Gelatin capsules can be filled by hand for research or experimental purposes, or when filling small quantities at the pharmacy. This is done by placing the powder to be filled on a clean piece of paper or a tablet or a porcelain plate, and pressing down on the open end of the capsule until it is filled. Then put the cap on to close the capsule.

    In small-scale production, hard gelatin capsules can be filled manually using manual or manual capsule machines. This is done by filling the powder directly into the capsule shell and relying on the bulk/tap density of the powder to obtain the correct dose for the capsule shell volume used. The various types of manual capsule machines have capacities ranging from 24 to 300 capsules and, when run efficiently, are capable of producing around 200 to 2,000 capsules per hour.

    Mass production involves the use of machines of all shapes and sizes, ranging from semi-automatic to fully automatic, with outputs ranging from 3,000 to 150,000 pieces per hour. Powder filling is accomplished by either of two dosing units: a doser unit or a dosing pan/compacting unit.