Short answer
Hemp biomass for extraction is usually priced per percentage point of cannabinoid per pound: multiply the lab-tested cannabinoid percentage by the agreed price per point. At $1 per point, a pound of 20% material costs $20. Flower and whole-plant material are often priced per pound by grade instead. For the 2025 crop, USDA reported average prices for floral hemp of $3.70/lb dried, $7.05/lb bucked and $70.50/lb hand trimmed.
Note (Oct 2026): the federal definition of hemp changes on December 11, 2026. Total THC, including THCA, will count, and finished hemp products with more than 0.4 mg total THC per container will no longer be hemp. What changes in each state
Dr. Jon explains the method buyers and sellers used to quote extraction biomass: dollars per percentage point per pound. You need a recent lab test (COA) to know the percentage.
Price per pound = cannabinoid % × price per percentage point
20% material × $1 per point = $20 per pound
10% material × $5 per point = $50 per pound
The examples use the numbers from Dr. Jon’s interview, recorded in 2021. The method still explains how many contracts are written; the price per point is whatever buyer and seller agree today.
| Floral hemp grown in the open, by type | 2024 ($/lb) | 2025 ($/lb) |
|---|---|---|
| Dried | 4.29 | 3.70 |
| Bucked | 4.06 | 7.05 |
| Hand trimmed | 66.90 | 70.50 |
| Extracted | 22.80 | 35.80 |
| All floral hemp in the open | 19.10 | 19.30 |
These are national averages across very different products and qualities. Your price depends on the factors below.
In 2021 Dr. Jon put shucked and bucked hemp flower at around $200 per pound, with premium cannabis flower at $400 to $500 or more, and ground whole-plant hemp at about $30 to $50 per pound. He noted that hemp prices had already dropped from a few years earlier, when material could fetch up to $5 per point per pound, because so many more people were growing. Compare those 2021 figures with the USDA averages above before you rely on them.
For processors, Dr. Jon’s point about online calculators applies both ways: work out what a lot will yield before you agree the price per point. Our guide to CBD extraction methods covers how recovery differs by method.
Biomass sold for extraction is often priced by cannabinoid content: a set number of dollars per percentage point of cannabinoid per pound. Smokable flower and whole-plant material are usually priced per pound by grade instead.
You multiply the lab-tested cannabinoid percentage by the agreed price per point. At $1 per point per pound, a pound of 20% material costs $20. At $5 per point, a pound of 10% material costs $50.
It varies by type, quality and year. For the 2025 crop, USDA reported average prices for floral hemp grown in the open of $3.70 per pound dried, $7.05 bucked, $70.50 hand trimmed and $35.80 extracted. In his 2021 interview Dr. Jon quoted $30 to $50 per pound for ground whole-plant hemp, prices that have since fallen.
In 2021 Dr. Jon put it down to supply: many more people were growing hemp, and he expected prices to fall until they leveled out.
Yes. From December 11, 2026, hemp is measured by total THC including THCA, at no more than 0.3% on a dry-weight basis. Biomass that passed on delta-9 THC alone may no longer qualify, so check the total-THC result on the COA.
Bucked hemp has had the flowers stripped from the stems; hand-trimmed hemp is flower that has been trimmed by hand for smokable sale. USDA reports them as separate types because they sell at very different prices.
Biomass to isolate, step by step. Dr. Jon’s interview segments on biomass, extraction methods and running an extraction business are part of the Cannabis Extraction Certificate. Or start with the free 10 Tips to Get Started in Extraction.
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