Wet weight

Wet weight — also fresh weight or green weight — is the mass of inflorescence, or whole-plant biomass, measured immediately post-harvest, before drying. Cannabis flower at harvest typically contains 70–80% water by mass, so wet weight substantially overstates marketable product (Rodriguez-Morrison et al. 2021; Chandra et al. 2017). Wet weight is used operationally for in-process tracking, seed-to-sale compliance reporting in regulated markets (most U.S. state cannabis regulations require wet-weight capture within a defined window of cutting), and for rough yield forecasting. Because moisture content varies with genotype, irrigation state at cut, and trim protocol, wet weight is not a reliable basis for potency-normalized yield comparisons; peer-reviewed cannabis agronomy studies therefore report results on a dry-weight basis (Rodriguez-Morrison et al. 2021; Caplan et al. 2017a, b; Backer et al. 2019). Etymology: descriptive horticultural usage. Synonyms/slang: fresh weight, green weight, FW. → See also: Dry weight, Harvest, Yield, Pound, Seed-to-sale (Industry).