Peptide Reconstitution Chart

How to read the chart

Each row is the amount of powder in the vial, in mg. Each column is the amount of liquid you add, in mL. Each cell is the result: mg of powder in each mL of liquid.

Here is one example. Say the vial holds 10 mg and you add 2 mL of water. Go to the 10 mg row and move across to the 2 mL column. The cell says 5, so each mL of the mix holds 5 mg.

Some cells show a wavy equals sign, which means the number does not divide evenly and is rounded to 3 places.

Print the chart

Use the print button under the chart. The page prints in black and white, with the menus hidden. Keep a copy near your work area so you can check the math by hand.

Need a vial size or water amount that is not in the table? Use the calculator on the home page. It does the same math for any numbers you type.

The formula behind every cell

Every cell comes from one short rule:

Strength (mg per mL) = mg in the vial divided by mL of liquid added

• 5 mg in 1 mL: 5 divided by 1 is 5 mg per mL.
• 5 mg in 2 mL: 5 divided by 2 is 2.5 mg per mL.
• 20 mg in 3 mL: 20 divided by 3 is about 6.667 mg per mL.

The table is built from this rule by code, not typed by hand, so every cell matches the math.

More water makes a weaker mix, not less peptide

Adding water does not change how much powder is in the vial. A 10 mg vial still holds 10 mg after you mix it. Water only spreads that 10 mg through more liquid.

• 10 mg in 1 mL: 10 mg per mL.
• 10 mg in 2 mL: 5 mg per mL.
• 10 mg in 5 mL: 2 mg per mL.

The total stays the same in all three. Only the strength of each mL changes, and more water means each mL holds less.

mg, mcg and mL: quick conversions

These are units of weight and volume only.

To turn any cell into mcg per mL, times it by 1,000. For example, 2.5 mg per mL is 2,500 mcg per mL.

What this chart does not tell you

This chart shows strength only. It does not show a dose, how much water to add, or how much to use.

How much liquid to add is set by the instructions for your product. The water label itself says to check the drug maker's instructions for the right amount (Bacteriostatic Water for Injection label, DailyMed). If you are not sure, ask a pharmacist.

Which water is used for mixing

Two liquids come up most often:

• Bacteriostatic water is sterile water with a small amount of benzyl alcohol. The alcohol is a preservative, and the water comes in a vial made for more than one use (label).
• Sterile water has no preservative and comes in a single use vial. The label says to throw away what is left (label).

The chart works the same for both, because it only uses the amount of liquid. Read more in bacteriostatic water for peptides and bacteriostatic water vs sterile water.

How long a mixed vial keeps

The chart does not say how long a mix lasts, because that depends on the product. The water label says not to store mixed drugs unless the drug maker says you can (label).

The opened water vial has its own limit. The CDC says to throw out an opened multi use vial after 28 days, unless the maker gives a different date (CDC). A study of 227 opened vials in a German hospital found the opening date written on only half of them, which makes that limit hard to keep (Mattner and Gastmeier, 2004). See how to store peptides for more.