountain Dew 54 mg/12 oz.
Frequently asked questions
How much caffeine per day is safe?
For healthy adults, the FDA cites up to 400 mg/day as not generally associated with negative effects — roughly four 8 oz brewed coffees (95 mg each), two Celsiuses (200 mg each), or one and a third Bangs (300 mg each). It is a ceiling, not a goal — and it does not apply to everyone.
How long does caffeine stay in your system?
The average half-life is 4 to 6 hours: drink 200 mg at noon and about 100 mg is still circulating at 5 p.m. That is the sleep-math behind the “no coffee after 2 p.m.” rule — a 2 p.m. 200 mg coffee is still ~50 mg at midnight. Genetics, smoking, and pregnancy all stretch it (in late pregnancy it can reach 11–18 hours).
How much caffeine is safe during pregnancy?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises less than 200 mg/day — about two 8 oz cups of brewed coffee (190 mg). Note the trap: one Celsius (200 mg) alone uses the entire daily allowance, and caffeine crosses the placenta while the fetus cannot metabolize it. Count all sources: coffee, tea, soda, chocolate, and energy drinks.
Can teenagers drink energy drinks?
Pediatric guidance says teens should limit or avoid them: one 16 oz Monster (160 mg) is already 40% of the adult guideline, and a Bang (300 mg) is 75% of it, in bodies the 400 mg figure was never calibrated for. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages routine energy-drink use for children and adolescents.
Is decaf coffee really caffeine-free?
No — decaf is low-caffeine, not zero. Expect 2–7 mg per 8 oz cup (the FDA’s published range runs 2–15 mg). One cup will not register; five cups quietly add up to a quarter-cup of regular coffee’s worth.
Does caffeine tolerance mean I can have more?
Regular drinkers feel less from the same dose, but the milligrams do not change — 400 mg is still 400 mg to your heart and your sleep. Tolerance mainly masks the warning signs (jitters, racing heart) while withdrawal (headaches, fatigue) punishes skipping a day. If you need more to feel normal, that is dependence, not a higher ceiling.