Free Shipping on Orders Over $49

CBD Extraction Methods & Processes, Explained

Generally speaking, the best CBD extraction method is supercritical CO2 extraction because it produces extremely potent and safe-to-consume CBD products.

Whether you’re a long-time hemp enthusiast or a first-time cannabidiol (CBD) user, you might be wondering how exactly CBD is extracted. Though it’s naturally occurring in the hemp plant, CBD has to be chemically extracted to be used in products. 

The extraction process is what makes or breaks a CBD product. “Naturally occurring” doesn’t mean anything if the final extract is full of harmful chemicals or isn’t potent.

Generally speaking, the best CBD extraction method is supercritical CO2 extraction because it produces extremely potent and safe-to-consume CBD products consistently and economically.

However, you can’t do CO2 extraction at home because of the equipment it requires – and it’s not necessarily the best extraction method for making every type of CBD or cannabinoid product. 

So in this article, we’re going to cover the five main CBD extraction methods. We’ll also discuss what happens before and after CBD is extracted. 

Natural Ways CBD tincture against blue sky background

How Is CBD Made?

CBD (cannabidiol) is not made; it is a naturally occurring cannabinoid in the cannabis sativa plant. However, it has to be extracted before it can be turned into oils, gummies, and other products. 

The CBD used in most products on the market (including ours) is extracted from hemp, a variant of cannabis sativa that contains less than 0.3% THC by dry weight. 

Hemp and extracts derived from it are legal on a federal level; extracts from cannabis over the 0.3% THC limit are illegal. 

Why Does CBD Need to be Extracted?

There are over 100 naturally occurring cannabinoids in hemp. Although CBD is one of the most abundant, it’s still only a small part of the hemp plant — research shows total CBD content is just 6-7% in most legal hemp strains.

Because of this, CBD has to be isolated from the other components of the hemp plant and extracted so it can be concentrated in large enough amounts to make potent, effective products. 

What Happens Before CBD is Extracted?

Before CBD is extracted and made into products, the hemp plant has to go through a journey of its own:

  • Hemp seeds are planted and undergo germination, in which the roots emerge from the seed and the plant starts to grow out of the soil
  • The hemp is transplanted twice to larger beds as it grows
  • The hemp is then harvested and lab-tested by a 3rd-party laboratory to ensure it doesn’t contain more than 0.3% THC (per the Farm Bill)
  • If the hemp passes the lab testing successfully, it is dried and sent to be processed

At a glance, that’s how hemp goes from a tiny seed to a plant that can then have CBD extracted from it using various methods.

The 5 Main CBD Extraction Methods Explained

There are five main CBD extraction methods:

  1. CO2 extraction
  2. Ethanol/solvent extraction
  3. Oil extraction
  4. Steam distillation
  5. Dry ice extraction

The first two methods, CO2 and ethanol extraction, are the most commonly used in the CBD industry because they’re the safest and most effective.

Oil extraction is a do-it-yourself extraction method used by people who want to make CBD oil at home. 

Steam distillation is another method sometimes used in the CBD industry, although it’s far less common than CO2 or ethanol methods. 

Dry ice extraction is used primarily to make THC-rich smokable products, although it can be used to extract elements from CBD-rich hemp plants, too.

1. CO2 Extraction

CO2 extraction uses carbon dioxide (CO2) to separate the oil containing CBD and other cannabinoids from the rest of the hemp plant. 

It’s one of the most commonly used methods in the CBD industry, and it’s also used for making beer.

There are two types of CO2 extraction — supercritical and subcritical.

Supercritical vs. Subcritical CO2

At normal temperatures, CO2 is a gas. However, when heated above its critical temperature of 31.10 Celsius and pressurized past its critical pressure of 1,071 psi, CO2 assumes the properties of both a liquid and a gas. 

Carbon dioxide in this state is known as supercritical CO2.

Subcritical CO2, on the other hand, is heated until it assumes liquid properties, but not to the point that it begins to assume gaseous properties.

Both types of CO2 can be used to extract CBD.

How it Works

The CO2 extraction method involves transferring carbon dioxide between chambers to achieve the proper reaction with the hemp plant. 

It’s the same process for both types of CO2, but we’ll use supercritical for this example:

  1. One chamber holds pressurized supercritical CO2 and the other chamber holds hemp biomass.
  2. The CO2 is pumped into the chamber containing the hemp biomass. The supercritical CO2 breaks the hemp into two things: oil and plant material.
  3. The CO2 and oil (but not the other plant matter) are pumped into yet another chamber. The CO2 gas evaporates, leaving pure CBD extract behind.

