How Much Caffeine Is in Coffee? Charts by Cup Size, Espresso, Cold Brew & Brand

If you're trying to stay under the FDA's 400 mg-a-day figure for most adults, or under 200 mg during pregnancy, "one cup of coffee" is not a useful unit. Cup size, brew method, the coffee shop, and even the day you order change the number. Below are the best available figures by coffee type, cup size, and brand, what makes caffeine go up or down, and how to use the numbers to cut back.

How Much Caffeine Is in Coffee? Chart by Type

These are typical values from Mayo Clinic's caffeine chart (based on USDA food data), with ranges from the FDA and Health Canada where they publish them.

Why do the sources disagree? They measured different coffees. Mayo Clinic's 96 mg is a national-database average, the FDA's range comes from a study of brand-specific U.S. beverages, and Health Canada's figures come from its own food data. All of them are reasonable, which is the point: an "average cup" can easily differ from yours by 50% or more.

How Much Caffeine by Cup Size (8, 12, 16, 20 oz)?

Most people don't drink 8 oz cups anymore. The table below scales two published averages to common cup sizes so you can see the range. These are estimates (multiplied from the 8 oz figures), not lab measurements.

The right-hand column is closer to what big coffee chains report for their drip coffee. A 20 oz cup at that strength is already over 400 mg on its own.

How Much Caffeine Is in Espresso?

A 1 oz shot of espresso has about 63 mg of caffeine, per Mayo Clinic. Starbucks lists its Espresso Roast doppio (two shots, 1.5 fl oz) at about 150 mg, or roughly 75 mg a shot. In a University of Florida analysis of coffee-shop espressos, servings of 40 to 170 mL contained 58 to 185 mg, with bigger servings holding more.

Espresso vs. drip coffee: which has more caffeine?

Espresso is far more concentrated, about 63 mg per ounce versus roughly 12 mg per ounce for brewed coffee at the 96 mg average. But a shot is small, so a single shot usually has less caffeine than a normal mug of drip coffee. What matters is how many shots you drink.

How much caffeine is in a latte, cappuccino, or Americano?

Milk, foam, and water add no caffeine. A latte, cappuccino, flat white, or Americano has whatever its espresso shots contain. At roughly 63–75 mg per shot, a one-shot drink has about 63–75 mg, a two-shot drink about 125–150 mg, and a three-shot drink about 190–225 mg. Starbucks lists a Grande Caffè Americano at about 225 mg. Ask how many shots your size gets, because chains differ.

How Much Caffeine Is in Cold Brew and Iced Coffee?

Cold brew is coffee steeped in room-temperature or cold water for hours. Iced coffee is usually hot-brewed coffee poured over ice. Both can be strong or weak depending on the recipe.

• Brewed side by side, cold brew can match or beat hot coffee. In a 2017 Scientific Reports study, researchers brewed the same coffees hot (6 minutes) and cold (up to 24 hours) at the same coffee-to-water ratio. Cold brew had equal or higher caffeine, and substantially more with coarse grinds. Most of the caffeine was extracted within about 6–7 hours of steeping.
• But shop cold brew is often diluted. Starbucks lists a Grande (16 oz) Cold Brew at about 205 mg, compared with 315–390 mg for a Grande Pike Place Roast hot coffee.
• Iced coffee can be the strongest option. Dunkin' says its iced coffee runs from about 198 mg (small) to 398 mg (large), more than its hot coffee in the same size.
• Concentrates are a trap. Bottled cold brew concentrate is meant to be diluted. Drinking it straight, or mixing it 1:1 instead of the label's ratio, can multiply the caffeine. Check the label.

How Much Caffeine Is in Starbucks and Dunkin' Coffee?

Restaurants don't have to disclose caffeine, but the two biggest U.S. chains publish approximate values. These are the companies' own figures:

Both companies say these numbers are approximate. Independent testing shows how much they can swing: when University of Florida researchers bought the same 16 oz Starbucks Breakfast Blend from one store on six consecutive days, caffeine ranged from 259 mg to 564 mg. In the same study's first phase, 16 oz brewed coffees from different shops ranged from 143 mg to 259 mg.

For caffeine in canned drinks, see our energy drink caffeine comparison.

How Much Caffeine Is in Decaf Coffee?

Decaf has much less caffeine, but not zero. The FDA says an 8 oz cup of decaf typically has 2 to 15 mg, and that "decaffeinated" does not mean caffeine-free. In the University of Florida study, all seven coffee-shop decafs tested contained some caffeine, though less than 18 mg per 16 oz. At the top of that range, six cups of decaf add up to about as much caffeine as one 8 oz cup of regular coffee. If you react strongly to caffeine, or you're in the last stage of a taper, count decaf too.

What Changes How Much Caffeine Is in Your Coffee?

