Fill Your Own Capsules

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Empty capsules now come in so many different sizes, colors, materials, and even flavors, that it can become confusing or even overwhelming to choose one.   I’m only going to cover information on capsules that are available to the everyday person, not those who are wholesaling with pharmaceutical companies.  To make things simple, let’s start with the basics.

Common Materials that Capsules are Made From

Gelatin

This is the most popular material available for empty capsules. Gelatin capsules are made from beef gelatin (like Jell-O, but thin & crunchy).    They are readily available in all sizes and they are the most affordable option.

Vegetarian capsules

There are two types of vegetarian capsules.  The less common and harder to locate is a capsule derived from tapioca starch.  Those who are, or have to be, hyper-health conscious, may find these to be an ideal choice although they are not available with as many size options as the others.  You can often find them called pullulan capsules.

In more common use, is your standard vegetarian capsule.  They do not contain any animal products or by-products, but they don’t contain any vegetables either.  Don’t let the name fool you, even if it says vegetable cellulose. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just a little misleading to some.  Most vegetarian capsules are made from the cellulose pulp of trees (usually pine).  A material that has more in common with paper than vegetables.

They do cost a little more than gelatin capsules, but if you’re trying to avoid animal products, this is the most convenient choice.

Choose the size capsule you will need

Capsules come in a variety of sizes, the largest being the 000 (triple zero).  Lots of people are able to swallow a capsule this size and it is widely used in popular supplements, but fair warning, it is referred to as a horse pill by many.

The most popular size capsule and most commonly used in supplements is the size 00 (double zero).   Five of these capsules will equal a teaspoon of powder.  Learn more about teaspoon dosing here: How Many Capsules Make a Teaspoon?

The next size down is the 0 (zero).  This size is easy to swallow because of its smaller size, but can still hold up to 800  mg. (chart below).

Even smaller than the size 0, is the size 1.  Now this is where capsule sizing numbers get confusing.  As the numbers go up, the sizes goes down because the size 2 is even smaller than then 1.   When you start getting into the smaller sizes of 1 through 4, you’re usually getting these capsules for pets or children.

When choosing a capsule based on it’s milligram capacity, keep in mind that different ingredients have different densities.  A capsule filled with a light, fluffy powder will weigh less than a capsule filled with dense clay.

If you’d like to see all the sizes before you commit to buying a big bag, you can get a seven-size variety pack to try them out. The package features a dozen or more of each popular size, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, 00, and 000.  Plus it comes with a simple to understand chart to help you calculate milligrams based on the different densities of powders. Check it out HERE on Amazon.

Do you need them to come pre-separated?

Many of the new generation capsule filling machines operate most efficiently with already separated capsules.  These new machines make it easy to set up your filling station by pouring in the capsule tops and letting them settle into the proper holes.  This goes for the bottom portions of the capsules, as well.  When you’re doing 100 capsules at a time without the separated capsules, you will be required to remove all the tops manually, increasing the time by about 2 minutes per 100 and also increasing your frustration.

With capsule filling machines, such as the Cap M Quik and The Capsule Machine, separated are helpful too, but not as frustrating to use because you’re working with a smaller quantity.  The professional capsule filling machine, The ProFill 100, a wonderful machine by the way, is best used with closed capsules as the machine separates them for you.

Expect to pay a little more for the convenience of separated capsules, about $5 more per 1000.

coming soon:

How about flavored capsules?

Alternative or other options

How about enteric coating or acid resistant coating to delay dissolution.

How many do you need?

Counting capsules can be tedious work, especially when you have a lot of them to do.  I’d like to offer you some tips for making the process potentially easier and quicker.  These tips should help whether you have a few dozen or a few thousand capsules to count.

Counting by Hand

When you don’t have any capsule counting equipment and you are looking for accuracy, hand counting is your safest bet.  Though hand counting can be time consuming and you often run the risk of losing count, there are some tricks to help you breeze through it smoothly.

First things first, expect that you’re going to loose count and plan for it.  A simple technique that works well, especially when you have to count to higher numbers, is to use multiple bowls or cups.  For example, if you’d like to count 300 capsules, fill 6 cups with 50 capsules. You can even use 5 cups of 10 to get the 50’s.   If you loose count at any point, it’s just one cup to recount and you can get back on track.

