GHK-Cu Dosage Calculator

Why GHK-Cu is different: the big-vial problem

Most peptide vials hold 5 or 10 mg. GHK-Cu is sold as 50 mg and 100 mg vials, five to ten times more powder in a vial of roughly the same size. Since the vial can only take a few millilitres of water, the solution ends up very concentrated, and a concentrated solution means each milligram is a tiny volume.

That is the opposite of the usual problem. With a 5 mg vial the worry is a dose not fitting the barrel. With GHK-Cu the worry is the dose being only a few units, where the gap between two marks is a large share of the dose. Misreading a 3 unit draw by one unit is a 33% error; misreading a 30 unit draw by one unit is about 3%.

Two things fix it. First, use as much water as the vial holds, because every extra millilitre stretches the same milligrams across more marks. Second, use a 30 unit (0.3 ml) syringe, which spaces its marks furthest apart. The calculator defaults to that barrel for this reason.

Units per dose for 50 mg and 100 mg vials

All figures are units on a U-100 insulin syringe, where 100 units is 1 ml. The doses along the top are a spread of values chosen to show the arithmetic. They are a reference for reading the maths, not a suggestion of what to use.

Read down the 1 mg column and the problem is obvious: from 10 units in a 50 mg vial with 5 ml, down to 3 units in a 100 mg vial with 3 ml. Same milligram, more than three times the reading precision, only because of the water.

The 5 ml rows only apply if your vial can actually hold 5 ml. Many GHK-Cu vials are larger than standard peptide vials, but some are not. Look at the vial before you plan around the bigger volume, and never force in more liquid than it takes.

How much bac water for 50 mg vs 100 mg GHK-Cu

50 mg vial: 2 ml gives a round 25 mg/ml (1 mg = 4 units). 3 ml gives about 16.7 mg/ml (1 mg = 6 units), which is easier to read but not a round concentration, so lean on the calculator rather than doing it in your head. 5 ml, if it fits, gives 10 mg/ml, where 1 mg is a clean 10 units.

100 mg vial: 5 ml gives 20 mg/ml (1 mg = 5 units), the most readable option if the vial is big enough. With only 3 ml the vial is about 33.3 mg/ml and 1 mg is 3 units, which is workable on a 30 unit syringe but leaves little room for error.

A bigger vial also lasts longer at any given dose, which matters because reconstituted solution does not keep indefinitely. A 100 mg vial at 1 mg per draw holds 100 doses; if that is more than you will use while the solution is still good, a 50 mg vial is the better buy. The water has its own clock too: how long bac water lasts.

What GHK-Cu is

GHK is a small peptide of three amino acids (glycine, histidine and lysine) that occurs naturally in the body. It binds copper readily, and the copper complex is what the “Cu” refers to. In cosmetics it is a long-standing skin-care ingredient. The lyophilised powder in 50 and 100 mg vials is a separate, research-grade product, and it is the only form this calculator applies to.

After mixing, the solution is blue, which is normal for a copper complex. Label the vial with the concentration and the date as soon as you mix it; with marks this small, knowing the exact concentration is what keeps a 3 unit draw from becoming a guess.

Questions

How much bac water for 50 mg of GHK-Cu?

Any volume holds the same 50 mg; the water only sets how strong each unit is. 2 ml gives 25 mg/ml, where 1 mg is 4 units on a U-100 syringe. 3 ml gives about 16.7 mg/ml, where 1 mg is 6 units. More water spreads the marks further apart, which makes small doses easier to read, so most people use as much as the vial comfortably holds.

How much bac water for 100 mg of GHK-Cu?

A 100 mg vial is so concentrated that the usual 2 to 3 ml leaves very small draws: 3 ml gives about 33.3 mg/ml, so 1 mg is 3 units. 5 ml gives 20 mg/ml, so 1 mg is 5 units, but only if the vial can physically take 5 ml. Check the vial size before you add water, and if it is a small vial, accept the finer marks and use a 30 unit syringe for the best reading accuracy.

How many units is 1 mg of GHK-Cu?

It depends on the concentration in your vial. At 25 mg/ml (50 mg + 2 ml) 1 mg is 4 units. At about 16.7 mg/ml (50 mg + 3 ml) it is 6 units. At about 33.3 mg/ml (100 mg + 3 ml) it is 3 units. Enter your own vial and water above instead of copying a unit count from a forum.

Why is my reconstituted GHK-Cu blue?

GHK-Cu is a copper complex, and copper complexes are blue in solution. A clear blue liquid is what it normally looks like. Cloudiness, particles or a colour change after mixing are a different matter and are a reason not to use the vial.

Does this calculator work for GHK-Cu creams or serums?

No. Topical products are already formulated and applied by the pea or by the drop, so there are no syringe units to work out. This tool is only for vials of powder that you reconstitute with bacteriostatic water and draw with an insulin syringe.

Is injectable GHK-Cu approved?

No. GHK-Cu is widely used in cosmetic skin products, but injectable GHK-Cu is not an FDA-approved drug, and powder sold online is typically labelled for laboratory research only. This page does the unit arithmetic; it does not suggest a dose or endorse use.