• Serving size. The single biggest factor. A 20 oz cup has 2.5 times the caffeine of an 8 oz cup of the same brew.
• How much coffee goes in. More grounds per cup means more caffeine. Shop recipes are often stronger than home brewing.
• Brew method and time. Longer contact time pulls out more caffeine, which is why long-steeped cold brew concentrate is so strong. Mayo Clinic notes that how the coffee is grown and brewing time both affect caffeine.
• Grind size. In the Scientific Reports study, short hot brews with coarse grinds extracted less caffeine than long cold brews, because caffeine takes time to diffuse out of larger particles.
• Roast. A smaller effect than most people think. In the same study, medium roast samples generally had somewhat more caffeine than dark roast, but the differences were small compared with serving size and recipe.
• The bean and the batch. Even one store's coffee varied more than twofold from day to day in the University of Florida tests.

How Many Cups of Coffee Is Too Much?

The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally linked to negative effects in most healthy adults, which it describes as "about two to three 12-fluid-ounce cups of coffee." ACOG advises under 200 mg a day during pregnancy. Using the figures above:

One large coffee-shop drip coffee can cover most of a day's limit. For the full breakdown by age, pregnancy, and body weight, read how much caffeine is too much. To see how long that cup keeps working, see how long caffeine stays in your system.

How to Use These Numbers to Cut Back

• Log your real cups for 3 days. Write down the size and where it came from, then use the brand figures above instead of "1 cup."
• Downsize first. Going from a 20 oz to a 12 oz cup of the same coffee cuts caffeine by about 40% without changing your routine.
• Swap shots, not drinks. Ask for one shot instead of two in your latte, or half-caf.
• Watch cold brew concentrate and iced coffee. They can carry more caffeine than you'd expect.
• Taper gradually. The FDA advises cutting back gradually. Withdrawal isn't dangerous, but headaches and fatigue are common if you stop suddenly. See how to quit caffeine without headaches.
• Keep the ritual. Try decaf or one of these coffee alternatives for later cups.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much caffeine is in a cup of coffee?

An 8 oz cup of regular brewed coffee has about 96 mg of caffeine, according to Mayo Clinic's chart based on USDA data. The real range is wide: the FDA puts a 12 oz cup of regular brewed coffee at 113 to 247 mg, and Health Canada lists 8 oz of filter-drip coffee at about 179 mg on average.

Does espresso have more caffeine than coffee?

Per ounce, yes. A 1 oz shot of espresso has about 63 mg, versus about 12 mg per ounce for brewed coffee. Per serving, usually no: one shot has less caffeine than a typical 8 to 16 oz cup of drip coffee. A drink with two or three shots can match or beat a cup of drip.

Does cold brew have more caffeine than regular coffee?

It depends on the recipe. In a lab study published in Scientific Reports, cold brew made with the same coffee-to-water ratio had equal or higher caffeine than hot brew, and substantially more with coarse grinds. But coffee shops often dilute cold brew concentrate: Starbucks lists a Grande Cold Brew at about 205 mg versus 315 to 390 mg for a Grande Pike Place Roast.

How much caffeine is in decaf coffee?

Decaf is not caffeine-free. The FDA says an 8 oz cup of decaf typically has 2 to 15 mg of caffeine. A University of Florida analysis found seven coffee-shop decafs all contained some caffeine, though less than 18 mg per 16 oz serving.

How many cups of coffee is 400 mg of caffeine?

About four 8 oz cups at the 96 mg average, or two to three 12 oz cups by the FDA's own estimate. A single 16 oz coffee-shop drip coffee can supply 300 mg or more, so one or two large cups can get you close to 400 mg.

How much caffeine is in a Starbucks grande coffee?

Starbucks lists a Grande (16 fl oz) Pike Place Roast at about 315 to 390 mg of caffeine. A Grande Cold Brew is listed at about 205 mg and a Grande Caffè Americano at about 225 mg. Starbucks notes caffeine values are approximate.

Does dark roast have more caffeine than light roast?

Not meaningfully. Roast level changes caffeine only modestly, and the differences you see in studies are small next to the effect of serving size, grind, brew time, and how much coffee is used. In the Scientific Reports cold brew study, medium roast samples generally had slightly more caffeine than dark roast.

Sources

• Mayo Clinic. Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more (brewed 96 mg, espresso 63 mg, instant 62 mg, decaf; based on USDA FNDDS data). Feb. 2025.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much? (400 mg/day, 113–247 mg per 12 oz brewed coffee, decaf 2–15 mg per 8 oz, restaurants not required to disclose caffeine).
• Health Canada. Caffeine in Foods (Table 2: average caffeine in brewed, percolated, filter-drip, instant and decaf coffee).
• U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.
• Starbucks. Official nutrition pages: Pike Place Roast, Cold Brew, Caffè Americano, Espresso (accessed Oct. 27, 2026; caffeine values are approximate).
• Dunkin'. Dunkin' Answers Your Top Coffee Questions (hot coffee about 180–330 mg, iced coffee about 198–398 mg by size).
• McCusker RR, Goldberger BA, Cone EJ. Caffeine content of specialty coffees. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2003; and University of Florida Health, UF study finds specialty coffee's caffeine content capricious.
• Fuller M, Rao NZ. The Effect of Time, Roasting Temperature, and Grind Size on Caffeine and Chlorogenic Acid Concentrations in Cold Brew Coffee. Scientific Reports, 2017.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Moderate Caffeine Consumption During Pregnancy (Committee Opinion No. 462).