5-hour Energy (regular) vs Red Bull vs brewed coffee: which has more caffeine?

5-hour Energy (regular) has the most caffeine of the three: 200mg per 1.93 oz shot, against 95mg per 8 oz cup for brewed coffee and 80mg per 8.4 oz can for Red Bull. It also leads per ounce, at roughly 103.6mg to 9.5mg, so the order holds whichever way you count.

5-hour Energy (regular) vs Red Bull vs brewed coffee: the numbers

Sources: 5-hour Energy (regular) is 200mg per 1.93 oz shot per Caffeine Informer (source), and the figure is carried in our 5-hour Energy (regular) guide; Red Bull is 80mg per 8.4 oz can per Caffeine Informer (source), and the figure is carried in our Red Bull guide; brewed coffee is 95mg per 8 oz cup per USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy 171890, 40mg per 100g times 237g (source), and the figure is carried in our the caffeine database.

Why the three numbers are not measured the same way

Canned drinks list an exact figure because caffeine is a measured ingredient, so the number on the label is the number in the can. Brewed drinks are averages: grind, dose, water temperature and steep time move a cup of coffee or tea by tens of milligrams either way. When you compare across those categories, treat the canned figures as fixed and the brewed ones as a center point with real spread around it.

The three head-to-head pages

Each pairing has its own page with the full math:

• 5-hour Energy (regular) vs Red Bull, head to head
• 5-hour Energy (regular) vs brewed coffee, head to head
• Red Bull vs brewed coffee, head to head

Which one should you pick?

Take Red Bull when you want the smallest dose of the three, brewed coffee when you want a middle number without thinking about it, and 5-hour Energy (regular) when you actually want the 200mg and know how you handle it. If you drink more than one caffeinated thing a day, the useful move is adding the day up against the 400mg reference rather than judging each drink alone.

For context, the FDA cites 400mg of caffeine a day as an amount generally not associated with negative effects in healthy adults. Tolerance and health vary, so treat these numbers as information, not advice.

Related reading

• The verified caffeine database
• Every drink compared: the comparisons index
• Compare any two of 120+ drinks

FAQ

Which has the most caffeine, 5-hour Energy (regular), Red Bull or brewed coffee? 5-hour Energy (regular), at 200mg per 1.93 oz shot. brewed coffee has 95mg per 8 oz cup and Red Bull has 80mg per 8.4 oz can.

Which of the three is strongest per ounce? 5-hour Energy (regular), at about 103.6mg per fluid ounce, ahead of brewed coffee at 11.9mg and Red Bull at 9.5mg.

How many 5-hour Energy (regular) servings reach the FDA 400mg reference? About 2.0 of them, at 1.93 oz shot each. The FDA cites 400mg a day as an amount generally not associated with negative effects in healthy adults. This is information, not advice.