Next, I’m going to assume you can count by two’s quickly enough.  Now double it with two hands.  Count and fill 2 cups simultaneously by picking up 2 capsules at a time with your left hand and 2 capsules at a time with your right hand.  Each hand has it’s own bowl to fill.  This technique will cut your time in half.

For Small Jobs Try a Counting Tray

This is almost an unnecessary item and you could do the same job on your counter with a paper plate.  However, if you need to be really careful with dosing and would also like to keep your fingers off the capsules, then a counting tray might be right for you.  They are very inexpensive, like this one I found on Amazon for under $10:

Approximating the Number of Capsules With a Measuring Cup

When you just need to be close, using a measuring cup is the fastest way to count capsules.  Here’s a handy chart for reference.  I was using level cups when measuring (like in this image)

Approximating the Number of Capsules By Weight

When using small weight measures like milligrams, a chart like the one below can help you calculate your individuals capsule’s capacity.  For example:  If you fill 100 size 1 capsules and all together they weigh exactly one ounce (28349 mg).  To calculate each capsules milligrams, take the total weight, minus the weight of the empty capsules (76 mg), will give you 28273 mg. Divide that by 100 capsules and each capsule contains 283 mg.

Use a Counting Board

If you can pick up an inexpensive one, it might be worth it for you to have one of these handy items.  The biggest problem seems to be the price.  The price range on Amazon seems to be between $30-$60.  I found this one on eBay for $16, that’s a big difference. 

Building a Homemade Capsule Counter

If you’re low on cash or just like making things, you can make your own capsule counting tray.  I made a detailed tutorial, you can see it here:

Figuring out how much can fit in a capsule can be confusing.  There’s charts available and they complicate matters by discussing powder density and its relationship to how much a capsule can hold.  While this is important information when you are calculating milligrams, when calculating teaspoons, it’s not necessary.

Here’s Why..

A teaspoon is a measure of volume, not weight.  Capsule sizes are based on volume, so a teaspoon’s volume will remain the same no matter what your powder’s density is.  A teaspoon of a fluffy powder will make the same number of capsules as a teaspoon of dense clay, but they will differ in milligrams (weight/volume).  The fluffy powder might contain 2000 milligrams in a teaspoon, while the clay might have 4000 mg.

If this is difficult to understand, here’s another way of looking at. Capsules have a volume capacity range, for example, a size 000 capsule can fit 1600 mg of a dense powder, yet only 650 mg of a fluffy powder.

So, How Many Capsules Make Up a Teaspoon?

For capsule size 000, it’s 3 capsules.
For capsule size 00, it’s 5 capsules.
For capsule size 0, it’s 6 capsules.
For capsule size 1, it’s 9 capsules.
For capsule size 2, it’s 12 capsules.
For capsule size 3, it’s 16 capsules.
For capsule size 4, it’s a whopping 19 capsules!

Scroll down to see the handy infographic.

You can try all seven gelatin capsule sizes with this Handy Capsule Kit available on Amazon HERE.

Have all capsule sizes readily available to you at a moment’s notice.

Includes the rare sizes that are appropriate for small children and small pets.

Every household should have one of these kits!

– This kit is great for those who only need to use capsules a few times a year.
– For those who have to swallow a bad tasting herb or medicine.
– When you need to hide medicine in you dog’s food.

Cost saving & convenient!

You’ll get one dozen (12) gelatin capsules in EACH size (from smallest to largest) 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, 00, and 000.

All capsules are made from high quality BSE-free 100% bovine pharmaceutical gelatin, and both Kosher Pareve and Halal certified.

Comes with free sizing and dosing charts.
This handy reference guide will help you:
– When you have to take a teaspoon of something, you’ll quickly know how many capsules (of any of the 7 sizes) you’ll need to take.
– If you need to take specific milligrams of something, you’ll quickly know which size capsule to use and/or how many.

Each size comes individually packaged in 3″ x 3″ zip-lock bags.

Capsules are manufactured in the USA.