Weed weighs almost nothing but costs a fortune! When buying cannabis, we often take our purchases accordingly. No questions asked. But what if your stash seems a little off? What if you’re unsure about a new supplier? And what if you don’t have a scale handy to weigh your stash? This is when learning how to approximate your weed comes in handy.
Yes, this is the answer to the question of how to measure weed without a scale. Using special techniques, you can easily tell if you have the right amount on hand or you’ve been had by your supplier.
Use a paper scale
It’s not easy to measure weed if you don’t have a scale as weed is available in different densities and degrees of fluffiness. You may have an ounce of fluffy weed but it looks more than an ounce when you’re using very dense weed. So before we begin with different improvised scales, let’s just remember that nothing beats weighing your weed on a real scale.
The first DIY scale is made of paper and uses an object with a specific weight such as a dollar bill. A dollar bill weighs 1 gram.
To make the scale, use a piece of paper as large as a page of a notebook. Fold this piece in the middle and open it up. Fold each of the sides so you’ll get a piece of folded paper that’s shaped like the letter W from the sides.
Take a stick or a pencil and secure this on the edge of a table. Hang the folded piece of paper. The middle of the W will act as the scale’s axis while one side will hold weed and the other side will hold the counterbalance object such as a dollar bill. Now you have an improvised paper scale.
To use this scale, fold the paper bill very well and place it slowly on one side. Place a small amount of dried weed on the other. A balanced scale means that you have exactly an ounce of weed. Use this scale indoors where there is no wind that can affect your measurements.
Use a ruler scale
This improvised scale makes use of simple objects like a 12-inch ruler and a penny. While a dollar bill is an ounce, a penny is about 2.5 grams. Use the ruler as a crude scale by placing a penny on one end and the amount of dried weed you want to measure.
Place this improvised scale on a flat surface or a stable object for balance like an eraser. A balanced scale will yield 2.5 grams of dried flower or weed.
Use weighing scale apps
In case you don’t know yet, there are weighing scale apps available from your smartphone. You can use these to measure the amount of weed you have in a more accurate manner. To use your smartphone, go to the apps store and look for digital scale apps.
You will get a few results like Precision Digital Scale, Kitchen Scale, or Scale Estimator. All you need to do is to download the app and follow the instructions. You’ll be surprised as to how accurate some of these apps are! If you’re not sold, you can always test it with an actual analog food scale.
Most of these apps are free while some are paid apps. Also, find one that works with your type of smartphone as some are compatible only with Android while some for iPhone units only.
Use a hanger scale
A hanger is naturally balanced. This is why your clothes don’t fall off when you hang them. You can use a hanger to make an improvised scale and measure your stash more efficiently. To do this, hang the hanger on a nail or hook. Hang it freely as it’s not touching a wall or a post.
Use knitting thread, cut two pieces with equal lengths and tie each one on each side. You may use a small cup or a small plastic bag to hang the weights. This time, we will also use a penny to get 2.5 grams of weed.
Place the penny on one side and place the amount of weed on the other. Remove or add more dried weed to get 2.5 grams. You can also use two pennies to get 5 grams of weed if you need more.
Use a pre-rolled joint
If you don’t have a scale and you have a pre-rolled joint handy, you can eye the amount of weed you have to approximate. What you can do is to open the joint with a sharp blade. Place the weed on one side and the amount of dried weed you have on the other.
The amount of weed inside a joint is about 0.3 grams. Add or take away some of the dried flowers to get the same amount. If you have pre-rolled blunts, you can open it up to compare the amount you have. A blunt contains about 1.5 to 2 grams of weed and thus you can easily make an approximate amount.
You can also do another trick that works if you have a lot of weed on hand. If you have a bag of weed and you can’t tell if you have an ounce, more or less, you may roll up some joints to estimate.
Use regular rolling papers to make your joints. From an ounce of weed, you can make about 84 cigarette-sized joints. Consider 2 ounces if you were able to make double this amount of joints. Some people may not be as efficient and may only be able to roll around 60 to 70 regular-sized joints in an ounce of weed.
Measuring weed without a scale is fun but if you need to consume weed for medical reasons or if you need to deal with pain, anxiety, or stress, it’s always best to use a scale and never approximate your dose. Always buy from a trusted supplier or shop to guarantee weed in correct amounts.