Same elemental magnesium · two salts · snapshot 2026-08-10

Magnesium chloride vs taurate: 783–1,672 vs 2,242 mg of compound for 200 mg of magnesium

Magnesium chloride is 12.0–25.5% elemental magnesium and magnesium taurate is 8.9%, so 200 mg of magnesium needs 783–1,672 mg of chloride against 2,242 mg of taurate: 2–3 vs 4 size 00 capsules at powder density 0.8 g/mL, the top of the usual 0.6–0.8 range. No capsule label names chloride alone, against 0 of 2 for taurate. Prices within each salt: no ranked chloride price; taurate from $0.1033 per 100 mg (median $0.1842, 4 ranked offers); observed 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-02.

computed from chemical formulas
chloride for 200 mg Mg783–1,672 mg12.0–25.5% magnesium · 2–3 size 00
taurate for 200 mg Mg2,242 mg8.9% magnesium · 4 size 00
Exceeds size 000none · 0 of 2chloride · taurate capsule labels
Cheapest by declared elemental magnesium, per 100 mg, within each saltchloride none · taurate $0.10330 and 4 ranked offers · 2026-11-02
dumbbell · chloride vs taurate · compound mass for 100, 200 and 400 mg magnesium, 783–1,672 vs 2,242 mg at 200 mg · chemistry 2026-08-10
Compound mass for the same elemental magnesium: dark dot chloride (12.0–25.5%, lower mass bound), grey dot taurate (8.9%); the labels give each salt's full range.
Chart data
Chart labels and values for the main chart
Displayed chart text
100 mg magnesium
chloride 392–836 · taurate 1,121
200 mg magnesium
chloride 783–1,672 · taurate 2,242
400 mg magnesium
chloride 1,567–3,344 · taurate 4,484

Data release 2026-08-10-f441aa9f · registry snapshot 2026-08-10 · latest price observation 2026-11-02 · chemistry 2026-10-17

Elemental: The magnesium itself; the rest of the compound weight is the partner molecule.

Compound: The whole salt that must physically fit in a capsule; a lower magnesium fraction means more compound for the same magnesium.

How much chloride or taurate carries the same elemental magnesium?

At the same elemental amount, chloride (12.0–25.5% magnesium) always needs less compound than taurate (8.9%): for 400 mg of magnesium, 1,567–3,344 mg against 4,484 mg. That is the mass of powder per dose; how much of it is absorbed is what the studies below measured.

computed
Compound mass and size 00 capsules for chloride and taurate
Elemental magnesiumchloride compoundchloride size 00taurate compoundtaurate size 00
100 mg392–836 mg1–21,121 mg2
200 mg783–1,672 mg2–32,242 mg4
400 mg1,567–3,344 mg3–54,484 mg7

chloride: anhydrous 25.5%, hexahydrate 12.0%; hydration ambiguity stays a range.

Source · Chemical formulas and NIH DSLD labels · snapshot 2026-08-10 · release 2026-08-10-f441aa9f · CSV · method

Estimated salt mass versus assumed capsule capacity

No capsule label names chloride alone, against 0 of 2 for taurate. Verdicts use the most favourable hydration and the most units per serving at powder density 0.8 g/mL, the top of the usual 0.6–0.8 range; the audited registry as a whole has 8 of 137 capsule labels above size 000.

computed with assumption
Capsule verdicts for chloride and taurate labels
SaltAudited capsule labelsFits 0 or 00Needs 000Exceeds 000
chloride0000
taurate2020

Source · NIH DSLD labels; mass balance · recognized salt only; snapshot 2026-08-10 · release 2026-08-10-f441aa9f · CSV · method

What does each cost per 100 mg of elemental magnesium, within its own salt?

Compared only with offers of the same salt: no ranked chloride price; taurate from $0.1033 per 100 mg (median $0.1842, 4 ranked offers). Prices observed 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-02; a ranking exists only inside one salt, because the compound mass per 100 mg of magnesium differs between salts.

computed
Price per 100 mg of declared elemental magnesium, within each salt
SaltRanked offersLowest per 100 mgMedian per 100 mgObserved
chloride0nonenone2026-11-02
taurate4$0.1033$0.18422026-11-02

Source · Amazon via licensed data provider; NIH DSLD · unique ASIN × date; prices observed 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-02 · release 2026-08-10-f441aa9f · CSV · method

Has any study measured chloride and taurate side by side?

