How much caffeine is in a Monster?
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160 mg in a 16 oz can of the original Monster Energy, going by the label on a can photographed in November 2025, which says “caffeine from all sources: 160mg per can”. That’s a little more than a 16 oz Red Bull (151 mg). One at 4pm still leaves about 67 mg at an 11pm bedtime.
Monster looks like the strongest thing in the cooler, with the black can and the claw. A 16 oz brewed coffee has more caffeine, about 190 mg against 160. By the ounce, Monster has 10 mg and brewed coffee about 12. The can is just big.
We’d finish it by lunch if you want it out of your night. For an 11pm bedtime, a Monster by about 12:15pm leaves under 40 mg when you fall asleep, the lower of our two bedtime lines. By about 5:15pm it stays under 80 mg, the higher one.
What a Monster leaves at bedtime
| When you drink it | Left at 11pm |
|---|---|
| 9am | about 25 mg |
| Noon | about 39 mg |
| 3pm | about 59 mg |
| 4pm | about 67 mg |
| 5pm | about 77 mg |
These use the average half-life of 5 hours. On a half-life of 3 hours, the 4pm can leaves about 38 mg, and on 6 hours about 78 mg. A 4pm Monster is a bit like falling asleep with an espresso in you.
Why the label says “from all sources”
Monster has guarana extract in it as well as added caffeine, and guarana is a plant with its own caffeine. The label counts it all together in the 160 mg. Other Monster flavors and lines can list different amounts, so check the can you’ve got.
Monster against the other cans
| Drink | Caffeine | Per ounce |
|---|---|---|
| Monster, 16 oz | 160 mg | 10 mg |
| Red Bull, 16 oz | 151 mg | about 9.4 mg |
| CELSIUS, 12 oz | 200 mg | about 17 mg |
| Brewed coffee, 16 oz | about 190 mg | about 12 mg |
Across brands, the FDA puts energy drinks at 54 to 328 mg per 16 oz, so the can in your hand could be a third of a Monster or twice one (caffeine in a CELSIUS, caffeine in a Red Bull).
Not for teens
Pediatricians advise against energy drinks for all children and teens, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s 2026 sheet. For ages 12 to 18 they suggest at most 100 mg of caffeine a day, and one Monster is more than one and a half times that (caffeine for teenagers).
Try your can
Put it into the cutoff clock below at the time you usually crack it open, then tap the smaller drink to see what an 8.4 oz Red Bull at the same hour would leave.
If the Monster is your afternoon pick-me-up, how to have more energy without caffeine has what to try first. In one small study, 10 minutes of easy stair walking made tired students feel more energetic than 50 mg of caffeine.
160 mg
Monster, 16 oz can. Can label, 160 mg from all sources. Check a current can. One at 3pm still leaves about 59 mg at an 11pm bedtime.
When should I stop?
When you fall asleep at 11:00pm
83 mgA measured cost
You'll fall asleep with about a cup of coffee in you.
- Brewed coffee, 8 oz95 mg
Brewed coffee, 16 oz190 mg
Your last drink, a 16 oz coffee at 3:00pm
- Under 40 mg at sleep
- by 8:10am
- Under 80 mg
- by 2:45pm
The full clock, with the band, 3am and the table by drink.
7 sources
- Monster Energy, 16 fl oz can, label photographed November 2025 (caffeine from all sources 160 mg per can), Open Food Facts 0070847811169, checked 2026-11-14world.openfoodfacts.org
- Red Bull, How much caffeine is in a can of Red Bull? checked 2026-11-14redbull.com
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: brewed coffee (171890), espresso (171891), brewed black tea (173227) and brewed green tea (171917)fdc.nal.usda.gov
- US Food and Drug Administration, Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much? Content current as of August 28, 2024fda.gov
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Facts for Families No. 131: Caffeine and Children, April 2026aacap.org
- Antonio J and others, Common questions and misconceptions about caffeine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2024doi.org
- Randolph DD, O'Connor PJ, Stair walking is more energizing than low dose caffeine in sleep deprived young women, Physiology and Behavior, 2017doi.org
