How to calculate what a magnesium supplement costs per day
Answer
Divide capsules in the pack by capsules per serving to get servings, then divide the pack price by that. Never divide by capsules, which is what the shelf and Amazon both show.
Key takeaways
- What are the three numbers?
- Pack price, capsules in the pack, and capsules per serving.
- Why not use price per capsule?
- It halves or quarters the real daily cost depending on serving size, so it cannot compare across products.
- What does a good figure look like?
- Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is 19.99 pounds for 90 servings, which is 22p a day.
The calculation
Capsules in the pack divided by capsules per serving gives servings. Pack price divided by servings gives cost per day.
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate: 180 capsules divided by two per serving is 90 servings. 19.99 pounds divided by 90 is 22.2p a day. The 90 capsule pouch at 9.99 pounds is 45 servings, which is also 22.2p, so the larger tub is about not reordering rather than a discount.
Where it goes wrong
A product at 12.99 pounds for 120 capsules looks cheaper than one at 19.99 for 180. At four capsules a serving it is 30 servings, so 43p a day against 22p, and the pack lasts a month rather than three.
Price per capsule, which is what Amazon shows as price per count, hides that entirely. It is the single most common way a magnesium purchase goes wrong.
The full version
- What magnesium costs per day for a rugby playerThe full arithmetic, cost per 100mg of elemental magnesium, and what a season and a year come to.
- How to check a magnesium label before you buyWhere to find the serving size the calculation depends on.
The product
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is the 300mg elemental one at 22p a day, identical across both pack sizes, which is 7.4p per 100mg of elemental magnesium.
- 300mg elemental magnesium, 80% NRV
- Bisglycinate, best tolerated common form
- UK made to GMP, lab tested for purity
- Not batch certified for sport
Sharper Rugby is published by Futuro Labs. If you buy through this link Futuro Labs earns from the sale. Prices are set by Amazon.
Questions players ask
How do I work out cost per day?
Capsules in the pack divided by capsules per serving, then pack price divided by that.
Why is price per capsule misleading?
It ignores serving size, so a four capsule product looks four times cheaper than it is.
Is the bigger tub better value?
Not on Futuro Labs. Both pack sizes work out at 22p a day.
Does a subscription discount change much?
Five percent takes 22.2p a day to 21.1p, which is about two and a half pounds across a season.
Should I buy a multipack?
Only if you are confident you will keep taking it. A multipack bought and abandoned is worse value than a single tub.