How much caffeine is in Starbucks Cappuccino (Grande)?

Starbucks Cappuccino (Grande) contains 150 mg of caffeine per 473 ml serving. This value comes from USDA FoodData Central for Starbucks beverages and is quoted here as the canonical per-serving figure (USDA FoodData Central: 150 mg per 473 ml).

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that raises alertness and reduces perceived fatigue; this definition is standard in physiology summaries and public health guides (definition: central nervous system stimulant).

At 150 mg in 473 ml, the concentration is about 31.7 mg per 100 ml, calculated as 150 mg ÷ 473 ml × 100 = 31.7 mg per 100 ml (calculation and serving data from USDA FoodData Central: 150 mg, 473 ml).

This 150 mg equals roughly 1.6× a 240 ml cup of drip coffee that we use as the reference point (96 mg per 240 ml); the equivalence 1.6× is calculated as 150 mg ÷ 96 mg = 1.5625 and rounded to 1.6× (TrackCaffeine dataset: drip coffee 96 mg per 240 ml; reference /dataset/).

Practically, a 150 mg dose commonly produces measurable wakefulness within about 15–45 minutes and contributes to sustained alertness for a few hours in typical adults, as summarized in clinical caffeine reviews and patient information (Mayo Clinic caffeine chart; Mayo Clinic).

How long Starbucks Cappuccino (Grande) stays in your system

This page uses a first-order elimination model with a population-average caffeine half-life of 5.7 hours (model parameter: half-life = 5.7 h; TrackCaffeine model, /dataset/).

Using remaining = 150 mg × 0.5^(hours / 5.7), the arithmetic for the Starbucks Cappuccino (Grande) at the times shown is:

3 hours after drinking: 150 mg × 0.5^(3 / 5.7) = 150 mg × 0.6938 ≈ 104.1 mg remaining (calculation based on half-life 5.7 h; model and numbers: TrackCaffeine /dataset/).

6 hours after drinking: 150 mg × 0.5^(6 / 5.7) = 150 mg × 0.4818 ≈ 72.3 mg remaining (calculation based on half-life 5.7 h; model and numbers: TrackCaffeine /dataset/).

9 hours after drinking: 150 mg × 0.5^(9 / 5.7) = 150 mg × 0.3348 ≈ 50.2 mg remaining (calculation based on half-life 5.7 h; model and numbers: TrackCaffeine /dataset/).

12 hours after drinking: 150 mg × 0.5^(12 / 5.7) = 150 mg × 0.2328 ≈ 34.9 mg remaining (calculation based on half-life 5.7 h; model and numbers: TrackCaffeine /dataset/).

If a person drinks this cappuccino at 15:00, the model predicts about 104 mg at 18:00, about 72 mg at 21:00, about 50 mg at 00:00, and about 35 mg at 03:00 (times and amounts computed from 150 mg dose with half-life 5.7 h; model: TrackCaffeine /dataset/). For interactive timing tailored to body weight or other parameters, see the half-life calculator at /tools/caffeine-calculator/ and the bedtime timing tool at /tools/last-cup-before-bed/ (tools on TrackCaffeine).

One Starbucks Cappuccino (Grande) supplies 150 mg of caffeine, which is 38% of the 400 mg/day guidance for healthy adults, cited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (150 mg is 38% of 400 mg; FDA guidance: 400 mg/day for healthy adults; https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much).

Because 400 mg ÷ 150 mg = 2.66, two full 150 mg cappuccinos equal 300 mg and leave room under the 400 mg ceiling, whereas three full 150 mg servings would total 450 mg and exceed the FDA 400 mg guidance (calculation and FDA guidance: 400 mg/day; USDA per-serving value: 150 mg).

For sleep timing, research shows that large caffeine doses many hours before bed can impair sleep: a randomized study found that 400 mg six hours before bedtime reduced total sleep time by over an hour compared with placebo (Drake et al. 2013); using that context, 150 mg six hours before bedtime would be less disruptive than 400 mg but still leaves a substantive residual (study: Drake et al. 2013, J Clin Sleep Med 2013; data modeled with half-life 5.7 h; TrackCaffeine /dataset/).

Pregnancy guidance is more restrictive: the European Food Safety Authority recommends a maximum of 200 mg/day during pregnancy (EFSA Scientific Opinion on the Safety of Caffeine, 2015: 200 mg/day pregnancy recommendation), so a single 150 mg cappuccino uses about 75% of that 200 mg pregnancy limit (calculation: 150 mg ÷ 200 mg = 0.75; EFSA 2015).

Adolescents and people with caffeine sensitivity should use lower limits and seek clinician guidance; our safe daily limit tool can compute limits by body weight at /tools/safe-daily-limit/ (tool and dataset: TrackCaffeine).

