How capsules and chewable tablets are made
Powder in, capsule out. It is the simplest line in the facility and the one that makes small private label runs cheap and fast — milk thistle, moringa, magnesium, sea moss, L-carnitine, NAD+ precursors all run here.
1. Raw material release
Every incoming lot is quarantined until identity (FTIR or HPTLC), potency, heavy metals and microbial results match the supplier COA. Botanical powders are checked for particle size and moisture, because both change how a blend flows into a capsule.
2. Milling and sieving
Materials are milled to a consistent particle size and sieved. A blend with one coarse and one fine ingredient will segregate in the hopper and give uneven doses — this step prevents that.
3. Blending
Actives and excipients (usually rice flour or microcrystalline cellulose as a flow aid, sometimes magnesium stearate or a clean-label alternative) are mixed in a V-blender or bin blender for a validated time. Blend uniformity is confirmed by sampling from several points before filling starts.
4. Capsule filling
Automatic fillers separate the empty capsule, dose the powder by tamping or dosator, rejoin and lock the two halves. Size 0 (up to ~500 mg) and size 00 (up to ~750 mg) cover most products. Shell choice: HPMC (vegetable; vegan, halal, kosher by nature) or gelatin (bovine). Capsule weight is checked every 15 minutes against a ±5% limit.
5. Polishing, metal detection, inspection
Filled capsules are polished to remove dust, passed through a metal detector, and inspected for empties, dents and mis-locks.
6. Chewable tablets (multivitamin, pet)
For chewables the blend goes to a tablet press instead: powder plus binder and flavor is compressed into 1–2.5 g tablets. Hardness and friability are tested so the tablet survives shipping but still chews. Pet chews use the same press with palatants (chicken, beef, peanut butter, salmon).
7. Packing
Bottles with induction seal and cotton or desiccant; 60, 90 or 120 counts standard. Blister packs quoted per project.
QC release
| Test | Limit |
|---|---|
| Blend uniformity | RSD ≤ 5% |
| Capsule / tablet weight variation | ±5% |
| Disintegration | ≤ 30 min (capsules) |
| Active assay | 90–120% of label |
| Heavy metals, microbial | USP limits |
| Hardness / friability (tablets) | Per spec |
What drives cost
- The active — magnesium glycinate costs 3× magnesium oxide; standardised milk thistle (80% silymarin) costs more than plain powder.
- Shell — HPMC slightly above gelatin.
- Count — 60 vs 90 vs 120.
Capsule SKUs are in the catalog; white label options on the white label page.
Frequently asked questions
Gelatin or HPMC capsules?
Both. HPMC (vegetable) capsules are vegan, halal and kosher without further certification and are the default for botanical products. Gelatin capsules cost slightly less.
Why are capsules the cheapest format?
No cooking, no curing, no drying. Blend, fill, polish, bottle — often within two working days for a stock formula. The cost is almost entirely the ingredients.
Can you make a custom blend?
Yes. Capsules are the easiest format for custom formulas because there is no gel or fill chemistry to rebalance. New blends start at 300 units.
What about tablets?
We press chewable tablets (multivitamin, pet chews) up to 2.5 g. Film-coated swallow tablets are quoted per project.