Bespoke capsule and tablet manufacturing

What we make as a capsule manufacturer: types, bases and dose ranges

As a capsule manufacturer, we make private label capsules and bespoke formulas for supplement brands in-house in Leicester, inside our HACCP and GMP certification from BSI, so our capsules are GMP certified. For brands looking for a tablet contract manufacturer, we make tablets in the same Leicester facility, which is ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI. We also make delayed-release and capsule-in-capsule products, bilayer, mini and orodispersible tablets, chewables, oral thin films, softgels and effervescent tablets. Doses run from micrograms to several hundred milligrams per unit, and every product comes with its specification and a certificate of analysis for every batch. Your formula is yours. Our formula ownership page explains how.

Capsules still outsell tablets in the US: Nutrition Business Journal data put capsules at 10.3% of US supplement sales in 2025, plus 2.2% for vegetarian capsules, against 7.0% for tablets (Nutraceuticals World, March 2026). They hide taste and odour, need few excipients, take vegan shells and protect sensitive fills, and where it helps we pair a capsule range with a gummy range or a powder supplement.

Capsule shells

• HPMC (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose): the standard plant-based shell for vegan capsules, with a low moisture content that suits moisture-sensitive fills.
• Pullulan: a fermented polysaccharide (E 1204) that gives a clear vegan shell.
• Gelatine: bovine, porcine or fish, opening quickly in water at body temperature; the source matters for halal, kosher and allergen labelling.
• Acid-resistant shells: designed to stay closed in stomach acid and open later in the gut.

Fill types

Powders and granules are the core fill. Beadlets and pellets carry coated or timed-release actives. Capsule-in-capsule products seal one capsule inside another, so two incompatible actives, or two release speeds, share one dose.

Tablets and specialised formats

Dose ranges

Dose per unit is a question of volume and powder density. A size 0 capsule holds about 0.68 ml, and suppliers' charts put a size 00 at 0.91 to 0.95 ml; filled with lactose, they carry about 665 mg and 929 mg (UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy). Lighter botanical powders fill less. Capsules and tablets therefore suit actives dosed from micrograms to several hundred milligrams, and struggle with gram doses. The authorised creatine claim needs 3 g daily, which means several large capsules, and the magnesium NRV is 375 mg, so supplying it from a chelated form such as magnesium bisglycinate takes several units. Those products often work better as a stick pack or powder. FDA guidance for medicines generally keeps orodispersible tablets at 500 mg or less in total weight, which limits their dose further.

Formulation science for capsules and tablets

Development runs as a paid R&D stage, which can be included with an order of the right size.

Shell chemistry: HPMC, pullulan and gelatine

Gelatine capsules hold 13% to 16% moisture against 4% to 6% for HPMC, and gelatine turns brittle at low humidity while HPMC stays flexible (Al-Tabakha, Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2010). That makes HPMC the natural shell for hygroscopic fills such as probiotics and many plant extracts. Gelatine also cross-links when it meets aldehydes such as formaldehyde, which can slow dissolution over shelf life; the same review found no such reaction in HPMC. HPMC shells set with gelling agents open more slowly when potassium ions are present, so we check release in the media that matter. Pullulan (E 1204) is permitted in EU and GB food supplements in capsule and tablet form only. Softgels use a one-piece shell of gelatine, or of starch and carrageenan for a plant-based option, softened with glycerol, and suit oils and pastes such as omega-3, vitamin D3 and coenzyme Q10.

Powder flow, fill weight and uniformity

Capsule filling and tablet pressing both depend on how a powder flows and packs. We measure bulk and tapped density to predict fill weight, and use the smallest effective amount of flow aid, such as silicon dioxide, or lubricant, such as magnesium stearate. Too much lubricant coats particles and slows disintegration, so levels come from trials. Blend uniformity matters most for low-dose actives such as vitamin D, where a few micrograms must reach every unit, so we pre-blend them before the main mix.

Compression, coating and release

A tablet must be hard enough to survive packing, soft enough to disintegrate, and stable for its shelf life. We tune binder, disintegrant and compression force against those three targets. Film coats mask taste and odour, ease swallowing and add a moisture and light barrier. Delayed-release coats and acid-resistant capsules hold their contents through stomach acid; pharmacopoeia methods test them in acid first, then in a pH 6.8 buffer. Titanium dioxide (E 171) is banned as a food additive in the EU and, as of October 2026, still authorised in GB, so we make new coatings and shells without it and one formula sells in both markets.

Fast-dissolve, chewable and film formats

The European Pharmacopoeia expects orodispersible tablets to disintegrate within 3 minutes, and FDA guidance on orally disintegrating tablets recommends about 30 seconds or less; both are medicines standards, and we use them as benchmarks for supplement melts. Mannitol-based fillers, superdisintegrants and taste masking make that possible in a soft tablet. Chewables need a sweetener system that tastes right at full dose, and more than 10% added polyols, such as sorbitol or xylitol, triggers the UK and EU label warning "excessive consumption may produce laxative effects". Oral thin films carry low doses, so they suit vitamin B12, vitamin D3 or caffeine rather than magnesium or creatine. Effervescent tablets pair an acid such as citric acid with a carbonate, so we compress and pack them at low humidity to stop the reaction starting before the tablet meets water. Our flavour and taste masking team works on each of these formats.

