Capsule size chart: fill weights from size 5 to 000

Choosing a capsule size is one of the first practical decisions in a capsule formulation, and one where a simple chart only gets you halfway. Capsule sizes follow a standard scale — from the small size 5 up through 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, 00 and the large 000 — each with a roughly fixed internal volume. But the question that matters is not "what volume does this capsule hold?" It is "will my blend fit?" — and that depends on something the chart can't tell you: the density of your specific powder. Here is how to think about it properly.

The size scale, briefly

Capsule sizes are counterintuitive: the numbers get larger as the capsules get smaller, so size 5 is the smallest common size and 000 is among the largest swallowable. Each size has a defined internal volume, increasing as you go from 5 toward 000. That volume is the fixed constraint — the box your blend has to fit inside.

Volume is fixed; weight is not

Here is the crux: a capsule holds a volume, but your formula is built in weight. How much weight fits into a given volume depends entirely on the powder's bulk density. A dense mineral blend packs far more milligrams into a size 0 than a light, fluffy botanical powder does. So the same capsule size carries a different fill weight for every formula. Any chart that lists "fill weight per size" is assuming a density — and your blend almost certainly differs.

The real calculation

To know whether your blend fits, you work from your formula's total weight per capsule and your blend's bulk density to get the volume that weight occupies, then check it against the capsule's internal volume. If it fits, good; if it overflows, you either move up a size, split the dose across more capsules, increase the blend's density, or reduce the fill. This is a formula calculation, not a chart lookup — and it changes every time the blend changes.

Density is the variable that ruins lookups

Because bulk density drives everything, the same dose can fit a smaller capsule after a process change that compacts the powder, or suddenly overflow after a new ingredient lightens the blend. Treating fill as a live calculation from the actual blend density — rather than a fixed chart value — is what keeps the capsule-size decision accurate as the formula evolves.

Why this matters commercially

Capsule size affects swallowability (a 000 is a big ask for some consumers), the number of capsules per serving, the cost, and the bottle size. Getting the size right early avoids the expensive late discovery that the intended dose does not fit the capsule the packaging was designed around. The decision ripples, so it pays to base it on real density math from the start.

Because capsule specifications vary by supplier and the right choice depends on your specific blend, confirm details with your capsule supplier and test with your actual formula rather than relying on a general chart.

Where Lemoniq fits

Lemoniq works from your formula's real weight and blend density to check fit against capsule volumes, so the capsule-size decision is a live calculation that updates as the blend changes — not a static chart value that quietly goes wrong after a reformulation.

The takeaway

A capsule size chart tells you volumes; your blend's density tells you whether the dose fits. Treat fill weight as a calculation from the actual formula, and the capsule-size decision stays accurate — chart values are a starting point, never the answer.

Lemoniq turns capsule fit into a live density calculation tied to your actual formula. We solve this exact problem. See how it works