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

Magnesium hydroxide vs orotate: 480 vs 2,751 mg of compound for 200 mg of magnesium

Magnesium hydroxide is 41.7% elemental magnesium and magnesium orotate is 7.3%, so 200 mg of magnesium needs 480 mg of hydroxide against 2,751 mg of orotate: 1 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 hydroxide alone, against 0 of 3 for orotate. Prices within each salt: no ranked hydroxide price; orotate $0.7937 per 100 mg (a single ranked offer); observed 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-02.

computed from chemical formulas
hydroxide for 200 mg Mg480 mg41.7% magnesium · 1 size 00
orotate for 200 mg Mg2,751 mg7.3% magnesium · 4 size 00
Exceeds size 000none · 0 of 3hydroxide · orotate capsule labels
Cheapest by declared elemental magnesium, per 100 mg, within each salthydroxide none · orotate $0.79370 and 1 ranked offers · 2026-11-02
dumbbell · hydroxide vs orotate · compound mass for 100, 200 and 400 mg magnesium, 480 vs 2,751 mg at 200 mg · chemistry 2026-08-10
Compound mass for the same elemental magnesium: dark dot hydroxide (41.7%), grey dot orotate (7.3%); the labels give each salt's full range.
Chart data
Chart labels and values for the main chart
Displayed chart text
100 mg magnesium
hydroxide 240 · orotate 1,376
200 mg magnesium
hydroxide 480 · orotate 2,751
400 mg magnesium
hydroxide 960 · orotate 5,502

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 hydroxide or orotate carries the same elemental magnesium?

At the same elemental amount, hydroxide (41.7% magnesium) always needs less compound than orotate (7.3%): for 400 mg of magnesium, 960 mg against 5,502 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 hydroxide and orotate
Elemental magnesiumhydroxide compoundhydroxide size 00orotate compoundorotate size 00
100 mg240 mg11,376 mg2
200 mg480 mg12,751 mg4
400 mg960 mg25,502 mg8

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 hydroxide alone, against 0 of 3 for orotate. 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 hydroxide and orotate labels
SaltAudited capsule labelsFits 0 or 00Needs 000Exceeds 000
hydroxide0000
orotate3300

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 hydroxide price; orotate $0.7937 per 100 mg (a single ranked offer). 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
hydroxide0nonenone2026-11-02
orotate1$0.7937$0.79372026-11-02

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 hydroxide and orotate side by side?

No study in the PubMed-checked registry measured hydroxide and orotate side by side as of 2026-08-10; 1 involve hydroxide and 0 involve orotate separately.

measured
Registry studies involving hydroxide or orotate
YearStudySalts measuredPubMed
2025Comparing the Bioavailability of Two Seawater-Derived Magnesium Preparations.citrate, hydroxide40955524

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

How many labels name both hydroxide and orotate?

No label names both hydroxide and orotate as of 2026-08-10, against 10 labels naming hydroxide and 8 naming orotate.

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 magnesiumhydroxide compoundhydroxide size 00orotate compoundorotate size 00
25 mg60 mg1344 mg1
50 mg120 mg1688 mg1
75 mg180 mg11,032 mg2
100 mg240 mg11,376 mg2
125 mg300 mg11,719 mg3
150 mg360 mg12,063 mg3
175 mg420 mg12,407 mg4
200 mg480 mg12,751 mg4
32 additional rows
Compound mass reference, 25 to 1,000 mg of elemental magnesium, additional rows
Elemental magnesiumhydroxide compoundhydroxide size 00orotate compoundorotate size 00
225 mg540 mg13,095 mg5
250 mg600 mg13,439 mg5
275 mg660 mg13,783 mg6
300 mg720 mg14,127 mg6
325 mg780 mg24,470 mg7
350 mg840 mg24,814 mg7
375 mg900 mg25,158 mg8
400 mg960 mg25,502 mg8
425 mg1,020 mg25,846 mg9
450 mg1,080 mg26,190 mg9
475 mg1,140 mg26,534 mg9
500 mg1,200 mg26,878 mg10
525 mg1,260 mg27,221 mg10
550 mg1,320 mg27,565 mg11
575 mg1,380 mg27,909 mg11
600 mg1,440 mg28,253 mg12
625 mg1,500 mg38,597 mg12
650 mg1,560 mg38,941 mg13
675 mg1,619 mg39,285 mg13
700 mg1,679 mg39,629 mg14
725 mg1,739 mg39,972 mg14
750 mg1,799 mg310,316 mg15
775 mg1,859 mg310,660 mg15
800 mg1,919 mg311,004 mg16
825 mg1,979 mg311,348 mg16
850 mg2,039 mg311,692 mg17
875 mg2,099 mg312,036 mg17
900 mg2,159 mg312,380 mg17
925 mg2,219 mg412,724 mg18
950 mg2,279 mg413,067 mg18
975 mg2,339 mg413,411 mg19
1,000 mg2,399 mg413,755 mg19

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