Pros of Supercritical CO2 Extraction

  • It produces extremely potent extracts
  • It doesn’t rely on harmful chemical solvents
  • It produces a safe, effective product

Cons of Supercritical CO2 Extraction

  • It can be hard on the hemp plant and destroy terpenes and other delicate constituents in hemp

Pros of Subcritical CO2 Extraction

  • It, too, produces a very clean and safe product
  • It is better than supercritical extraction at preserving delicate hemp constituents

Cons of Subcritical CO2 Extraction

  • It produces much less potent extracts than supercritical CO2 extraction, as well as other methods such as ethanol extraction

2. Ethanol Extraction

In ethanol extraction, the hemp plant is submerged in ethanol to extract the CBD from it. Ethanol is the scientific name for alcohol – the same alcohol in beer or wine. 

Like CO2 extraction, ethanol extraction is commonly used in the CBD industry and is reputed for the quality of extracts it produces.

How it Works

The ethanol extraction process happens in three primary steps: extraction, evaporation, and distillation:

  1. Ethanol and hemp biomass are cooled to near-freezing temperatures and mixed. Once mixed, ethanol, which is a polar solvent, “pulls” the cannabinoids and terpenes from the plant.
  2. The mixture is placed in a vacuum and heat is applied, which boils off the ethanol. This leaves a crude oil product containing cannabinoids but at low potency.
  3. Heat and the vacuum are applied again, this time to a greater degree. This targets the cannabinoids (rather than the ethanol, as in the first application) to separate and refine them. After this step, you’re left with the final extract.

Pros of Ethanol Extraction

  • It produces a safe-to-consume, high-quality product
  • Ethanol is a natural solvent
  • It’s environmentally friendly — the ethanol used in extraction equipment can be re-used for future extractions to reduce the system’s ecological footprint

Cons of Ethanol Extraction

  • It’s more costly to operate than CO2 extraction due to energy, testing, and solvent changeover cost, as well as solvent loss — the practical implication for consumers is that ethanol-extracted CBD will cost more
  • Since ethanol is a polar solvent, it can absorb the naturally occurring chlorophyll in the hemp plant, and this compound isn’t always filtered out. Chlorophyll is necessary for the growth of hemp, but it can make for bad-tasting extracts if it’s not removed

3. Oil Extraction

Oil extraction is a method favored by DIY enthusiasts who want to make CBD oil in the comfort of their own homes.

While oil extraction is perfect for at-home use, it isn’t used at a large scale in the CBD industry because it can’t reliably produce high-quality extracts.

How it Works

Here’s how oil extraction works:

  1. CBD-rich hemp buds are ground into a fine powder. This ensures that when they’re heated in the oil, they will be decarboxylated (converted from CBDa into CBD). 
  2. The buds are heated in a 50/50 mixture of water and vegetable oil, typically olive oil. The heating starts at a lower temperature and progresses to a boil, then stays there for 50-60 minutes.
  3. The oil is done and can be cooled and put into jars. 

Pros of Oil Extraction

  • It can be done at home
  • It’s safe
  • It produces a good-tasting extract

Cons of Oil Extraction

  • The lack of specialized equipment used means that the final extract will be very inconsistent in its CBD content, terpene content, taste, etc.
  • It produces an unfiltered extract — you’ll have to deal with bits of flower powder in the oil
  • It produces a much less potent extract than methods using specialized equipment

4. Steam Distillation

Steam distillation uses hot water to evaporate CBD oil from the hemp plant, then cool water to condense it into oil.

Steam distillation produces pure and safe CBD products, but it isn’t commonly used because it requires much more hemp than other methods to produce the same amount of extract.

How it Works

Steam distillation relies on the evaporation, then condensation of CBD oil:

  1. Hemp is placed in a two-part chamber with distilled water below.
  2. The water is boiled and passes steam through the hemp biomass, causing the oil in the hemp to rise to the top of the chamber along with the steam. 
  3. The oil-water steam mixture is passed through a cold chamber, which causes it to condense into liquid.
  4. The condensed mixture is put into a chamber with water, where the oil and water naturally separate. 
  5. The water is drained into a separate chamber, leaving the CBD oil. 

Pros of Steam Distillation

  • It produces very pure, safe extracts

Cons of Steam Distillation

  • Steam distillation requires more hemp than other methods to produce the same amount of CBD

5. Dry Ice Extraction

Dry ice extraction uses dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) to freeze the cannabinoid-rich resin glands (trichomes) in hemp, which separates them from the rest of the plant. Then, the trichomes can be shaken loose from the rest of the plant.  

Dry ice extraction yields a solid, rather than a liquid product. As such, it’s generally used to make smokable products, rather than oils.

