Fingernail Drug Testing

Nail specimens, unlike urine samples, yield information about drug exposure time frames measured in months, rather than days. Drugs can be identified in nail clippings two weeks to four weeks following ingestion. A 3 millimeter specimen of fingernail represents up to eight months of collective history of drug exposure. Urine, on the other hand, for a drug like cocaine, can only yield about three days of prior drug exposure history. Nail testing is available as a 5 or 10 panel.   

Can a nail test be used to prove that a previously taken hair test was inaccurate?

No, the result of any second collected specimen has absolutely no bearing on the validity of the result of any first collected specimen because you have no idea what the donor did between time A and time B.

Will one-time drug use be detected in the Nail testing? How many times would they have to use drugs for it to be detected in nails?

Single doses do not guarantee a positive result. The number of doses required to generate a positive results is highly variable between donors.

What is the window of detection in nail samples?

Drugs can be identified in nails up to eight months after the last usage. Toenail clippings show over one year of drug use.

How much needs to be collected?

The optimum amount of nail clippings needed is 100 milligrams. If trimming all 10 fingernails, each clipping must be at least 2 millimeters to 3 millimeters long.

How do drugs get into nails?

Drugs are distributed via the blood supply to the nail cells and the nail bed. Nails grow not only in length but in thickness as well. As the nail grows in thickness, it creates layers of drug history.

How long does it take to get the results back?

Results can take 3-5 business day after the clippings arrive at the lab.

Is Nail testing good for Marijuana?

Yes, the nail testing is good for THC as opposed to the Hair where it does not bind well.

Drug panels

5-drug panel:

Amphetamines, Methamphetamine/MDMA, Cannabinoids, Cocaine, Opiates, Phencyclidine (PCP)

10-drug panel:

5-drugs plus Benzodiazepines and Barbiturates, Methadone, Propoxyphene


Where can I order a fingernail drug test?

Please call us at 800-989-1206