# Solventless

> Solventless describes cannabis concentrates made only by mechanical or physical separation, using screens, ice water, heat or pressure, without chemical solvents.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/solventless.html
- Also written: solventless concentrate, solventless extract, solvent-free, mechanical separation, non-solvent
- Glossary category: Processing · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

A solventless product is separated from the plant without dissolving it in a chemical solvent. The methods are mechanical: dry sieving ([kief](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/kief.md), dry sift), agitation in ice water ([bubble hash](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bubble-hash.md)), hand-rubbing ([charas](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/charas.md)), and heat-and-pressure pressing ([rosin](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/rosin.md)). Water and ice are used in ice water hash, but water doesn't dissolve [cannabinoids](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md), so the industry counts those products as solventless.

## In practice

Solventless products include kief, dry sift, ice water hash, full melt, [temple balls](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/temple-ball.md), pressed hash, rosin and live rosin. Their appeal is simplicity and the absence of residual solvent risk, and many consumers prefer them on taste. Quality still varies widely; solventless doesn't automatically mean clean, potent or free of microbial or pesticide contamination, which come from the starting material. Russo et al. (2021) is one of few peer-reviewed studies on [fresh-frozen](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/fresh-frozen.md) solventless methods.

## Don't confuse with

- **Solvent-based extract**: uses butane, propane, ethanol, CO2 or similar.
- **Solvent-free (marketing)**: occasionally misused for purged [solvent extracts](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/solvent-based-extract.md), which are not solventless.

## Related terms

[Kief](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/kief.md), [Bubble hash](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/bubble-hash.md), [Rosin](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/rosin.md), [Live rosin](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/live-rosin.md), [Solvent-based extract](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/solvent-based-extract.md), [Hash](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hash.md)

## Sources

1. Russo EB, Plumb J, Whiteley VL. 2021. Novel solventless extraction technique to preserve cannabinoid and terpenoid profiles of fresh cannabis inflorescence. Molecules 26(18):5496. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26185496
2. Clarke RC. 1998. Hashish! Red Eye Press, Los Angeles (updated edition 2010).