Capsules exist to solve three practical problems with loose powder: taste, portability, and measured dosing. A hand-operated capsule machine fills 24–100 capsules per tray and costs less than a tub of branded pre-workout.
The sizing system is where nearly every beginner goes wrong. Capsule sizes measure capacity — a size-00 holds 0.95 ml — so the same shell contains 570 mg of a fluffy powder or 1,140 mg of a dense one. The reliable method is to weigh a trial fill and write that measured figure on the jar.
The size chart (mg depends on powder density)
| Size | Volume | ≈ mg @ 0.6 g/ml | ≈ mg @ 0.8 g/ml | ≈ mg @ 1.0 g/ml |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 000 | 1.37 ml | 822 | 1,096 | 1,370 |
| 00 | 0.95 ml | 570 | 760 | 950 |
| 0 | 0.68 ml | 408 | 544 | 680 |
| 1 | 0.48 ml | 288 | 384 | 480 |
The fill
- 01
Separate
Pull caps from bodies. Bodies go into the machine's tray, open side up.
- 02
Load
Spread your mixed powder across the tray and scrape it into the bodies with the card.
- 03
Tamp
Pack the powder with the tamper — each pass increases the fill weight. Tamp count = dose.
- 04
Cap & eject
Join the cap plate, press, done — a tray of finished capsules.
- 05
Verify
Weigh 5 finished caps on the mg scale. Divide by count. That number — not the chart — is your dose.
The canonical caps
The study stack
MOST-REPLICATED| Caffeine anhydrous | 100 mg | $0.05 |
| L-Theanine | 200 mg | $0.07 |
≈ $0.12 per cap
Fits a size-0 with room to spare. The caffeine:theanine ratio the research keeps confirming.
Curcumin + piperine
CLASSIC| Curcumin extract | 500 mg | $0.10 |
| Piperine (BioPerine-style) | 5–10 mg | $0.02 |
≈ $0.12 per cap
Piperine multiplies curcumin absorption ~20× (Shoba 1998) — the pair is the whole point.
Which ingredients belong in capsules — and which in a glass
As a rule, capsules suit small doses and unpleasant flavors — caffeine, theanine, curcumin, huperzine. Ingredients measured in grams are better stirred into water or a shake; creatine alone would mean five size-00 capsules a day, a routine few people sustain.
On shells: gelatin is the least expensive and dissolves fastest. HPMC, sold as 'vegetarian' capsules, copes better with moisture-absorbing fills. Pullulan provides an oxygen barrier for powders that degrade in air.
Worth knowing before the first tray
- Work over parchment or a shallow dish — spilled powder is recoverable, countertop powder isn't
- Wash the machine between ingredients and let it dry completely; residue carries into the next batch
- Keep finished capsules in an airtight jar with a desiccant packet, away from heat and light
- Label every jar with the weighed mg per cap and the fill date — estimates age badly, measurements don't