Free, with a video for each
Peptide reconstitution charts
How much bacteriostatic water to add and how many units to draw, one peptide at a time, each with Matthew's step-by-step video. New to mixing? The guide below covers any vial.
The guide
How to reconstitute any peptide, step by step
Six steps, the same ones the books and the calculator use. You need two numbers from the vial and one small sum.
- Read the vial.
The label gives the amount of peptide in milligrams (mg), for example 5 mg. A blend gives the total and the split, for example 10 mg (5/5): 5 mg of each.
- Pick the amount of water.
Use bacteriostatic water. The water doesn't change how much peptide is in the vial, only how much each unit on the syringe holds: more water means less per unit, which makes small amounts easier to measure. Each chart on this page uses the water from Matthew's video.
- Add it slowly and swirl.
Let the water run down the inside wall of the vial, then swirl gently until the powder has dissolved. Don't shake it.
- Work out what one unit holds.
Vial mg × 10 ÷ water mL. A 5 mg vial with 2 mL of water: 5 × 10 ÷ 2 = 25 mcg in each unit.
- Work out the units to draw.
Amount you want (mcg) ÷ mcg per unit. 250 mcg ÷ 25 = 10 units. Then check it backwards: 10 units × 25 mcg = 250 mcg.
- Label the vial.
Write the date, the strength (for example 2.5 mg/mL or 25 mcg per unit) and the lot number, so you never have to guess which vial is which.
mg, mcg, mL and units
Four words do all the work. Keep them straight and the math is easy.
How much peptide is in the vial. It's printed on the label.
The amount you draw. 1 mg = 1,000 mcg, so 250 mcg is a quarter of a milligram.
How much water you add. 1 mL fills a 1 mL insulin syringe to the 100 mark.
100 units = 1 mL, so 1 unit = 0.01 mL whatever the barrel size. A 0.3 mL syringe holds 30 units, a 0.5 mL syringe 50, a 1 mL syringe 100.
Quick reference: what one unit holds
Find your vial and the water you added. The top number is what one unit holds on a U-100 insulin syringe. Then: units to draw = amount you want ÷ that number.
| Vial | 1 mL water | 2 mL water | 3 mL water | 5 mL water |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mg | 20 mcg 2 mg/mL | 10 mcg 1 mg/mL | 6.7 mcg 0.67 mg/mL | 4 mcg 0.4 mg/mL |
| 5 mg | 50 mcg 5 mg/mL | 25 mcg 2.5 mg/mL | 16.7 mcg 1.67 mg/mL | 10 mcg 1 mg/mL |
| 10 mg | 100 mcg 10 mg/mL | 50 mcg 5 mg/mL | 33.3 mcg 3.33 mg/mL | 20 mcg 2 mg/mL |
| 15 mg | 150 mcg 15 mg/mL | 75 mcg 7.5 mg/mL | 50 mcg 5 mg/mL | 30 mcg 3 mg/mL |
| 20 mg | 200 mcg 20 mg/mL | 100 mcg 10 mg/mL | 66.7 mcg 6.67 mg/mL | 40 mcg 4 mg/mL |
| 30 mg | 300 mcg 30 mg/mL | 150 mcg 15 mg/mL | 100 mcg 10 mg/mL | 60 mcg 6 mg/mL |
| 50 mg | 500 mcg 50 mg/mL | 250 mcg 25 mg/mL | 166.7 mcg 16.67 mg/mL | 100 mcg 10 mg/mL |
Not in the table? One unit holds vial mg × 10 ÷ water mL, or use the calculator.
Free for readers
Get this table as a printable sheet.
The lab math worksheet with this quick reference, a lab log and a COA checklist, and an email when a book in the series is revised.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up mg and mcg.
A thousand-fold difference. Write the amount in mcg before you do any math.
- Reading the mL marks instead of units.
Charts and the calculator give units on a U-100 insulin syringe. Some syringes also print mL; make sure you read the scale you meant.
- Too little water for small amounts.
Under 2 units is hard to measure accurately. Next vial, add more water, so the same amount is more units.
- Too much water for big amounts.
Over 100 units won't fit a 1 mL syringe. Add less water when you mix, or draw twice.
- Forgetting the split in a blend.
In a 10 mg (5/5) blend, every amount you draw is half of each peptide. The charts for blends show the split.
Don't see your peptide? The Reconstitution Encyclopedia has 67 peptides and blends and 168 step-by-step graphics, every common vial size.
Questions
What is bacteriostatic water?
Sterile water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol added, which slows the growth of bacteria so a vial can be drawn from more than once. It's what the videos and the books use for mixing.
How much bacteriostatic water should I add to a peptide?
There's no single right amount. The water only decides what each unit holds, so pick an amount that turns the amounts you work with into easy, measurable numbers of units. Each chart on this page shows the water Matthew uses for that vial, and the calculator works out any other amount.
How many units is 1 mg?
It depends on the vial and the water. Units = 1,000 mcg ÷ (vial mg × 10 ÷ water mL). With 5 mg in 2 mL, each unit holds 25 mcg, so 1 mg is 40 units. With 10 mg in 1 mL, each unit holds 100 mcg, so 1 mg is 10 units.
Is this dosing advice?
No. The amounts on this site are examples for the arithmetic, not recommendations. Everything here is for research and education only and isn't medical advice.