How it Works

Dry ice extraction involves drawing trichomes out of the hemp, then filtering them into a separate container:

  1. Dry ice is broken into small pieces and added to a bucket containing hemp trim. 
  2. The dry ice and hemp trim are mixed for 2-3 minutes, allowing the dry ice to freeze the trichomes, which then causes them to separate from the rest of the plant. 
  3. The mixture is dumped into a bubble bag and shaken, allowing the trichomes to sift through into another container. 
  4. The resulting mixture, hash, is a high-potency solid extract that can be used to make various products. 

Pros of Dry Ice Extraction

  • It’s easy to do at home

Cons of Dry Ice Extraction

  • Dry ice extraction is inefficient on a large scale

Which CBD Extraction Method is the Best?

There is no “best” CBD extraction method because each method is effective for a specific purpose. 

When it comes to crafting safe, high-potency products, however, supercritical CO2 extraction is the best. No other extraction method provides the same level of safety, potency, and efficiency.

Ethanol extraction comes close, but it’s more expensive. 

CO2 extraction is also the safest method, as there is less potential for things to go wrong with CO2 extraction than with other methods.

The only concern with supercritical CO2 extraction is that it can be harsh on hemp’s delicate constituents, but this can be avoided if the extraction is performed carefully.

For at-home use, the best CBD extraction method is oil extraction — oil extraction is really the only safe way to extract CBD at home, and it produces a safe, good-tasting product. We do not recommend you attempt any other method without the training, facilities, and permits required. 

What Happens After the CBD is Extracted?

After CBD is extracted using one of the methods above, it has to go through a few more steps to end up in CBD products:

  1. It’s distilled — though we mentioned this before with some of the methods, it’s a critical step of the preparation process. Distillation removes wax, lipids, and chlorophyll that get extracted along with the CBD.
  2. It’s made into CBD tinctures — once the CBD has been extracted in its purest form, it’s combined with:
    • Carrier oil — typically MCT oil or coconut oil. Carrier oil is a healthy fat, which your body requires in order to absorb CBD.
    • Flavoring — can be natural or artificial.
    • Terpenes — natural compounds in the hemp plant that enhance the flavor and effect of CBD. Some tinctures have terpenes included in the initial extract, while others have them added afterward.
    • Other cannabinoids — if the product is going to predominantly feature more than one cannabinoid (e.g. CBD and CBG together), multiple extracts can be combined into one product.
  3. It’s made into other products — products such as gummies, softgels, or drinks require varying processes, but they all begin with distilled hemp extract(s).
  4. The products are tested — products are batch-tested to ensure they’re safe and potent.

Types of CBD Extract

The CBD extract that you’ll find in products comes in a few different forms:

  • Full Spectrum CBD — CBD along with other naturally occurring cannabinoids (including up to 0.3% THC) and terpenes in the hemp plant.
  • Broad Spectrum CBD — the same as full-spectrum CBD, but with the THC removed.
  • CBD Isolate — only CBD, with no other cannabinoids or terpenes.

To produce these various types of extract, specific modifications are made to the CBD extraction methods covered above.

In some cases, this is done by changing pressure and temperature, and in other cases, multiple extractions are performed on the same biomass.

CBD gummies for sleep

Conclusion: Why Should You Care About CBD Extraction Methods?

It might seem that CBD extraction is something that only manufacturers and CBD companies need to care about. 

But since the extraction method used affects the final product, it’s worth learning about how CBD is extracted if you’re going to be consuming these products.

Generally, CO2 extraction is the safest, most effective extraction method. Most CBD products (including ours) are made using this method. 

However, other extraction methods are better in certain situations. Dry ice extraction is favored when extracting resin, while oil extraction is the best method to use if you want to try making CBD oil at home. 

CBD Extraction Methods: Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions we commonly get about CBD extraction methods. 

What is CBD, and how is it extracted?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a naturally occurring cannabinoid in the cannabis sativa plant. CBD can be extracted using several different methods, including CO2 extraction and ethanol extraction.

Which CBD extraction method is the best?

Different CBD extraction methods are best in specific situations and for making different kinds of products. However, the method that most consistently and economically produces safe, potent products is the supercritical CO2 extraction method. 

What are the methods of cannabinoid extraction?

There are five main methods of cannabinoid extraction: CO2 extraction, ethanol extraction, oil extraction, steam distillation, and dry ice extraction.

What is the solvent used in CBD extraction?

Several solvents may be used in solvent-based CBD extraction, however, the most common is ethanol (alcohol). 

Is CBD oil extracted from seeds?

CBD is not extracted from the hemp seeds, but rather from the leaves, stalks, and flowers of the hemp plant. However, hemp seed oil, a common carrier oil in CBD products, is extracted from hemp seeds.