About how far along should buds be in week 6 / 8?

Percentage wise?

I see guys with buds the size of their forearms - I've heard that most the growth occurs in the last few weeks, but it's starting to get worrying.

To make it worse, no one ever includes a size reference to their growing pics, so you can't tell whether the buds are huge or the're just really really close.

what you are seeing is pics with good cameras. most pics i take of my buds i use the macro setting. which makes the buds appear a little bigger then they really are. in the magazines and what not i used to read back in the day i used to drool all over the pics. but then when i started growing i realized that isnt always the case. its kinda like trick photography in a way. most buds size depend on many factors, light, strain, medium. but average buds are about 2-3 inches in length and about 2-3 inches in girth. that is bout average. but i have seen many bigger. it depends a lot on your lights. indoor growers get smaller buds generally then outdoor growers. thats the rule of thumb anyways. many factors play out in a grow. what are you looking at? what were your expectations? throw up some pics so we can let you know how your doing. buds swell the last few weeks. maybe you have some late finishers. i have a Skunk plant that is in week 7, and i have other plants that are in week 6. and the Skunk hardly has any frost on it compared to the other plants that have been in there less time. just be patient. one day you will be growing massive colas too. just takes a little time to get it down. topping plants also is a factor. the more you top, the more tops you have, but the less you top, th ebigger your few colas are. usually the side branching is the smaller nugs and your main stalk is the main cola. like a SOG grow.

it is true that buds get bigger in the last few weeks,I notice that my buds dont really get longer but bulk up and get heavy in the last few weeks,this is also strain dependent also not all plants will grow huge buds,I grew some strawberry something (maybe kush?)and it didnt get large colas but did have lots of smaller buds a little bigger than what I would call popcorn bud the genetics play the most important role in the final product and not just with weed with any plant that is grown