CBD Oil Strength Explained: mg, %, Drops and Which to Choose (UK)

Reading the label: mg vs %

• mg is the total CBD in the whole bottle, for example 1,000mg.
• % is CBD as a share of the liquid: 1,000mg in 10ml (roughly 10,000mg of oil) is about 10%.
• Per drop: a dropper releases roughly 20 drops per ml, so mg per ml divided by 20 gives mg per drop.
• Watch for “hemp” mg: “1,000mg hemp” or “hemp extract” isn’t the same as 1,000mg of CBD. Check the lab report.

Quick formula: total mg ÷ ml ÷ 20 = mg per drop. For 1,000mg in 10ml: 1,000 ÷ 10 ÷ 20 = 5mg per drop.

Starting from a percentage instead: % × 10 = mg per ml. A 20% oil has about 200mg per ml, so about 10mg a drop.

CBD oil strength chart: mg, % and drops per 10mg

Evolabs Mint CBD Oil with vitamin D3 comes in 1,000mg only. The 30ml Evolabs 2,000mg oils cost the least per mg in our range; among the 10ml oils it’s the Broad Spectrum 2,000mg.

How we worked it out: we assume about 20 drops per ml, which matches the FSA’s own example that 10mg is roughly 4 to 5 drops of a 5% oil. Our product pages measure by the dropper rather than the drop, and a full 1ml dropper holds about 20 drops: 50mg of CBD in a 5% oil, 100mg in a 10% oil and 200mg in a 20% oil. So if you’re aiming for around 10mg a day, count drops rather than filling the dropper.

Drop sizes vary a little between droppers, so these are approximate. See how much CBD to take for the full dosing guide, how to take CBD oil for the drops technique, and what CBD oil tastes like if you are choosing between plain and flavoured oils.

Why bottle size matters

A 1,000mg oil in a 30ml bottle is a third as strong per drop as 1,000mg in 10ml. Neither is “better”: the 30ml bottle needs more drops for the same dose but lets you adjust in smaller steps, which some beginners prefer. Always compare mg per ml, or mg per drop, not just the number on the front.

Low, medium or high strength: is 500mg to 5,000mg CBD oil strong?

It depends on the bottle size, because strength per drop is what you actually take. As a rough guide for a 10ml bottle:

Brands don’t share one scale, so “medium” or “max strength” on a label can mean different things. Mg per ml is the number to compare.

Is 500mg CBD oil strong?

No, 500mg is a lower, starting strength. In a 10ml bottle it’s 5%, about 2.5mg per drop, so 4 drops gives about 10mg. In a 30ml bottle it’s only 1.67%, under 1mg per drop. That makes 500mg a good choice if you want to start low and adjust in small steps.

Is 1,000mg CBD oil strong?

It’s mid-range rather than strong. In a 10ml bottle 1,000mg is 10%, about 5mg per drop, so 2 drops gives about 10mg. In a 30ml bottle it’s 3.33%, about 1.7mg per drop. It isn’t too much to start with as long as you count drops: see is 1,000mg of CBD too much? below.

Is 2,000mg CBD oil strong?

In a 10ml bottle, yes: 2,000mg is 20%, a high strength oil with about 10mg in a single drop. That one drop is already the FSA’s advised amount for a whole day, so it suits people who have settled on a routine rather than beginners. In a 30ml bottle 2,000mg is 6.67%, about 3.3mg per drop, which is closer to a standard oil.

Is 3,000mg, 5,000mg or 6,000mg CBD oil strong?

In a 10ml bottle, very. 3,000mg in 10ml is 30%, about 15mg per drop, and 5,000mg is 50%, about 25mg per drop, so a single drop is more than the FSA’s 10mg a day figure. Big numbers often come in bigger bottles, though: 3,000mg in 30ml is 10% (about 5mg a drop, the same as a 1,000mg 10ml oil) and 6,000mg in 30ml is 20% (about 10mg a drop, the same as our 2,000mg 10ml oil). Always check the ml before comparing.

