Hub · Test types

Drug test types

Five specimens, five different answers. Urine and oral fluid are federally approved; hair offers a long lookback but is not federally approved; blood is the standard for clinical and forensic contexts; breath is the federally approved alcohol method.

Test type SAMHSA / DOT

Urine

Detection~1–30 days (substance-dependent)

The federally approved gold standard for workplace screening.
Test type SAMHSA / DOT

Saliva

Detection~Hours to ~48 hours

Recent use detection; observed, non-invasive collection.
Test type

Hair

Detection~Up to 90 days (after ~7–10 day delay)

Up to ~90-day lookback; cannot show recent use.
Test type

Blood

Detection~Hours to ~1 day

Best evidence of recent use and active concentration.
Test type SAMHSA / DOT

Breath

Detection~Hours (alcohol only)

The federally approved method for alcohol testing.

How to pick the right specimen

Specimen choice is dictated by three questions: What window do you need to cover? Is the program federally regulated? And does observed collection matter?

  • If the window matters most: Saliva (hours), urine (days), hair (weeks–~90 days). Saliva is best for recent use; urine is the workplace default; hair offers the longest lookback but cannot show recent use.
  • If federal regulation matters: Use urine (or, per the 2023 DOT rule, oral fluid once HHS-certified labs are available). Hair is not federally approved.
  • If observed collection matters: Oral fluid is collected directly; urine is typically unobserved (with split-specimen and dilution checks); hair is observed.