We provide a detailed overview of the empty pill capsule size specifications from largest size to smallest size to help you find out which capsule do you need. These data are applicable to all types of capsules including Empty Gelatin Capsules, Empty Vegetarian capsules, and Empty Enteric Coated Capsules. We will have a brief explanation on these the data later.

capsule size img

THE DIMENSIONS OF CAPSULE

SIZE 000 00 0 1 2 3 4 5
Capsule Volume (ml) 1.37 0.95 0.68 0.50 0.37 0.30 0.21 0.13
Capsule Weight (mg) 163 123 96 76 61 48 38 28 
Body length (in) 0.874 0.795 0.726 0.654 0.601 0.535 0.480 0.366 
Body length (mm) 22.20 20.20 18.44 16.61 15.27 13.59 12.19 9.30 
Cap length (in) 0.510 0.464 0.422 0.385 0.352 0.318 0.284 0.244 
Cap length (mm) 12.95 11.80 10.72 9.78 8.94 8.08 7.21 6.20 
Well-knit length (in) 1.029 0.925 0.854 0.765 0.709 0.626 0.563 0.437 
Well-knit length (mm) 26.1 23.5 21.7 19.4 18.0 15.9 14.3 11.1
Body diameter (in) 0.376 0.322 0.289 0.261 0.239 0.219 0.199 0.184
Body diameter (mm) 9.55 8.20 7.34 6.63 6.07 5.57 5.05 4.68
Cap diameter (in) 0.390 0.336 0.300 0.272 0.250 0.229 0.209 0.193
Cap diameter (mm) 9.91 8.54 7.64 6.91 6.35 5.82 5.32 4.91

 

Size: the pill capsule specifications are represented by numbers. They are 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, from the largest to the smallest, and some specific sizes as 0el, 00 B are not listed inside. In general, smaller sizes of pill capsules such as 3, 4, 5, etc. are designed for pets such as dogs and cats.

In fact, the capsule size is not defined by any authority but established by usage. For example, for size 00 capsules of some manufacturers, the volume is 0.91 ml instead of 0.95ml. Hence, when pick the capsule size, you may also need to pay attention to the specific volume capacity. The table above is the data that are most widely used.

Capsule Volume: Capsule Volume refers to the total volume of the inside of the capsule. It determines the amount of the supplement filled in the capsule. How many grams of supplement can be filled is depending on the supplement density. The higher density of the supplement is, the more amount of it can be filled into the capsule. You can use a tamping tool to carefully pack your ingredients and this process will help to maximize the amount possible for each capsule. For the accurate filling amount of each capsule, you could weigh a certain number of capsules to get the weight difference of these capsules before and after filling. If you only need to fill a small amount of supplement, you can add a certain proportion of harmless, non-interfering fillers. For reference, the following capsule dosage form lists the filling weight of supplement of different density.

CAPSULE WEIGHT CAPACITY CHART (MG)

SIZE 000 00 0 1 2 3 4 5
Density 0.6 g/ml 822mg 570mg 408mg 300mg 222mg 180mg 126mg 78mg
Density 0.8 g/ml 1096mg 760mg 544mg 400mg 296mg 240mg 168mg 104mg
Density 1 g/ml 1370mg 950mg 680mg 500mg 370mg 300mg 210mg 130mg
Density 1.2 g/ml 1644mg 1140mg 816mg 600mg 444mg 360mg 252mg 156mg 

 

Body, Cap: The pill capsule consists of two parts. The longer one with smaller inner diameter is called Body, and the shorter one with larger inner diameter is called Cap. After completing filling, they will lock each other by full-circumference locking rings. The figure below describes the general structure and their names of the capsules.

general structure and their names of the capsules

We provide PDF files(Empty Capsule Size Chart - capsulcn.com), you can bookmark this for reviewing.

Note: This form is for reference only,Based on Empty Gelatin Capsules, the data of the finished capsule will be slightly different.