Which strength should I choose?

Whatever the strength, start low, around 10mg a day. The FSA’s 10mg a day figure is precautionary advice rather than a legal limit, set while longer-term safety research continues. At Evopure we think it is a very cautious figure, and many adults use more. If you go above it, increase slowly, and check with your GP or pharmacist first if you take any medication.

500mg vs 1,000mg: what’s the difference?

In the same size bottle, 1,000mg has twice as much CBD per drop, so you need half as many drops and the bottle lasts twice as long at the same daily dose. It doesn’t work “twice as well”: the effect depends on how many mg you take, not the bottle strength. Higher strengths usually cost less per mg. See why CBD oil costs what it does.

Is 1,000mg of CBD too much?

No, because 1,000mg is the total in the bottle, not a dose. You take a few drops at a time. A 10ml 1,000mg bottle holds about 200 drops of 5mg each, so at 10mg a day it lasts about 100 days.

The figure that matters for safety is how much you take each day. The FSA’s advice, based on its scientific committees’ provisional acceptable daily intake, is that healthy adults have no more than 10mg of CBD a day. See the CBD daily limit in the UK.

Is 10mg or 20mg of CBD a lot?

Those are daily amounts, not bottle strengths. 10mg a day is the FSA’s advised maximum for healthy adults, and 20mg is twice that. There’s no agreed “right” amount of CBD as a food supplement: the FSA figure is a precautionary upper amount, not a target. If you choose to go above it, do it in small steps, which is easier with a 5% or 10% oil than with a 20% one.

What strength CBD oil for sleep, anxiety or pain?

There’s no proven “right” strength for any condition, and CBD isn’t a treatment for sleep problems, anxiety or pain. Strength only changes how many drops you need. Most people choose by how they like to take it:

• Want small, gradual steps? A 5% oil.
• Settled on a routine and want fewer drops? A 10% oil.
• Want the fewest drops and the best value per mg? A 20% oil.

For what the research says on each, see best CBD oil for sleep, best CBD oil for anxiety and best CBD oil for pain.

Strength in capsules, gummies and creams

How CBD strength is measured

Labs measure CBD with a test called high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which reports each cannabinoid in mg per ml or as a percentage. A good certificate of analysis shows the CBD result for your batch and THC as “not detected”. The result should be close to the label: when the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis tested 29 UK CBD oils in 2019, only 11 were within 10% of the strength on the bottle. See how to read a CBD lab report and CBD statistics UK.

What is the strongest CBD oil?

When we checked UK listings in October 2026, the strongest CBD oils from big UK brands were 40%: 4,000mg in a 10ml bottle, about 20mg a drop. A few smaller sellers list 50% oils, such as 15,000mg in a 30ml bottle, which is about 500mg per ml or roughly 25mg a drop. Those figures are the sellers’ own labels, so check the batch lab report before you rely on them.

For the brands and bottle sizes behind those numbers, see our guide to the strongest CBD oil in the UK.

Why the strongest CBD oil isn’t the best

A stronger oil just holds more CBD per drop, so you take fewer drops. What matters is how many mg you take each day, and that’s where very strong oils get awkward:

• You can’t take less than one drop. At 40% or 50%, a single drop is already 2 to 2.5 times the FSA’s 10mg a day figure, so there’s no way to start low.
• Small slips are big. One extra drop of a 50% oil adds about 25mg; one extra drop of a 5% oil adds about 2.5mg.
• Labels aren’t always right. In a 2017 study of 84 CBD products bought online, only 31% were within 10% of the CBD on the label, 43% held more and 26% held less, and 18 contained THC. The higher the number on the front, the more it matters that a batch lab report backs it.
• Cheaper per mg only helps if you use it. Higher strengths usually cost less per mg, but a 10ml 2,000mg bottle already lasts about 200 days at 10mg a day.

