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Caffeine Remaining

Caffeine’s half-life averages five hours. An americano at 3 pm (about 150 mg) still leaves close to half in your system at 11 pm.

Your numbers

Remaining

49.5mg

Percentage

33%

What it means

49.5 mg remains after 8 hours.

Formula

Remaining = Caffeine (mg) × 0.5 ^ (Hours later ÷ Time to clear)

Half-life ranges from 2 to 10 hours between people; pregnancy, oral contraceptives and liver disease all lengthen it.

What to enter

InputDefaultAccepted range
Caffeine (mg)Caffeine taken in; a single Americano runs about 120 mg.15010 ~ 1,000
Hours laterHow long it has been since you drank it.80 ~ 48
Time to clear (h)Hours until the alcohol clears; it varies a lot by person.51 ~ 12

Step by step

FormulaRemaining = Caffeine (mg) × 0.5 ^ (Hours later ÷ Time to clear)
With the default numbersRemaining = 150 × 0.5 ^ (8 ÷ 5)
AnswerRemaining = 49.5 mg

Quick reference table

Results when only Caffeine (mg) changes and everything else stays put.

Caffeine (mg)Remaining (mg)Percentage (%)
7524.733
11337.333
15049.533
22574.233
3009933

What each result means

ResultAt default values
Remaining (mg)How much is still in you; it halves about every five hours.49.5
Percentage (%)A share expressed out of 100.33

Common mistakes

Half-life ranges from 2 to 10 hours between people; pregnancy, oral contraceptives and liver disease all lengthen it.

Glossary

Caffeine (mg)
Caffeine taken in; a single Americano runs about 120 mg.
Hours later
How long it has been since you drank it.
Time to clear
Hours until the alcohol clears; it varies a lot by person.
Remaining
How much is still in you; it halves about every five hours.
Percentage
A share expressed out of 100.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How is Caffeine Remaining calculated?

Remaining = Caffeine (mg) × 0.5 ^ (Hours later ÷ Time to clear) — Caffeine’s half-life averages five hours. An americano at 3 pm (about 150 mg) still leaves close to half in your system at 11 pm.

Q. Can you walk through an example?

With Caffeine (mg) 150, Hours later 8, Time to clear 5h, the answer is Remaining 49.5mg.

Q. What do I need to enter?

Enter Caffeine (mg), Hours later, Time to clear. The result recalculates as you type, and an empty box counts as zero.

Q. How much does the answer move if I change a number?

Changing only Caffeine (mg) moves the answer to Caffeine (mg) 75 → Remaining (mg) 24.7 and Caffeine (mg) 300 → Remaining (mg) 99. The table below lays out five steps.

Q. How are the numbers rounded?

Money is shown to the nearest whole unit, percentages to one decimal place and everything else to two. What you see is rounded; the calculation itself carries the unrounded value forward.

Q. Anything to watch out for?

Half-life ranges from 2 to 10 hours between people; pregnancy, oral contraceptives and liver disease all lengthen it.

Related calculators

These calculators help you understand health figures; they do not replace diagnosis or prescription. See a clinician if you have symptoms.