Cutoff comparison tool
The same substance is reported against different thresholds depending on which programme is testing you and what they collected. Pick a substance to compare them side by side.
Marijuana (THC)
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | 50 | 15 |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 50 | 15 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 2–4 | 2 |
| At-home test — urine | Commonly 20, 50 or 100 | |
Urine tests measure THCA, a metabolite. Oral fluid measures delta-9 THC, the parent compound — which is why the numbers are not comparable.
Cocaine (benzoylecgonine)
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | 150 | 100 |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 150 | 100 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 15 | 8 |
| At-home test — urine | Varies by product | |
Codeine / morphine
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 2,000 | Codeine 2,000 · morphine 4,000 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 30 | 15 |
| At-home test — urine | Varies by product | |
The morphine confirmatory cutoff is the clearest divergence between the two federal panels: 2,000 under DOT, 4,000 under HHS. Never merge the two tables.
Hydrocodone / hydromorphone
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | 300 | 100 |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 300 | 100 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 30 | 15 |
| At-home test — urine | Varies by product | |
Oxycodone / oxymorphone
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | 100 | 100 |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 100 | 100 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 30 | 15 |
| At-home test — urine | Varies by product | |
6-Acetylmorphine (heroin marker)
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | 10 | 10 |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 10 | 10 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 2–4 | 2 |
| At-home test — urine | Varies by product | |
Phencyclidine (PCP)
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | 25 | 25 |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 25 | 25 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 10 | 10 |
| At-home test — urine | Varies by product | |
Amphetamine / methamphetamine
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | 500 | 250 |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 500 | 250 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 50 | 25 |
| At-home test — urine | Varies by product | |
MDMA / MDA
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | 500 | 250 |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 500 | 250 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 50 | 25 |
| At-home test — urine | Varies by product | |
Fentanyl
| Programme and specimen | Initial test | Confirmatory test |
|---|---|---|
| DOT — urine (49 CFR §40.85) | Not on the panel | Not on the panel |
| HHS federal agency — urine | 1 | 1 |
| HHS federal agency — oral fluid | 2–4 | 1 |
| At-home test — urine | Rare in home tests | |
Fentanyl is on the HHS federal-agency panel but NOT on the DOT panel. A rule to add it to the DOT panel was proposed in September 2025 and has not taken effect.
All figures in nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL). Verified 17 August 2026.
A cutoff is a reporting threshold, not a measure of how much was taken or whether anyone was impaired. Numbers cannot be compared across specimens — substances appear in oral fluid at far lower concentrations than in urine, so the thresholds are scaled to the specimen, not to strictness.
Oral fluid cutoffs are published but not yet usable in a DOT programme: no laboratory is certified to analyse federal oral fluid samples. Sources: 49 CFR §40.85 · HHS Mandatory Guidelines authorised panels · the September 2025 fentanyl proposal. What a cutoff actually means →
Where these numbers come from
The DOT figures are 49 CFR §40.85 as currently in force. The HHS figures are the authorised panels published in the Federal Register. Nothing here is transcribed from a secondary source.
Checked, and dated
Verified on 17 August 2026. §40.85 was last amended in May 2023. If the proposed fentanyl rule is finalised, this table changes the same week.
What a cutoff is not
It is a reporting threshold. It does not measure how much was taken, when, or whether anyone was impaired.
What a cutoff actually means →