Ingredients that work in this format

Capsules and tablets suit actives that work at small doses, taste unpleasant, or dislike water.

Gram-dose actives such as creatine, electrolytes and protein sit better in powders and stick packs, and many people who avoid pills prefer drops and shots: see our liquid supplement manufacturing page. Our supplement formats overview compares every option.

How it's made: a capsule manufacturer's process, step by step

Our HACCP study for each product type, reviewed annually, sets the critical control points. Capsules and tablets run through these steps at our Leicester facility, with compression and coating in place of filling for tablets.

1. Approve and receive. Every material comes from a supplier approved before first use and reviewed each year, with its certificate of analysis checked against our specification.
2. Weigh and dispense. Each material is weighed against the batch record, under our allergen management plan with yellow colour coding.
3. Blend. Low-dose actives are pre-blended, then mixed into the full blend.
4. Fill or compress. Capsules are filled and checked in process for fill weight and closure. Tablets are compressed and checked for weight, thickness, breaking force, friability and disintegration.
5. Coat or polish. Tablets take their film or functional coat; capsules are polished and inspected.
6. Pack and label. Units are counted into bottles or sealed into blisters, with desiccant where needed, and label verification on every batch is our critical control point, CCP-01.
7. Retain and release. We keep three retained samples per batch for shelf life plus one year, and quality control releases each batch against its specification.

A full mock recall, forward and backward with mass balance, runs in seconds, and every non-conformance is closed with QA and Operations sign-off.

Testing and batch release

Every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025), and batch testing is part of every order. Quality control releases every batch against its specification, with certificates of analysis you can share with retailers and marketplaces. Our testing and batch release page explains each method.

Overages follow EU tolerance guidance for supplements (vitamins 20% below to 50% above the declared value throughout shelf life), and US labels need at least 100% of the declared amount of added nutrients.

With each product you receive its finished-product specification, a certificate of analysis for every batch, stability data, and shell and excipient declarations covering gelatine source, allergens, and vegan, halal or kosher status where arranged.

Our credentials: ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and FDA registered. Our capsules are GMP certified, and our tablets are made in the same Leicester facility. BRCGS implementation under way, certification expected in early 2027. Our quality and accreditations page lists each certificate and its scope.

Packaging and presentation

Packs protect pills from moisture, oxygen and light.

• Bottles: HDPE, PET or glass, with desiccants for hygroscopic fills and induction seals for tamper evidence.
• Blisters: unit-dose protection, with aluminium-aluminium blisters for highly moisture-sensitive products.
• Film sachets: moisture-proof foil for oral thin films.
• Tubes: moisture-proof tubes with desiccant caps for effervescent tablets.

Presentation carries the brand to the pill: clear pullulan shells show the fill, and coloured shells, film coats, printing or embossing give a range its identity without titanium dioxide.

From 2030, packs sold in the EU must reach recyclability grade C or better and contact-sensitive PET packs need 30% recycled content, and UK extended producer responsibility fees are higher for poorly recyclable packs. Mixed-material blisters are hard to recycle, so we favour mono-material bottles and recyclable blister options for new ranges. In the US, supplements with 250 mg or more of elemental iron per pack need child-resistant packaging.

Labels and claims for the UK, EU and US

We prepare products and documents for the UK, the EU and the US; the rules below are as of October 2026.

United Kingdom

The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, with matching rules across the UK, require the name "food supplement", the nutrient categories, the daily portion, a warning not to exceed it, a varied-diet statement and a warning to store the product out of reach of young children. Health claims must come from the GB register.

European Union

EU rules set the same core statements, and many member states require notification before sale. Labels need an EU-based food business operator or importer and each market's languages. The capsule shell is an ingredient: fish gelatine brings fish allergen rules into play, and pullulan appears as E 1204. The EU and UK have no legal definition of "vegan", so vegan certification is arranged for your product where you want a logo, and halal or kosher certification is arranged with a matching gelatine source.

United States

A US label states "dietary supplement", carries a Supplement Facts panel and lists the shell under other ingredients. Structure/function claims need substantiation, the mandatory FDA disclaimer and notification to FDA. Iron tablets and capsules carry the boxed US accidental-overdose warning, and we build it into the label. US dietary supplement manufacturing rules expect specifications for identity, purity, strength and composition; we are an FDA registered food facility for dietary supplements and prepare those documents for your brand.

Across markets, we use authorised claims only, with their conditions of use, such as "Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function" and "Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones" from the GB and EU registers. When your capsule or tablet is ready to brief, Start your project.

References: Al-Tabakha, HPMC capsules: current status and future prospects, J Pharm Pharm Sci (2010); FDA guidance for industry, Orally disintegrating tablets (2008); European Pharmacopoeia, chapter 2.9 and Tablets monograph (2026); USP general chapters 2040 and 2091 (2026); Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives (2008); Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (2011); Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 (2012); 21 CFR Parts 101 and 111 (2026).