How Many Drops Are in Essential Oils Bottles?

How Many Drops Are in Essential Oils Bottles?

We've put together a chart to help calculate how many drops there are in the essential oils bottles and how to work out dilution.

Essential oils have a lot of benefits, but they can be confusing to work with. Different companies have different concentrations of their oils and often sell them in different-sized bottles. How do you know how much is in a bottle and how much to use? Here are some important details about the sizes of essential oils bottles and how much you should dilute your oils.

5ml Bottles

How many drops are in a 5 ml bottle? This can vary with the viscosity of the essential oil. It can also change depending on the dropper bottle size and design, so bear in mind that these numbers are approximate and can change between bottles, brands, and oils. Essential oil websites tend to say that you can get between 15-20 drops per ml. However, some studies have shown numbers on the high end of that spectrum, with an average of about 30 drops per ml. For a 5 ml bottle, that means you could expect to get between 75 and 150 drops, with an average of 112.5. That's a lot of variabilities! Keep in mind that the difference comes with the type of oil and the dropper size, not the amount in the bottle. However many drops you get with your bottle, you'll still have the same amount of liquid. If you want a more accurate count, you can fill an empty bottle with water and count how many drops it takes to empty the bottle. Divide that total amount by 10, and you have your drops per ml for that particular dropper!

10ml Bottles

As outlined above, "how many drops are in a 10 ml bottle?" can vary quite a bit. But with the same math, we can get an approximation of how many drops to expect in a 10 ml bottle. Assuming the same range as listed above, a 10 ml dropper bottle should have between 150 and 300 drops with an average of 225. You may realize again that this range is rather large, but that is the unfortunate case with something as imprecise as "drops." How long you can use a single bottle will also depend on whether you are using a dropper or a roll-on bottle. A 10 ml roller bottle will not use the liquid at the same rate as a dropper and will depend largely on how liberally you apply the oils.

15ml Bottles

How many drops are in a 15 ml bottle? This will depend again on the variables mentioned above. With the range given, we can estimate how many drops you can expect before you've used up the entire bottle. At 15-30 ml per ml, your expected drops will be between 225 and 450. Keep in mind that this varies a lot depending on your type of dropper or pipette.

30ml Bottles

The big one! How many drops are in a 30 ml bottle? You should expect between 450 and 900 drops in a 30 ml bottle. That'll last you quite some time! As always, look at the type of dropper you're using and the type of oil you have.

Overview of Essential Oils Bottles and Their Drops

Basically, to find a range of how many drops you might expect in your bottle, take your low and high estimates for 1 ml, and multiply it by the size of your bottle. The low estimate is 15 drops per ml, so multiply 15 by your bottle size to get a minimum estimate for how many drops you can expect. The high estimate is 30 drops per ml, so multiply 30 by your bottle size to get your maximum estimate! And the average is 22.5, so multiply 22.5 by your bottle size to get an approximate average. Bear in mind that these are estimates, and will vary a good bit with your dropper size and liquid viscosity. To get a more accurate estimate for your own uses, you'll need to do a little bit of testing.

Measuring Your Dilutions

Your dilution will depend greatly on the purpose of your essential oil and the type of oil you're using. Some essential oils are extremely potent and can be harmful in high quantities, while others are less abrasive when concentrated. You typically don't want pure essential oils to be more than a specific percentage of anything that goes directly on your skin. If you're mixing essential oils into a lotion or cream, for example, you want to add only a few drops to the mixture to make sure you don't overload everything! Something like perfume or a vaporizer can typically have higher amounts of essential oils, but still, be careful not to overload it! You want a room to smell nice, not to make people gag. Keep in mind that some companies dilute their essential oils to different strengths when they bottle them. You should read the bottle to see whether it is "pure" essential oil or whether it has already been diluted somewhat in the bottle. This will be important for how much to put into your own mixtures! If you wanted to have a 2% mix of essential oils in your carrier, you would want to add .02 ml per ml of the carrier. This means for a 5 ml solution, for example, you would want between 1.5 and 3 drops of pure essential oils. These calculations will vary, but this is based on the measurements outlined above.

Ask Us Your Questions

While this is a good starting point for knowing the number of drops in bottles, that's only one part of the equation. We're here to help you figure out not just size, but your bottle type, style, and even color, for whatever your needs may be. If you have any more questions about essential oils bottles or essential oil dilutions, be sure to reach out! And if you found this information helpful, be sure to check out the rest of our bottles and products for your next shipment.