How to Pick the Best Capsule Size (with Chart & Calculator)

Choosing the right size capsule may seem like a difficult task, but we’ve made it much simpler with 3 exclusive tools you can use right here in your browser window- no account or logins necessary:

Capsule Size Chart (US Imperial Units) 

• • • This is a simple yet effective table for estimating the size you need with a quick glance. This is the best choice for the majority of people, giving you the quickest result without much effort. However, it gives a range instead of an exact result (see why below the chart). 

[jump to chart]

Capsule Size Calculator 

• • • We've designed this to be as easy to use as possible. However, you'll need a digital scale and tablespoon to weigh your powder. Just plug in the values and it will tell you how much each capsule size will hold of your powder! 

[jump to calculator]

Capsule Formulation Tool 

• • • This is the most advanced tool we've created and is specifically for those who want to make their own supplements with multiple ingredients in each capsule. You can add as many ingredients as you want, and choose their dosages as well. Similar to the Capsule Size Calculator above, it requires you to weigh each ingredient.

[jump to tool]

Capsule Size Chart:

Here's a useful chart we've made to estimate the size you need:

How to Use this Chart:

1. Decide how much powder you want each capsule to hold in grams or milligrams (also called your dosage).
2. Look at the chart under the column titled "Amount of Powder it Can Hold," and find the range that matches your chosen dosage.
3. Follow the row all the way to the left to match the range to your capsule size. If your dosage falls within the range of more than one capsule size, it's generally recommended to choose the larger size.

Notes:

• • The dosage is expressed as a range because every type of powder has a different density (see below for detailed explanation)
  • The most common capsule sizes are #00, followed by #0. Size #00 allows a lot of powder while still being easy to swallow.
  • Size #000 capsules are fairly large, and some people may have trouble swallowing them.
  • Without weighing the powder you plan to encapsulate, it's impossible to be sure the exact dosage each capsule size will hold. However, we do have a list of common supplement powder densities and the amount that fits into each capsule size here. (add link when uploaded).

Why doesn't this chart give me an exact weight!?

This chart shows generally how much weight each capsule size can hold. The reason these numbers vary is because capsules hold a volume (amount of space)… not a weight. The problem is that the amount of powder each capsule size will hold is usually expressed in grams(g) or milligrams(mg)… and that changes depending on the density of that powder.

THE DENSITY PROBLEM

To illustrate the difference between weight and volume, picture a ziplock bag full of feathers and another ziplock bag of the same size filled with sand: 

Both bags hold the same volume: This means they can both hold the same amount of space.
Yet, the full bag of feathers weighs much less than the full bag of sand, despite holding the same volume of each.
Since the sand weighs more than the feathers do with the same volume of each, this means the sand has a higher density than feathers do.

Density is a measurement of how much substance (weight*) fits into an amount of space (volume).

*Note: For the engineers/physics sticklers, Weight is how we measure the mass of an object. Therefore we’ve replaced the term mass with weight, to simplify the meaning.

SUPPLEMENT POWDER DENSITY

In this same way, one powdered ingredient may have a much higher density than another kind of powdered ingredient. A good comparison would be matcha versus creatine powder. Matcha is a fully-dissolvable powder taken from Japanese green tea leaves, while creatine is an isolated chemical substance used to enhance strength training. 

Creatine typically comes in granulated crystal form or a more ground-up powder. Matcha is much lighter than creatine, which is true of most powders derived from plant matter.

This comparison demonstrates an easy general rule for determining whether your powder will be at the higher or lower range of the number of milligrams shown in the capsule-size chart above:

Plant Matter Density Rule

Herbs, botanicals, mushrooms, and other plant matters are generally in the middle to lighter and less dense side of the range
Pure isolated chemical/supplement powders (most commonly white in color) tend to lean toward the heavier, more dense side

But why do we want to know the density? 

Because if we know the density, we know exactly how much any capsule size will hold of your powder!

Calculating Density - Finding How Much Powder Each Capsule Size Holds

Density can be measured by dividing a powder’s weight by its volume. This is usually expressed as grams/milliliters (g/mL). For example, we recently weighed 1 (very tightly packed) teaspoon of a particular type of mushroom powder to be 3.3 grams. Being that 1 teaspoon is equal to 5mL in volume, we can immediately find the density of that mushroom powder by dividing 3 grams by 5 milliliters:

3g/5mL = 0.662g/mL is the density of the mushroom powder

Once we know the density, we can tell exactly how much mushroom powder will fit into each capsule size simply by referring a capsule volume chart like ours here:

With the volume of each size, all we have to do is multiply the density of the mushroom powder by the volume of the capsule size. This will tell you exactly how many grams of mushroom powder that size will hold!

Here’s the calculation for each capsule size using the volume of each capsule body*:
Size 000 (Volume= 1.37mL): 0.662g/mL * 1.37mL = 0.907 grams = 907 milligrams
Size 00 (Volume= .95mL): 0.662g/mL * 0.95mL = 0.629 grams or 629 milligrams
Size 0 (Volume= .68mL): 0.662g/mL * 0.68mL = 0.45 grams or 450 milligrams
Size 1 (Volume= .5mL): 0.662g/mL * 0.5mL = 0.331 grams or 331 milligrams
Size 2 (Volume= .37mL): 0.662g/mL * 0.37mL = 0.245 grams or 245 milligrams
Size 3 (Volume= .3mL): 0.662g/mL * 0.3mL = 0.199 grams or 199 milligrams
Size 4 (Volume= .21mL): 0.662g/mL * 0.21mL = 0.139 grams or 139 milligrams
Size 5 (Volume= .1mL): 0.662g/mL * 0.1mL = 0.066 grams or 66 milligrams

*Note: When filling capsules, you’re only supposed to fill the capsule body (the larger half). This is how capsule-filling machines work, allowing you to be certain of the dosage.

Does this look like a lot of effort?

Well, that's because it is. Which is why we've made it much easier for you with the following two tools...

Capsule Size Calculator:

This calculator will tell you how much powder each capsule size will hold, + or - about 10 milligrams. Follow the instructions on the Capsule Size Calculator page.

Notes:

• This calculator assumes you're only going to fill your capsules with one ingredient. For more than one ingredient, use our capsule formulation tool.
• The accuracy of the calculation depends on the precision of the digital scale used to weigh the powder and the user's technique in measuring.

Open Calculator

Capsule Formulation Tool:

This is a more advanced tool designed for creating a specialized supplement mix with precise dosages that you have chosen. You can add as many ingredients as you like. 

Follow the instructions on the tool page.

Open Tool