Energy Drink Caffeine Database

Twenty-four brands, ranked and cross-checked against official can data. Pick one to see its caffeine, its concentration per ounce, and where it sits against the FDA's daily guideline — plus the one comparison almost every energy drink chart skips: several drinks marketed as "200 mg" aren't actually the same strength at all.

How much caffeine is in an energy drink? A standard 8.4 oz Red Bull has 80 mg, the most mainstream tier — Monster, Rockstar, NOS — runs 160 mg per 16 oz, the newer "wellness" tier — Celsius, Alani Nu, Ghost, C4 — clusters at 200 mg, and the strongest widely sold cans — Bang, Reign, Celsius HEAT — hit 300 mg, three-quarters of an adult's entire daily guideline in one can.

Figures are drawn from brand-published nutrition panels where available and from compiled, cross-checked estimates elsewhere. Most of these figures reflect only added caffeine as declared on the panel — some drinks also include guarana, yerba mate or green tea extract, which are themselves natural caffeine sources and can push true stimulant content a little above the printed number.

The "200 mg club," concentration exposed

Six brands currently market a 200 mg can. Laid out by actual can size, they split cleanly into two tiers of real strength.

Complete energy drink database

Standard tier — 80 to 165 mg

Brand / can	Size	Caffeine	mg/oz
Red Bull	8.4 oz	80 mg	9.5
Rockstar Unplugged	12 oz	80 mg	6.7
Red Bull	12 oz	111 mg	9.3
Full Throttle	16 oz	144 mg	9.0
Red Bull	16 oz	151 mg	9.4
Monster Energy (Original)	16 oz	160 mg	10.0
Monster Ultra	16 oz	160 mg	10.0
Rockstar Original	16 oz	160 mg	10.0
NOS	16 oz	160 mg	10.0
Amp Energy	16 oz	160 mg	10.0
Monster XXL	24 oz	240 mg	10.0
NOS	24 oz	240 mg	10.0
Rockstar Pure Zero / Punched	16 oz	240 mg	15.0

This tier is remarkably consistent per ounce — almost everything lands close to 10 mg/oz, whether the can is 16 or 24 oz. The exceptions are Rockstar's higher-caffeine Pure Zero and Punched lines, which jump to 15 mg/oz in the same 16 oz can.

High tier — 200 mg ("the 200 mg club")

Brand / can	Size	Caffeine	mg/oz
Celsius	12 oz	200 mg	16.7
Alani Nu	12 oz	200 mg	16.7
Prime Energy	12 oz	200 mg	16.7
Reign Storm	12 oz	200 mg	16.7
Ghost Energy	16 oz	200 mg	12.5
C4 Energy (Performance line)	16 oz	200 mg	12.5

This is the exact split shown in the concentration chart above. All six say "200 mg" on the can; only three of them are actually 16.7 mg per ounce.

Ultra-high tier — 300 mg and above

Brand / can	Size	Caffeine	mg/oz
Bang Energy	16 oz	300 mg	18.8
Reign Total Body Fuel	16 oz	300 mg	18.8
Celsius HEAT	16 oz	300 mg	18.8
Rockstar XDurance	16 oz	300 mg	18.8
C4 Ultimate (e.g. Godzilla flavor)	16 oz	300 mg	18.8
Bucked Up Energy	16 oz	300 mg	18.8
Spike Hardcore Energy	16 oz	350 mg	21.9

A single 300 mg can is 75% of the FDA's entire daily guideline. There's very little room left in the day for anything else caffeinated after one of these — and none at all after Spike Hardcore.

Energy shots (concentrated, small format)

Product	Size	Caffeine	mg/oz
5-hour Energy (regular)	2 oz	200 mg	100.0
5-hour Energy Extra Strength	2 oz	230 mg	115.0

Shots aren't a fair per-ounce comparison against cans — they're deliberately concentrated to be consumed in 2 oz rather than 16, so the "mg per ounce" figure looks dramatic but doesn't mean the drink itself is more extreme. The total per serving (200–230 mg) is what matters, and it's comparable to a standard Celsius or Alani Nu.

Novelty and extreme outliers

Product	Size	Caffeine
Cocaine Energy Drink	8.4 oz	280 mg
Wired X505 (legacy/niche product)	24 oz	505 mg

These are genuine outliers, not representative of the mainstream energy drink market, and availability varies. Wired X505 in particular exceeds the FDA's 400 mg daily reference in a single can. Treat both as extreme, niche products rather than typical purchases.

