Caffeine in drinks
How much caffeine is in Milk chocolate?
Data checked against the source on 2026-10-03 by Oleksii Y.
One 1.55 oz bar (44 g) of Milk chocolate has 8.8 mg of caffeine, according to USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central (SR Legacy).
How Milk chocolate compares
- Strength: 20 mg per 100 g.
- One 1.55 oz bar (44 g) has as much caffeine as less than a sixth of a cup of brewed coffee, which has 94.8 mg per 8 fl oz cup.
- Of the 7 other chocolate foods and drinks in our chocolate chart, 3 have more caffeine per serving and 3 have less.
How much will be left at bedtime?
1 × 1.55 oz bar (44 g) of Milk chocolate
Left at 11:00 PM (8 h later), average metabolism
≈ 3 mg
Range 1–5 mg (fast to slow metabolism)
9 mg is already at or under the 50 mg this tool aims to have left at bedtime.
What sleep studies found near this dose
- Gardiner et al. 2025 (randomized trial): In 23 healthy young men, 100 mg taken 12, 8 or 4 hours before bed had no significant effect on measured or self-rated sleep.
- Gardiner et al. 2023 (meta-analysis): To avoid losing sleep time, the authors suggest a coffee (107 mg per 250 ml) at least 8.8 hours before bed.
Estimate from a simple model: half-life of 3, 5 or 8 hours, 50 mg bedtime target. How we calculate
How long does Milk chocolate stay in your system?
Our model halves caffeine every 5 hours for average metabolism, and every 3 or 8 hours for fast or slow metabolism. From one 1.55 oz bar (44 g) of Milk chocolate (9 mg), about 5 mg is still in your body 5 hours later and about 2 mg after 10 hours. If you clear caffeine slowly (an 8-hour half-life), about 4 mg is left after 10 hours.
Estimated caffeine left at 11:00 PM from one 1.55 oz bar (44 g) (9 mg), using a half-life of 5 hours for average metabolism and 3 to 8 hours for the range. How we calculate
| Had at | Left at bedtime (average) | Range |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM (15 h before bed) | ≈ 1 mg | 0–2 mg |
| 12:00 PM (11 h before bed) | ≈ 2 mg | 1–3 mg |
| 3:00 PM (8 h before bed) | ≈ 3 mg | 1–5 mg |
| 6:00 PM (5 h before bed) | ≈ 5 mg | 3–6 mg |
How many fit in a day?
Reference amounts are for caffeine from all sources combined. Counted at the upper end of the stated amount, one serving at a time:
- Up to 400 mg a day for most healthy adults (FDA, EFSA): about 45 servings.
- Up to 200 mg at one time for healthy adults (EFSA): about 22 servings in one go.
- Up to 200 mg a day in pregnancy (EFSA, NHS): about 22 servings.
These are reference amounts for groups of people, not a personal limit. Some people feel jittery or sleep worse on much less. See the cutoff calculator for timing.
Good to know
EFSA lists 10 mg of caffeine for a 50 g bar of milk chocolate.
How the serving amount was worked out: USDA lists 20 mg per 100 g (9 analysed samples); 44 g × 0.20 = 8.8 mg.
Milk chocolate vs other chocolate drinks
- Dark chocolate (70–85% cacao): Milk chocolate has less caffeine than dark chocolate (70–85% cacao) per 100 g (20 vs 80 mg). Milk chocolate: 8.8 mg per 1.55 oz bar (44 g); Dark chocolate (70–85% cacao): 22.7 mg per 1 oz (28.35 g).
- White chocolate: Milk chocolate has more caffeine than white chocolate per 100 g (20 vs 0 mg). Milk chocolate: 8.8 mg per 1.55 oz bar (44 g); White chocolate: 0 mg per 100 g.
- Semisweet chocolate chips: Milk chocolate has less caffeine than semisweet chocolate chips per 100 g (20 vs 62 mg). Milk chocolate: 8.8 mg per 1.55 oz bar (44 g); Semisweet chocolate chips: 9 mg per 1 serving (14.5 g). Per serving the order evens out, because the servings differ in size.
Common questions
How much caffeine is in Milk chocolate?
USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central (SR Legacy) gives 8.8 mg of caffeine per 1.55 oz bar (44 g).
How many Milk chocolate servings can I have in a day?
The FDA and EFSA cite up to 400 mg of caffeine a day, from all sources combined, for most healthy adults. At 8.8 mg per 1.55 oz bar (44 g), that is about 45 servings if Milk chocolate is your only source. In pregnancy the reference is 200 mg a day.
How late can I drink Milk chocolate?
One serving has about 9 mg, which is at or under the 50 mg our calculator aims to have left at bedtime, so it sets no cutoff for a single serving. Several servings add up.
Does Milk chocolate have more caffeine than Dark chocolate (70–85% cacao)?
Milk chocolate has less caffeine than dark chocolate (70–85% cacao) per 100 g (20 vs 80 mg). Milk chocolate: 8.8 mg per 1.55 oz bar (44 g); Dark chocolate (70–85% cacao): 22.7 mg per 1 oz (28.35 g).
How long does Milk chocolate stay in your system?
Of the 9 mg in one 1.55 oz bar (44 g), roughly 5 mg remains after 5 hours and 2 mg after 10 hours with our average 5-hour half-life. From fast to slow metabolism, 10 hours later it is between 1 and 4 mg.
Where the number comes from
- Candies, milk chocolate. USDA Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central (SR Legacy). FDC ID 167587, nutrient "Caffeine" (262): portion "1 bar (1.55 oz)" = 44 g. Accessed 2026-10-02. Source ↗
- Caffeine (topic page). European Food Safety Authority. Table "How much caffeine is there in…", row "A bar of milk chocolate (50g) | 10mg" Accessed 2026-10-02. Source ↗
Recipes and labels change. If a number here no longer matches the label, the label wins.
General information, not medical advice
If you feel unwell after caffeine — for example chest pain, a fast or irregular heartbeat that does not settle, fainting, confusion or trouble breathing — get urgent medical help. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, take medication, or have a heart, liver or anxiety condition, high blood pressure or a sleep disorder, ask a doctor or pharmacist what amount is right for you.
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2024). Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much? FDA Consumer Updates. fda.gov ↗
- European Food Safety Authority. Caffeine | EFSA. EFSA topic page (summary of the 2015 Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine). efsa.europa.eu ↗
- NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy. NHS. nhs.uk ↗
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