The 5 panel is the closest thing workplace drug testing has to a standard, because it is the panel the federal testing rules specify. Everything else in the market is defined by reference to it. This page sets out exactly which five groups it covers, why those five, what the instant and laboratory versions differ on, and the significant things it does not detect.
The five groups
Amphetamines, which covers amphetamine and methamphetamine and in federal testing also MDMA. Cocaine metabolites. Opiates, meaning codeine, morphine and the heroin metabolite, with federal testing also covering certain semi-synthetic opioids. Phencyclidine. And cannabinoids, meaning the marijuana metabolite. Those are the groups specified for federally regulated testing, at cutoff levels set for both the initial screen and the confirmation, and a private employer buying a 5 panel is normally buying the same analyte list without the federal procedural framework around it.
Why those five, and what it means
The list is the product of a long federal regulatory process and reflects both prevalence and the availability of reliable, defensible testing methods. That history is exactly why the 5 panel is the sensible default for an unregulated employer too: the cutoff levels are settled, laboratories are set up for it, Medical Review Officer practice is well established, and a result is straightforward to defend. It also stays almost entirely out of prescription territory, which is what keeps a 5 panel programme simple to run compared with a wider one.
Instant versus laboratory
An instant or rapid 5 panel is a point of collection device giving a preliminary reading at the site, which is useful for volume hiring where most results are negative. What it cannot produce is a defensible positive. Any non-negative on an instant device has to go to a laboratory for confirmatory analysis and then to a Medical Review Officer before it means anything, so treating an instant non-negative as a result is one of the more expensive mistakes available. Regulated testing does not use instant devices for the laboratory-based programme at all.
What it does not cover
Alcohol, which is not on any standard drug panel and requires a separate breath or saliva test measuring current concentration rather than past use. Benzodiazepines, barbiturates, methadone, buprenorphine and most prescription opioids, all of which sit on wider panels. Synthetic cannabinoids and most novel psychoactive substances, which need specific analytes. And it does not measure impairment: a positive result indicates use within a detection window, which is a different statement from being under the influence at work.
Questions people ask about 5 panel drug screen
What does a 5 panel drug test screen for?
Amphetamines, cocaine metabolites, opiates, phencyclidine and cannabinoids. Those are the federally specified groups, tested at set cutoff levels for both the screen and the confirmation.
Does a 5 panel test for alcohol?
No. Alcohol is not on any standard drug panel. It requires a separate breath or saliva test that measures current concentration rather than past use.
Is a 5 panel a urine test?
Normally yes. Urine is the standard specimen for workplace testing and the only one authorised for most federally regulated testing, with oral fluid authorised in defined circumstances.
What is an instant 5 panel?
A point of collection device giving a preliminary reading at the site. A negative is useful immediately; a non-negative must go to a laboratory for confirmation and Medical Review Officer review before it means anything.