Guide

What is a dab? Dabbing, rigs and concentrates explained

A dab is a small amount of cannabis concentrate that is heated on a hot surface and inhaled as vapour. Concentrates are far more potent than flower, so the main safety points are burns, heat, and starting with a very small amount.

A young woman relaxing on a cozy couch with a dab rig in her lap

5 min read · Updated November 1, 2026 · WeedDB editors

Dabbing is a way of using cannabis concentrates, products made by pulling the resin out of the plant. The word covers both the small portion you use and the act itself. This guide explains what a dab is, which concentrates get used, how the equipment works in general terms, what to know about temperature, and the safety and legal basics in Canada.

What does "dab" mean?

A dab is a small portion of cannabis concentrate that is vaporized against a heated surface and inhaled. The same word names the act, so "taking a dab" and "dabbing" mean the same thing. Unlike smoking flower, nothing is burned in a flame: the concentrate is heated until it turns to vapour.

The appeal for users is that concentrates are potent, so a tiny amount is used per session. That same potency is also the main reason to be careful. Our guide to how long a high lasts explains timing, which matters when the dose arrives quickly.

What are cannabis concentrates?

Concentrates are cannabis products with the plant material mostly removed, leaving a concentrated form of the resin. They come in different textures, which is why you hear names like shatter, wax, budder and live resin. The names mostly describe consistency and how the product was made.

Our guides cover the main types in detail. What is shatter covers the glassy form. Rosin, live resin and distillate compares how those three are made. What is hash explains the oldest concentrate, and kief and trichomes covers the resin glands that every concentrate starts from.

In Canada, extracts are a regulated product class under the Cannabis Act and its regulations, with their own packaging and potency rules, covered below.

Concentrate	What it is
Shatter	A glassy, brittle extract
Live resin	Extract from fresh-frozen plant material
Rosin	Resin pressed out with heat and pressure, no solvent
Hash	Collected trichomes pressed or shaped into a mass
Kief	Loose trichomes that fall off the flower

Common concentrates, in general terms.

What equipment do you need to dab?

A traditional setup has three parts: a rig, a nail and a heat source. The rig is a small water pipe, usually glass. The nail (or banger) is the heated surface where the concentrate lands. A torch heats the nail, and a carb cap is sometimes used to control airflow. This style is often called a torch rig.

An electronic rig, or e-rig, replaces the torch with an electrically heated element. It often lets you set a temperature and removes the open flame, which some people find more consistent and easier to control. Handheld vaporizers built for concentrates work on the same idea, and vape pens explained covers that wider category.

None of this equipment is complicated, but the torch version involves a flame and a very hot piece of glass or metal. Whichever you use, set it on a stable surface, keep it away from anything flammable and let the nail cool completely before touching it.

What temperature do you dab at?

It depends on the setup, and there's no single correct number. Temperature is the main variable people adjust. Lower temperatures vaporize the concentrate more gently and tend to preserve flavour, while higher temperatures produce thicker vapour and use more of the product. Because torch rigs have no thermometer, "low temp" and "high temp" are usually judged by how long the nail cooled after heating.

Cannabinoids and terpenes vaporize at different temperatures, and heating hotter than needed can break compounds down into things you didn't intend to inhale. Researchers who have studied dabbing note that very high temperatures can produce unwanted by-products, which is one reason many people prefer the low-temperature approach. E-rigs make this easier because you can pick a setting and repeat it.

The precise figures depend on the concentrate and the equipment, so we haven't published a single temperature here. If you use an e-rig, follow the manufacturer's guidance and begin at the lower end.

How potent is a dab compared with flower?

Much more potent per gram. Concentrates have most of the plant matter removed, so the same weight contains far more THC than flower does. Flower labels commonly list Total THC in the teens and twenties as a percentage, while concentrate labels are typically much higher. Our guide to reading cannabis labels shows how to read those numbers, and THCA vs THC explains what Total THC counts.

Because of that potency, the rule of thumb is to start with a very small amount and wait before taking more. Inhaled products act quickly, so it's easy to take too much before the first dab has fully registered. Health Canada's lower-risk guidance also advises choosing lower-THC products and using less often. If you do take too much, our greening out guide explains what that is and what people do about it.

Tolerance matters too. Someone who uses flower regularly may find dabs far stronger than they expect, because the dose per inhale is not comparable.

What are the safety risks of dabbing?

The two biggest practical risks are physical and dose-related. Burns happen when equipment is handled while hot, and overconsumption happens because the effect of a dab is stronger than most flower sessions.

Home extraction deserves its own warning. Producing concentrates with butane or other flammable solvents is a hazard that has caused fires and explosions, and under the Cannabis Act it's an offence to produce an extract using organic solvents without the proper authorization. Rosin pressing, which uses heat and pressure instead of solvent, is a different method, but the finished product still falls under the rules for extracts.

As with any inhaled product, there are respiratory considerations. Health Canada advises that inhaling cannabis smoke or vapour can irritate the lungs, and the lower-risk guidance recommends avoiding deep inhalation and breath-holding.

Burns: the nail, torch and glass get extremely hot. Let everything cool and never leave a lit torch unattended.
Too much, too fast: start with a tiny amount and wait before another.
Never make concentrates with butane at home: home extraction with flammable solvents is illegal in Canada without a licence and is dangerous, because solvent vapour can ignite and has caused explosions.
Buy only from licensed retailers, so the product has been tested and carries a label with Total THC.
Don't drive or operate machinery after using cannabis.

What are the rules for cannabis extracts in Canada?

Extracts are legal in Canada when produced by a licensed producer and sold through authorized retailers, including inhalable concentrates. Possession in public is counted against the 30 g dried-flower equivalent limit, and our guide to weed measurements explains how different products are converted into that number.

The Cannabis Regulations cap the THC in a single container of an extract for inhalation at 1,000 mg. That limit applies to the sealed product, so it limits how much you can buy in one package rather than how much you can use. Packages must also carry the standardized cannabis symbol, a health warning message and Total THC and Total CBD figures.

Local rules on where you can consume cannabis differ by province and territory, so check yours before using anywhere other than a private home.

Maui Wowie strain — Strains people look up most

Blue Dream strain — Strains people look up most

Sources: laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, laws-lois.justice.gc.ca, canada.ca, canada.ca

Common questions

What is a dab in simple terms?

A dab is a small amount of cannabis concentrate that is heated on a hot surface until it vaporizes, then inhaled. The word also names the act of using concentrate this way.

What is the difference between a rig and a vape pen?

A rig is a small water pipe with a heated nail, usually warmed with a torch, while a vape pen is a portable battery device. An electronic rig sits in between, using an electric heating element with a water pipe.

Are dabs stronger than flower?

Per gram, yes. Concentrates have the plant matter removed, so they contain much more THC than flower. Start with a very small amount and wait before taking more.

Is it legal to make concentrates at home in Canada?

Not with flammable solvents. Producing extracts using butane or other organic solvents without authorization is illegal under the Cannabis Act and dangerous, because of fire and explosion risk.

How much THC can a concentrate container hold in Canada?

The Cannabis Regulations cap the THC in a single container of an inhalable extract at 1,000 mg. Check the label for Total THC per package.

What temperature is best for dabbing?

It varies with the concentrate and the equipment. Lower temperatures are gentler and preserve flavour, while higher ones produce thicker vapour. Start low, and with an e-rig follow the manufacturer's guidance.

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