Within the Starbucks category, the Cappuccino (Grande) at 150 mg sits in the lower middle of the espresso-and-milk drinks: it contains the same listed caffeine as a Caffè Latte (150 mg) and a Caramel Macchiato (150 mg), while it has substantially less caffeine than Pike Place Brewed (310 mg) and less than a Caffè Americano (225 mg), according to TrackCaffeine dataset figures (TrackCaffeine data pages: Pike Place Brewed 310 mg and Caffè Americano 225 mg; see Pike Place 310 mg and Americano 225 mg).

Compared with the standard drip coffee reference of 96 mg per 240 ml, this Cappuccino delivers about 1.6× the caffeine of that drip cup (150 mg ÷ 96 mg = 1.56, rounded to 1.6×; reference drip coffee 96 mg per 240 ml; TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/).

If a consumer’s goal is lower caffeine at Starbucks, choose milk-forward espresso drinks with single shots or a smaller size or consult our comparison tool at /tools/caffeine-comparison/ to view side-by-side amounts for selections in our dataset (tool and dataset: TrackCaffeine).

What changes the number for Starbucks Cappuccino (Grande)

The reported 150 mg is for a standard Starbucks Cappuccino (Grande) 473 ml serving as listed in USDA FoodData Central (USDA FoodData Central: 150 mg per 473 ml).

What can change that 150 mg number: cup size, number of espresso shots, the espresso roast used, and whether a decaffeinated espresso or blend is used; each of these factors alters the mg without changing the recipe label (mechanism: espresso shot content and serving size variability; TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/).

For direct comparisons within Starbucks drinks, these exact dataset figures show how variant selection matters: Pike Place Brewed (Grande) is 310 mg, Caffè Latte (Grande) is 150 mg, Caffè Americano (Grande) is 225 mg, Flat White (Grande) is 195 mg, Caffè Mocha (Grande) is 175 mg, Caramel Macchiato (Grande) is 150 mg, and Cold Brew (Grande) is 205 mg (TrackCaffeine data pages: Pike Place Brewed 310 mg, Caffè Latte 150 mg, Caffè Americano 225 mg, Flat White 195 mg, Caffè Mocha 175 mg, Caramel Macchiato 150 mg, Cold Brew 205 mg).

Size changes are linear for straightforward recipes: a smaller 355 ml or larger 591 ml cup will roughly scale the total mg up or down proportional to volume if the shot count and brew strength stay the same (mechanism: proportional scaling with volume; TrackCaffeine recipe model /dataset/).

• Extra shots or a different espresso blend will add discrete increments: a Blonde Espresso shot is listed as 85 mg per 30 ml in our dataset, so adding one extra Blonde espresso shot (85 mg) would raise a 150 mg cappuccino to 235 mg (TrackCaffeine data: Blonde Espresso shot 85 mg; Blonde Espresso 85 mg).

Decaffeinated options reduce caffeine but are not zero; for Starbucks decaf numbers see our decaf guide for measured values and caveats (see How Much Caffeine is in Starbucks Decaf Coffee? and TrackCaffeine dataset /dataset/ for measurement methodology).

Where this figure comes from

The 150 mg figure for Starbucks Cappuccino (Grande) is taken from USDA FoodData Central entries for Starbucks prepared beverages and is the primary lab-based source we use for per-serving values (USDA FoodData Central: product entry for Starbucks Cappuccino 150 mg per 473 ml).

Published values can differ because of sample selection, brew strength, espresso shot size and roast, and analytical method; if Starbucks changes its shot size, uses a different espresso blend, or if new laboratory analyses appear in USDA or other official records, we will update this page and the open dataset at /dataset/ (change triggers: updated USDA data or new lab analyses; TrackCaffeine /dataset/).

Bottom line

Bottom line: a Starbucks Cappuccino (Grande) contains 150 mg of caffeine per 473 ml serving (USDA FoodData Central: 150 mg per 473 ml), which is about 31.7 mg per 100 ml (calculation from USDA per-serving data) and equals roughly 1.6× a 240 ml drip coffee with 96 mg (TrackCaffeine dataset: drip coffee 96 mg per 240 ml; /dataset/).

This single 150 mg cup is 38% of the FDA’s 400 mg/day guidance for healthy adults (38% = 150 mg ÷ 400 mg; FDA guidance: 400 mg/day), and the TrackCaffeine half-life model with a 5.7 h population half-life predicts about 104 mg remaining after 3 h, 72 mg after 6 h, 50 mg after 9 h, and 35 mg after 12 h (calculations using 150 mg dose and half-life 5.7 h; TrackCaffeine model /dataset/).