Shatter

Shatter is a translucent, glass-like, brittle BHO concentrate named for its tendency to shatter at room temperature when handled. It is produced by closed-loop hydrocarbon extraction in which the critical finishing step is a low-temperature, long-duration vacuum purge with minimal agitation, allowing molecules to settle into a uniform, stable, optically clear pattern. Purge temperature runs 95–115°F (35–43°C); colder purges (down to 90°F) yield the clearest shatter but take longer. Vacuum runs at -29.5 to -29.9 inHg (full vacuum), and duration spans 24 to 72+ hours, with some producers running 48–124 hours across multiple flips of the slab.

Finished shatter is translucent with a snap-and-pull to brittle consistency, colored dark amber to bright golden — clearer generally indicates better purging and cleaner source material. Potency runs 70–90% THC, with terpene content of just 1–5%, since most volatile terpenes evaporate during the long, warm purge. ⚠️ Shatter is not inherently more potent than wax or budder — texture does not equate to potency, although the shatter-is-strongest assumption persists in consumer perception. Shatter can also "sugar up" over time, losing its glass-like clarity and developing crystalline texture due to residual lipid content or exposure to light and heat; connoisseurs sometimes consider sugared shatter tastier, while traditionalists view it as a storage defect. → See also: Wax, Crumble, Budder, Sugar, BHO