Energy drinks vs coffee

A single can of Bang, Reign or Celsius HEAT carries roughly the same caffeine as a Starbucks Grande brewed coffee — the reputation for being "extreme" is really about how quickly and casually people drink a 16 oz can compared to sipping a coffee over half an hour.

How many energy drinks a day is safe?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects in healthy adults.

Two 300 mg cans in a day already exceed the guideline before any coffee, tea or soda. Lower ceilings are commonly cited for some groups: around 200 mg a day in pregnancy — meaning a single high-tier can is already the full daily amount — and roughly 100 mg for adolescents, which is well under even a single Red Bull. Most major energy drink brands explicitly state their products aren't recommended for children, and several list pregnancy as a caution on the can itself. Sensitivity varies a great deal between individuals. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist if you're pregnant, have a heart condition or anxiety disorder, or take medication that interacts with stimulants.

Energy drink caffeine: frequently asked questions

How much caffeine is in a Red Bull?

80 mg in the standard 8.4 oz can, 111 mg in a 12 oz can, and 151 mg in a 16 oz can, according to the company.

How much caffeine is in a Monster Energy?

160 mg in the standard 16 oz can. Monster XXL, at 24 oz, scales up to 240 mg, keeping the same roughly 10 mg per ounce concentration.

Which energy drink has the most caffeine?

Among mainstream, widely available cans, Bang, Reign, Celsius HEAT and several others tie at 300 mg. Spike Hardcore Energy is stronger still at 350 mg. Some niche or legacy products, like Wired X505, have been reported well above that, but these are not typical mainstream purchases.

Is Celsius stronger than Monster?

Per can, Celsius has more caffeine (200 mg against 160 mg), and it's also more concentrated per ounce, since it packs that 200 mg into a smaller 12 oz can versus Monster's 16 oz. Both differences point the same direction: Celsius is meaningfully stronger.

Are Ghost Energy and Celsius the same strength?

They both say 200 mg, but Celsius packs it into a 12 oz can (about 16.7 mg/oz) while Ghost uses a 16 oz can (about 12.5 mg/oz). Ghost is roughly a third weaker per ounce despite the identical headline number.

How much caffeine is in Bang Energy?

300 mg in the standard 16 oz can — three-quarters of the FDA's daily reference amount for healthy adults in a single can.

Is a 5-hour Energy shot stronger than a can of Monster?

By total caffeine per serving, yes: 200 mg in a 5-hour Energy shot against 160 mg in a Monster. Per ounce the shot looks far more extreme, but that's because it's designed to be drunk in 2 oz rather than 16 — the fair comparison is total mg per serving, not concentration.

Do energy drinks have more caffeine than their label states?

Not necessarily more than stated, but many energy drinks include guarana, yerba mate or green tea extract alongside added caffeine, and these are themselves natural caffeine sources. Depending on how a given figure was compiled, the true total stimulant content can run a little above a chart's headline number.

How many energy drinks a day is too many?

Against the FDA's 400 mg guideline, about five Red Bulls, two and a half Monsters, two Celsius or Alani Nu cans, or roughly one and a third Bang or Reign cans. Two 300 mg cans in a day already exceed the guideline before any other caffeine source.

Sources and method

Figures are drawn from brand-published nutrition panels and product facts where available (Red Bull, Monster, Celsius, Alani Nu, Ghost, and others publish caffeine content directly), cross-checked against independent compiled caffeine references for brands or variants without a directly cited figure. Where a figure is a rough or disputed estimate — the novelty and extreme outlier products in particular — this is noted explicitly rather than presented with false precision.

• Brand-published nutrition panels and product facts: Red Bull, Monster, Celsius, Alani Nu, Ghost, C4, Reign, Rockstar, NOS, 5-hour Energy
• Caffeine Informer — compiled and cross-checked energy drink caffeine database
• Peer-reviewed comparison table of energy drink caffeine content, published in a toxicology/nutrition journal (PMC-indexed, 2021), noting that stated totals may not include caffeine contributed by botanical sources like guarana
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — guidance on moderate caffeine consumption in pregnancy

This page is an independent reference and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any brand named here. All product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Caffeine values may vary by flavor, region and formula changes over time — check your own can if precision matters. Nothing here is medical advice.