Types of Cannabis Concentrates: Shatter, Wax, Live Resin, Rosin, Diamonds, and More
Written by Lia Thompson, packaging specialist at Creative Labz. Last updated October 4, 2026.
Walk into any dispensary and the concentrate case can look like a foreign language: shatter, badder, crumble, sauce, diamonds, live rosin. They're all concentrated forms of the cannabinoids and terpenes found in the plant, but they differ in how they're made, what they look like, how they're used, and how they should be packaged.
This guide breaks down the main types of cannabis concentrates, how to tell them apart, and which containers work best for each.
Solvent vs. Solventless Concentrates
Concentrates fall into two broad groups:
- Solvent-based concentrates are extracted with a solvent such as butane, propane, CO2, or ethanol, which is then purged out. Shatter, wax, budder, crumble, most live resin, sauce, diamonds, and distillate are usually made this way.
- Solventless concentrates use only heat, pressure, water, ice, or sifting. Rosin, bubble hash, and kief fall in this group.
The final texture usually comes from what happens after extraction: how the extract is purged, whipped, or left to crystallize.
Types of Cannabis Concentrates at a Glance
| Type | Texture | Made with | Best packaging |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shatter | Hard, glassy, translucent | Solvent | Extract envelope |
| Wax | Soft, opaque, waxy | Solvent | Glass jar |
| Budder / badder | Creamy, whipped | Solvent | Glass jar |
| Crumble | Dry, crumbly | Solvent | Glass jar |
| Live resin | Sappy to buttery | Usually solvent, from fresh-frozen plants | Glass jar |
| Sauce and diamonds | Crystals in terpene-rich liquid | Solvent | Glass jar with a tight lid |
| Rosin / live rosin | Sappy to buttery | Solventless (heat and pressure) | Glass jar |
| Distillate | Thick, clear oil | Solvent, then refined | Glass syringe or vape cartridge |
| Hash and kief | Powdery to pressed | Solventless | Glass jar |
Shatter
Shatter is hard, glass-like, and usually amber and translucent. It snaps when you break it. Because it's stable and easy to portion, it's often sold in slabs. Shatter keeps best flat and away from heat, which is why it's commonly packaged in extract envelopes.
Wax, Budder, Badder, and Crumble
These all start as similar extracts. Whipping or agitating the extract during purging creates an opaque, softer product:
- Wax is soft and pliable, a bit like lip balm.
- Budder and badder are whipped into a creamy, cake-frosting texture.
- Crumble is drier and breaks apart easily, which makes it easy to sprinkle.
All of them are easiest to scoop from a wide-mouth glass concentrate jar.
Live Resin
Most concentrates are made from dried, cured plant material. Live resin is made from plants frozen right after harvest. Skipping drying and curing preserves more of the plant's terpenes, so live resin is known for strong aroma and flavor. It ranges from sappy to buttery and is usually sold in glass jars or used in cartridges.
Sauce and Diamonds
When an extract is left to separate, THCA can form crystals called diamonds, surrounded by a terpene-rich liquid called sauce. They're often sold together. Because sauce is runny, it needs a jar with a tight-sealing lid, and storing it cool slows further separation.
Rosin and Live Rosin
Rosin is made by pressing flower, hash, or kief between heated plates, with no solvents at all. Live rosin is pressed from hash made from fresh-frozen plants. Solventless products are popular with customers who want a minimally processed concentrate, and they're usually packaged in glass jars.
Distillate
Distillate is a highly refined oil, processed to isolate a single cannabinoid such as THC. It's usually clear to golden, has little natural flavor, and is the base for many vape cartridges and edibles. Terpenes are often added back for flavor. Distillate is commonly packaged in glass applicator syringes or filled into vape cartridges.
Hash and Kief
Kief is the loose, powdery trichomes that fall off cannabis, often collected in a grinder. Hash is trichomes pressed together. Bubble hash is made by separating trichomes with ice water. These are some of the oldest concentrates and are stored much like flower, in a sealed glass jar away from heat and light.
Packaging and Storing Concentrates
Whatever the type, concentrates keep best cool, dark, and sealed. Glass is the standard because it doesn't react with oils and seals tightly. Add tamper-evident inliners for a tighter seal on larger jars. For more, read:
- How to Store Cannabis Concentrates
- Best Containers for Cannabis Concentrates
- Packaging Considerations for Different Types of Concentrate
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between live resin and rosin?
Live resin is usually made with a solvent from fresh-frozen plants. Rosin is made without solvents, using heat and pressure. Live rosin combines both ideas: it's solventless and made from fresh-frozen material.
Why does my shatter turn cloudy or sugary?
Heat, moisture, and time can cause shatter to "sugar" or lose its clarity. Storing it cool and flat slows this down.
Which concentrates are solventless?
Rosin, live rosin, bubble hash, dry-sift hash, and kief.
Package Every Type of Concentrate
Creative Labz carries child-resistant glass jars, extract envelopes, glass syringes, vape cartridges, and labels. Browse our full concentrate packaging collection.