No study in the PubMed-checked registry measured chloride and taurate side by side as of 2026-08-10; 3 involve chloride and 1 involve taurate separately.

measured
Registry studies involving chloride or taurate
YearStudySalts measuredPubMed
2005Study of magnesium bioavailability from ten organic and inorganic Mg salts in Mg-depleted rats using a stable isotope approachoxide, chloride, sulfate, carbonate, citrate, gluconate, lactate, aspartate, glycinate16548135
2001Bioavailability of US commercial magnesium preparationsoxide, chloride, lactate, aspartate11794633
1992Blood and urinary magnesium kinetics after oral magnesium supplements.chloride, gluconate1468087
2019Timeline (Bioavailability) of Magnesium Compounds in Hours: Which Magnesium Compound Works Best?sulfate, oxide, taurate, citrate, malate29679349

Source · PubMed-checked study registry · registry checked 2026-08-10 · release 2026-08-10-f441aa9f · CSV · method

How many labels name both chloride and taurate?

No label names both chloride and taurate as of 2026-08-10, against 19 labels naming chloride and 12 naming taurate.

measured
Labels naming both salts
LabelDeclared elemental per servingNIH DSLD
No label as of 2026-08-10

Source · Chemical formulas and NIH DSLD labels · snapshot 2026-08-10 · release 2026-08-10-f441aa9f · CSV · method

What does every dose from 25 to 1,000 mg of magnesium need in each salt?

The table converts 40 elemental amounts, 25 to 1,000 mg in 25 mg steps, into compound mass and size 00 capsules for both salts, against 730 mg per size 00 capsule at powder density 0.8 g/mL, the top of the usual 0.6–0.8 range. The first eight rows are shown; the rest open below.

computed
Compound mass reference, 25 to 1,000 mg of elemental magnesium
Elemental magnesiumchloride compoundchloride size 00taurate compoundtaurate size 00
25 mg98–209 mg1280 mg1
50 mg196–418 mg1561 mg1
75 mg294–627 mg1841 mg2
100 mg392–836 mg1–21,121 mg2
125 mg490–1,045 mg1–21,401 mg2
150 mg588–1,254 mg1–21,682 mg3
175 mg685–1,463 mg1–31,962 mg3
200 mg783–1,672 mg2–32,242 mg4
32 additional rows
Compound mass reference, 25 to 1,000 mg of elemental magnesium, additional rows
Elemental magnesiumchloride compoundchloride size 00taurate compoundtaurate size 00
225 mg881–1,881 mg2–32,522 mg4
250 mg979–2,090 mg2–32,803 mg4
275 mg1,077–2,299 mg2–43,083 mg5
300 mg1,175–2,508 mg2–43,363 mg5
325 mg1,273–2,717 mg2–43,643 mg5
350 mg1,371–2,926 mg2–53,924 mg6
375 mg1,469–3,135 mg3–54,204 mg6
400 mg1,567–3,344 mg3–54,484 mg7
425 mg1,665–3,554 mg3–54,765 mg7
450 mg1,763–3,763 mg3–65,045 mg7
475 mg1,861–3,972 mg3–65,325 mg8
500 mg1,958–4,181 mg3–65,605 mg8
525 mg2,056–4,390 mg3–75,886 mg9
550 mg2,154–4,599 mg3–76,166 mg9
575 mg2,252–4,808 mg4–76,446 mg9
600 mg2,350–5,017 mg4–76,726 mg10
625 mg2,448–5,226 mg4–87,007 mg10
650 mg2,546–5,435 mg4–87,287 mg10
675 mg2,644–5,644 mg4–87,567 mg11
700 mg2,742–5,853 mg4–97,848 mg11
725 mg2,840–6,062 mg4–98,128 mg12
750 mg2,938–6,271 mg5–98,408 mg12
775 mg3,036–6,480 mg5–98,688 mg12
800 mg3,134–6,689 mg5–108,969 mg13
825 mg3,231–6,898 mg5–109,249 mg13
850 mg3,329–7,107 mg5–109,529 mg14
875 mg3,427–7,316 mg5–119,809 mg14
900 mg3,525–7,525 mg5–1110,090 mg14
925 mg3,623–7,734 mg5–1110,370 mg15
950 mg3,721–7,943 mg6–1110,650 mg15
975 mg3,819–8,152 mg6–1210,930 mg15
1,000 mg3,917–8,361 mg6–1211,211 mg16

Source · Chemical formulas and NIH DSLD labels · snapshot 2026-08-10 · release 2026-08-10-f441aa9f · CSV · method