Our strongest oil is the Broad Spectrum CBD Oil at 2,000mg (20%), and we stop there on purpose. One drop is already about 10mg, so going stronger would make it harder to take a small, steady amount rather than give you anything extra. If you’re new to CBD, start with the 500mg (about 2.5mg a drop) and increase slowly. If a 20% oil still means more drops than you’d like, capsules at a fixed 25mg may suit you better than a 30% to 50% oil.

Related guides

• Best CBD oil UK picks, from 500mg to high strength.
• Planning to buy several bottles at once? Our guide to stocking up on supplements on Black Friday covers shelf life and how much is sensible to keep in.
• To bring the cost per mg down further, check Evopure discount codes and offers.
• How much CBD oil to put in brownies, worked out for every strength.
• CBD distillate vs CBD oil, and what CBD isolate is.
• Suspiciously high strengths at very low prices are a warning sign; see how to avoid CBD scams.
• A stronger oil doesn’t reach its peak any sooner; see how long CBD takes to kick in for why.
• Working out drops for a 30ml flavoured oil? See our guide to cherry CBD oil and flavoured oils for how to take them.
• Boots CBD oil strengths, from 260mg to 5,000mg.
• Love Hemp 1200mg, 3000mg and 6000mg oils per drop.
• For a worked example with 30ml and 100ml bottles, see Orange County CBD oil strengths and drops.
• If you add drops to a drink, see CBD tea for how many drops give about 10mg in a mug.
• Once you know your mg per drop, our guide to how CBD makes you feel at different doses explains what to expect.
• Cooking with it? Our CBD butter recipe shows how many drops of each strength to add per 10mg portion.
• For a worked example, our Naturecan CBD oil guide shows mg per drop for 5% to 40% oils.
• For a worked example, our Blessed CBD oil guide shows mg per drop and drops for 10mg for 500mg to 1,800mg bottles.
• For a worked example across 11 oils, see CBD Brothers oils and drops for 10mg.
• See how strength per drop works across our range in broad spectrum CBD oil UK: what it is and how to choose.
• Whatever the strength, a legal oil must stay within the 1mg THC per bottle rule explained in our UK CBD law guide.
• Weighing up the top strength? Our guide to 2000mg CBD oil works through drops per 10mg in 10ml and 30ml bottles.
• Once you know the strength you want, our CBD Black Friday deals cover every oil and capsule we make from 27 to 30 November.
• Worked example: how many drops of Provacan CBD oil make 10mg.

High strength CBD oil: what it means and who it suits

There’s no official definition of high strength CBD oil. In this guide we use it for oils of 20% or more, such as 2,000mg in a 10ml bottle, about 10mg a drop. Some brands call a 10% oil high strength, so check the bottle size: 2,000mg in a 30ml bottle is only about 6.7%, or around 3.3mg a drop.

High strength is a convenience choice, not a “better” one. It tends to suit:

• People with a settled routine who already know how much they take and want fewer drops each time.
• Anyone who takes more than 10mg a day and would rather take 2 or 3 drops than 8 to 12. If that’s you, read the FSA paragraph above and increase slowly.
• Value seekers: higher strengths usually cost less per mg, and a 2,000mg 10ml bottle lasts about 200 days at 10mg a day.
• Travellers who want a small bottle that goes a long way. See flying with CBD oil.

It’s less suited to:

• Beginners, because one drop is already a big step. Start with a 5% or 10% oil, or a 30ml flavoured oil such as our Evolabs orange CBD oil, where 2,000mg works out at about 3.3mg per drop.
• Anyone taking medication, who should check with a GP or pharmacist first. See can CBD interact with medication?
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: the FSA doesn’t recommend CBD, and we don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• Under-18s: all our products are for adults only.

If you find yourself reaching for a stronger oil because CBD doesn’t seem to be doing much, a higher strength isn’t always the answer. See can you build a tolerance to CBD?, why CBD might not be working for you and CBD side effects and who should avoid it.