Terpene Chart: Aroma, Sources, Boiling Points and Lab Data
Marcos Gabriel MoralesA terpene chart lists the aroma compounds that give cannabis much of its smell. This one has two parts: a reference chart of nine common cannabis terpenes, with aroma, where else each occurs and its boiling point, and a lab chart of our 10 SC Labs tested profiles, so you see real percentages instead of typical ones.
Cannabis terpene chart
Aroma descriptions and natural sources come from The Good Scents Company and FEMA flavor data; formulas and boiling points from PubChem, at normal pressure. The last column is the range we measured across our 10 profiles.
| Terpene (formula) | Aroma | Also found in | Boiling point, °C | Our 10 profiles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| myrcene (C10H16) | herbal, woody and balsamic, with fruity notes | hops, bay leaf, lemongrass, thyme | 166 to 167 | 19.9 to 56.9% |
| limonene (C10H16) | sweet citrus, like orange peel | citrus peel oils (over 90%), bergamot | 175 to 178 | 4.0 to 11.3% |
| terpinolene (C10H16) | fresh pine and citrus, woody and herbal | lime, tea tree, nutmeg, marjoram | 183 to 187 | 0.2 to 32.9% |
| alpha pinene (C10H16) | woody, piney, turpentine like | mastic, cypress, juniper, pine needles, rosemary | 155 to 156 | 2.0 to 8.9% |
| beta pinene (C10H16) | dry woody and resinous pine, hay | fir needles, nutmeg, cumin, black pepper, lemon | 163 to 166 | 1.8 to 4.2% |
| ocimene (C10H16) | green, tropical and woody, floral in flavor | basil, mint, parsley, tarragon, kumquat, mango | about 177 | 0.6 to 11.5% |
| caryophyllene (C15H24) | sweet woody spice, clove, dry | sweet basil, clove, black pepper, cinnamon, ylang ylang | 256 to 259 | 0.6 to 1.8% |
| linalool (C10H18O) | floral and citrus, with a rosewood note | ho leaf, coriander seed, lavender, sweet basil, neroli | 194 to 200 | 0.1 to 0.3% |
| humulene (C15H24) | woody, with a spicy clove note | sage, sweet basil, ylang ylang, hop oil, clove | no reliable figure | 0.2 to 0.6% |
Six of these are monoterpenes, built from 10 carbon atoms. Caryophyllene and humulene are sesquiterpenes, with 15. Linalool is a terpene alcohol (C10H18O). The aroma columns describe each compound on its own; in a real profile they blend. Humulene has no reliable boiling point at normal pressure in the sources we checked, so the chart says so rather than guess. Sources for the last three rows: The Good Scents Company pages for caryophyllene, linalool and humulene; the guides linked above cite the rest.
Terpene chart of our lab tested profiles
SC Labs (ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited) measured 39 terpene compounds by gas chromatography in our February 2026 batches. Values are percent of each sample; the highest value in each column is in bold. Full reports are on our lab results page.
| Profile | Myrcene | Terpinolene | Limonene | Ocimene | Alpha pinene | Beta pinene | Caryophyllene |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberry Guava 2025 (Live) | 56.9% | 0.3% | 4.0% | 0.6% | 8.9% | 4.1% | 0.8% |
| Bubblegum 2025 (Live) | 53.1% | 0.6% | 6.2% | 2.1% | 6.2% | 3.3% | 1.1% |
| Juicy Fruit 2025 (Live) | 48.5% | 0.2% | 6.9% | 11.5% | 3.5% | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| Gummiez 2025 (Live) | 47.1% | 9.6% | 5.6% | 3.2% | 6.2% | 3.5% | 0.6% |
| Durban Poison 2025 (Live) | 46.8% | 4.2% | 6.8% | 9.6% | 3.7% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| Guava Runtz 2026 (Live) | 43.7% | 6.4% | 5.6% | 2.5% | 8.1% | 4.2% | 0.7% |
| Chem Berry 2025 (Live) | 43.4% | 10.0% | 6.7% | 6.2% | 4.2% | 2.9% | 0.9% |
| Starburst 2025 (Live) | 29.0% | 22.0% | 9.1% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 1.2% |
| Pineapple Kush 2025 (Live) | 26.8% | 22.5% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 4.8% | 3.5% | 1.0% |
| Sour Brulee 2025 (Live) | 19.9% | 32.9% | 11.3% | 0.6% | 2.0% | 3.4% | 1.5% |
What the chart shows
- Myrcene leads 9 of 10 profiles, from 26.8% in Pineapple Kush to 56.9% in Strawberry Guava.
- Sour Brulee is the only terpinolene led profile (32.9%); Pineapple Kush and Starburst carry more than 20% terpinolene, second to myrcene.
- Juicy Fruit (11.5%) and Durban Poison (9.6%) are the ocimene rich profiles.
- Strawberry Guava (13.0%) and Guava Runtz (12.3%) carry the most pinene, alpha and beta combined.
- Limonene ranks second to fourth in every profile, 4.0% to 11.3%.
- Caryophyllene, linalool and humulene are minor in all 10, under 2% each.
How to read a terpene chart
Check where the numbers come from. Many charts online list typical terpenes for a strain name, but strain names are not reliably tied to one chemical profile (Smith et al., PLOS ONE, 2022). Batch lab results are the better guide, which is why we publish ours on the lab results page.
Read the leading terpene first. It sets the main aroma, and in 7 of our 10 profiles it is more than 40% of the sample. This chart covers aroma and chemistry only; it does not list effects.
Use the chart to pick a profile
Pick by the terpene you want to lead: open its guide for the full ranking, or start from a strain you know on Find Your Terpene Match. To compare by nose, the Discovery Trio lets you pick any three 3 mL profiles for $139, and US orders of $150 and up ship free. When you are ready to formulate, our guide on how much terpene to add to distillate and the terpene calculator cover the math.
Frequently asked questions
What is a terpene chart?
A table of terpenes with their aroma and properties. Ours covers nine common cannabis terpenes and adds SC Labs percentages for 10 cannabis derived terpene profiles.
What is the most common terpene in cannabis?
In our own tests, myrcene: it led 9 of our 10 profiles. Across cannabis broadly, a 2022 study of more than 41,000 flower samples found most fell into groups high in caryophyllene and limonene or high in myrcene and pinene.
What are the boiling points of cannabis terpenes?
At normal pressure they range from about 155 to 156 °C for alpha pinene to about 256 to 259 °C for caryophyllene. The chart lists each one.
Terpene guides: terpinolene, myrcene, limonene, ocimene, pinene.