Herb Affair tools / 03
Calculate your cost per capsule using bulk powder, empty shells and a capsule filling machine, then compare it with the price of a store-bought supplement and see your break-even point.
Compare the cost of filling your own capsules with a typical retail bottle at two capsules per day. Machine cost is shown separately as the break-even point.
| Supplement | Dose | You fill | Retail | Saved / capsule | Saved / year | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turmeric root | 500 mg | $0.038 | $0.158 | $0.120 | $88 | 5.5 mo |
| Ashwagandha root | 600 mg | $0.051 | $0.208 | $0.157 | $115 | 4.2 mo |
| Spirulina | 500 mg | $0.049 | $0.183 | $0.134 | $98 | 4.9 mo |
| Moringa leaf | 500 mg | $0.043 | $0.166 | $0.123 | $90 | 5.3 mo |
| Ginger root | 500 mg | $0.037 | $0.170 | $0.133 | $97 | 5.0 mo |
| Cinnamon | 500 mg | $0.036 | $0.133 | $0.097 | $71 | 6.8 mo |
| Maca root | 750 mg | $0.048 | $0.166 | $0.118 | $86 | 5.6 mo |
| Cayenne | 450 mg | $0.038 | $0.150 | $0.112 | $82 | 5.9 mo |
| Milk thistle | 500 mg | $0.045 | $0.183 | $0.138 | $101 | 4.8 mo |
| Lion's mane | 500 mg | $0.069 | $0.549 | $0.480 | $351 | 1.4 mo |
| Magnesium glycinate | 400 mg | $0.048 | $0.191 | $0.143 | $105 | 4.6 mo |
| Creatine monohydrate | 750 mg | $0.043 | $0.250 | $0.207 | $151 | 3.2 mo |
Machine cost used for break-even: $40.0. Shell cost: $24.0 per 1000. Powder prices are bulk. Change any of them in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
It can be, especially for supplements you use consistently and can buy in bulk. Compare your actual powder, shell and retail prices in the calculator above rather than relying on a fixed savings estimate.
Calculate the powder cost for one dose, add the cost of one empty capsule shell, and compare the total with the retail price per capsule. The machine can then be treated separately as a one-time cost when calculating break-even.
Your time, storage supplies, shipping and any third-party testing are not included automatically. Add them separately if they are meaningful costs in your setup.
Yes. A lower price per kilogram reduces the powder cost of every capsule, so bulk pricing can materially change both your cost per capsule and your break-even point.
Divide the machine price by your savings per day. The calculator does this automatically using the difference between your DIY cost per capsule and retail cost per capsule, multiplied by the number of capsules you take each day.
It can. Different capsule sizes may use different amounts of powder, and shell pricing can vary by size and material. Use the actual dose and shell price for the capsule you plan to fill.
A cost per capsule calculator gives you the fast answer, but the result only makes sense when you understand what is included. The real cost of making capsules at home comes from three places: the bulk powder, the empty capsule shell and, if you use one, the capsule filling machine. The calculator above lets you change each of those numbers and compare them with the price of a finished retail bottle.
If you are still deciding which shell or size you need, use our capsule size chart first so the dose and capsule capacity in your cost comparison match the setup you actually plan to use.
Start with the amount of powder used in one capsule. Convert the dose from milligrams to kilograms, multiply it by the price of your powder per kilogram, then add the cost of one empty capsule shell.
Powder cost per capsule = dose in mg ÷ 1,000,000 × powder price per kg.
Shell cost per capsule = price per 1,000 empty capsules ÷ 1,000.
Add those two figures together to get your basic DIY cost per capsule. The calculator above performs the same calculation automatically and compares it with the per-capsule price of the retail bottle you enter. If you are working backward from a bag of powder instead, the capsule yield calculator can help estimate how many finished capsules that quantity should produce.
Bulk powder: this is usually the largest variable. A higher dose uses more powder, while a lower price per kilogram reduces the cost of every capsule. Herb Affair's bulk herbs and powders give you a useful starting point for comparing bag sizes and ingredient costs.
Empty capsule shells: gelatin and vegetarian shells add a small but recurring cost to every capsule you make. Buying larger quantities generally lowers the shell cost per capsule. If material matters to your setup, compare the gelatin capsule information and vegetarian capsule information before choosing a shell.
Capsule filling machine: the machine is different because it is a one-time purchase. It should not be treated as part of the ingredient cost of every capsule forever. Instead, compare the machine price with your savings per day to estimate when it pays for itself.
Your time, storage supplies and any testing you choose to perform are not included automatically, so add those separately if they matter to your own comparison.
The cheapest capsule is not the only useful number. The bigger question is how long it takes for the savings from filling your own capsules to recover the cost of the filling machine.
The calculator compares your DIY cost per capsule with the retail cost per capsule, multiplies that difference by the number of capsules you take each day, and uses those daily savings to estimate the break-even point. Once the machine has paid for itself, the same setup can be used across future batches and additional supplements.
If you are new to the process itself, why fill your own capsules? walks through the practical reasons people choose a home capsule-filling workflow beyond the per-capsule savings alone.
Buying in bulk can have a larger effect on capsule cost than almost any other input. If the price per kilogram of powder falls, the savings apply to every dose you make. The same is true for empty capsule shells: a lower price per 1,000 reduces the base cost of every finished capsule.
This is why the calculator lets you replace the default numbers with your actual supplier prices. A comparison based on your own powder bag, shell quantity and retail bottle is much more useful than a generic estimate. When comparing different capsule sizes, remember that the amount of powder each shell can hold changes with both capsule volume and powder density, which you can compare in the capsule size chart.
Filling your own capsules tends to make the most financial sense when you use a supplement consistently, can buy the ingredient in bulk and are comparing it with a relatively expensive finished product. The economics become even stronger when the same capsule filling machine is used for more than one supplement.
It may make less sense for an ingredient you use rarely, when the retail product is already inexpensive, or when your preferred powder is only available in small quantities at a high price. That is why changing the inputs matters: there is no single savings percentage that applies to every supplement.
The useful number is not just the price of a bag of powder or a bottle on the shelf. It is the cost of one finished capsule at the dose you actually use. Once you know the powder cost, shell cost, retail comparison and machine break-even point, you can decide whether filling your own capsules makes sense for your routine.
Use the cost per capsule calculator above with your real prices whenever possible. Small changes in powder price, shell quantity, dose or capsules per day can materially change the result. From there, you can use the capsule size chart to confirm capacity and the capsule yield calculator to estimate how far a bag of powder will go.