Magnesium taurate is 8.9% magnesium by weight and glycinate 11.8–14.1%, so 200 mg of magnesium takes 2,240 mg of taurate or 1,420–1,690 mg of glycinate. Taurate, Mg(C₂H₆NO₃S)₂, binds each magnesium atom to two taurine groups, which is why its magnesium share is low. Label counts come from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) snapshot of 2026-08-10; prices come from Amazon offers observed 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-02 and are compared only inside one salt.
Which to pick for what
At 400 mg of magnesium, taurate needs 7 size 00 capsules of salt alone and glycinate 4–5, by the formulas Mg(C₂H₆NO₃S)₂ and Mg(C₂H₄NO₂)₂ at 0.8 g/mL.
- Fewest capsules. For 200 mg of magnesium: 2,240 mg of taurate, 4 size 00 or 3 size 000 capsules, against 1,420–1,690 mg of glycinate, 2–3 size 00 or 2 size 000. For 400 mg: 4,480 mg of taurate, 7 size 00 or 5 size 000, against 2,840–3,380 mg of glycinate, 4–5 size 00 or 3–4 size 000. Counts assume salt alone at 0.8 g/mL: 730 mg per size 00, 1,100 mg per size 000.
- What labels declare. Median magnesium per serving on DSLD labels, snapshot 2026-08-10, taurate: 146 mg; glycinate: 238 mg. The 400 mg figures are a yardstick for comparing salts, not a serving.
- Lowest cost inside each salt. 30 days at 400 mg a day from the cheapest ranked taurate offer: $12.40. From the cheapest ranked glycinate offer: $7.99. Ranked offers behind each figure, as of 2026-11-02, taurate: 4; glycinate: 17. These are within-salt figures, not a ranking of the salts.
- What studies measured. As of October 2026, no study in the site's PubMed-checked registry measured plain magnesium taurate, and none compared it with glycinate.
- PMID 29679349 (2019): rats received one dose of magnesium acetyl taurate, a different compound, or sulfate, oxide, citrate or malate; serum and tissue magnesium, brain included, were followed for hours.
- For glycinate: PMID 14596323 (2003; 46 adults, 300 mg a day, amino-acid chelate against citrate and oxide), PMID 39770988 (2024; 40 adults, plasma magnesium over 6 hours after single doses) and PMID 16548135 (2005; ten salts in 80 magnesium-depleted rats).
Side by side
For 400 mg of magnesium, glycinate takes 2,840–3,380 mg of compound and taurate 4,480 mg; label counts are from the DSLD snapshot of 2026-08-10 and prices were observed 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-02.
| Measure | Magnesium glycinate | Magnesium taurate |
|---|---|---|
| Magnesium by weight | 11.8–14.1% | 8.9% |
| Compound for 400 mg of magnesium | 2,840–3,380 mg | 4,480 mg |
| Size 00 capsules for 400 mg (salt alone) | 4–5 | 7 |
| Most magnesium one size 000 capsule can hold | 130–155 mg | 98 mg |
| Labels in NIH DSLD naming the salt | 126 | 12 |
| Median magnesium per serving on those labels | 238 mg | 146 mg |
| Ranked US price offers | 17 | 4 |
| Lowest price per 100 mg of magnesium, within the salt | $0.0666 | $0.1033 |
Compound masses are rounded to the nearest 10 mg.
What to check on the label
In the DSLD snapshot of 2026-08-10, 4 of 12 taurate labels and 73 of 126 glycinate labels name that salt as the only magnesium source.
- Taurine is not taurate. Taurine listed as its own ingredient is the free amino acid; it adds no magnesium.
- Acetyl taurate. Magnesium acetyl taurate is a different compound; the 8.9% figure applies to magnesium taurate only.
- Magnesium or compound? Supplement Facts should state the magnesium itself. As compound weight, "Magnesium Taurate 1,000 mg" holds 89 mg of magnesium.
- Per-capsule ceiling. One size 000 capsule holds at most 98 mg of magnesium as taurate alone at 0.8 g/mL, and a size 00 about 65 mg. A taurate capsule declaring more cannot be taurate alone; the label audit lists labels like that.
- "Buffered" glycinate. The word means an alkaline magnesium salt, usually oxide, is mixed in.
Where to go next
The taurate ranking and the glycinate ranking order 4 and 17 ranked offers by price per 100 mg of magnesium, prices observed 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-02.