How to source creatine monohydrate without guessing the grade
What we establish before quoting a creatine monohydrate order. Most creatine monohydrate enquiries arrive with a competitor price and no sheet, so the first thing we establish is the assay basis: ours is creatine monohydrate at 99% or higher per lot COA, from fermentation-origin creatine by synthesis and recrystallisation, and a price quoted against a material whose percentage is measured a different way cannot be compared with it. We then ask which application the powder is going into, because powders and blends, capsules and tablets, sports energy drinks and fitness meal replacements pull the mesh in different directions, and we confirm whether the process needs the standard 80 mesh or 100 mesh on request. We also ask whether the buyer's specification sets a dicyandiamide limit, since ours is a high-purity, low-dicyandiamide grade and that line belongs on the sheet. Packing comes next: a 25 kg fibre drum as standard, foil bags for pilots, OEM under the buyer's own brand if needed. Samples are always drawn from production lots, so what the buyer tests is the material that would ship; the free quantity depends on the item's value and anything beyond is billed at cost plus courier, quoted up front.
Creatine monohydrate is the most researched sports-nutrition ingredient in the industry, and one of the easiest to mis-buy, because the market uses the same name for materials that differ in origin, assay basis and mesh. The grade we supply is fermentation-origin creatine monohydrate at 99% or higher per lot COA, a white crystalline powder that is free-flowing and easy to formulate. This guide covers how to source creatine monohydrate: what the material is, the specification line by line, what it is bought for, and what a first order looks like. If you are comparing several suppliers at once, the mechanics below are the same ones we apply to every creatine monohydrate quotation that leaves this desk.
What creatine monohydrate is
The source line on the sheet reads fermentation-origin creatine, and the process line reads synthesis and recrystallisation. The assay line reads creatine monohydrate at 99% or higher, per lot COA. The result is a white crystalline powder, high purity with low dicyandiamide, free-flowing and easy to formulate. Two details matter before prices are compared. First, the origin: fermentation-origin creatine is the stated source, and it is the line that separates this grade from material of unstated origin sold at the same price. Second, the assay basis: 99% or higher, stated per lot COA, means the number is measured on the batch that ships rather than quoted as a generic claim.
The creatine monohydrate specification, line by line
| Line | Standard grade |
|---|---|
| Source | Fermentation-origin creatine |
| Process | Synthesis and recrystallisation |
| Assay | Creatine monohydrate 99% or higher (per lot COA) |
| Appearance | White crystalline powder |
| Particle size | 80 mesh standard, 100 mesh on request |
| Loss on drying | 5.0% or less |
| Total ash | 5.0% or less |
| Packing | 25 kg fibre drum, double polyethylene liner |
| Shelf life | 24 months in unopened original packing |
The physical lines are the ones buyers skip and then ask about later. Loss on drying and total ash are each limited to 5.0% or less, and those two lines, together with the assay, are what the lot COA reports against. The mesh line reads 80 mesh as standard with 100 mesh on request; the standard grade blends into dry matrices without a separate milling stage, and the finer mesh is for processes that need it. If your specification sets a dicyandiamide limit, say so when you request the sheet, because ours is a high-purity, low-dicyandiamide grade and the limit belongs on the document rather than in an email.
What creatine monohydrate is bought for
Four applications cover almost every enquiry we see:
- Creatine powders and blends — the home application; at 80 mesh the powder blends into pre-workout and standalone formulas without a milling stage
- Muscle-gain capsules and tablets — filled as part of a dry blend, where the free-flowing character of the crystalline powder does the work
- Sports energy drinks — dispersed in the mix step; 100 mesh on request where a finer dispersion is needed
- Fitness meal replacements — blended with protein and carbohydrate bases, where the powder's flow keeps dosing consistent
What changes between these formats is not the material but the mesh and the trial: the same creatine monohydrate powder goes into all four, and the question to settle first is whether your process needs the standard 80 mesh or 100 mesh on request.
What a first order looks like
- MOQ: 1 kg
- Samples and pilot runs: 1 kg and 5 kg foil bags, drawn from production lots
- Standard packing: 25 kg fibre drum with a double polyethylene liner
- Lead time: in-stock items ready in about 2 days; bulk production 3 to 5 working days after deposit
- Transit: Xi'an to Shenzhen consolidation about 3 days, then about 6 days by air to major U.S. and EU airports, or 18 to 25 days by sea
- OEM: packing under your own brand, artwork handled under confidentiality
Samples are always drawn from production lots, so what you test is the material that would ship; the free quantity depends on the item's value, and anything beyond is billed at cost plus courier and quoted up front. For bulk creatine monohydrate orders the drum-and-liner packing is the standard, and if your process needs an alternative mesh size we confirm feasibility and lead time with our manufacturing partner within one business day rather than quoting blind. When you shortlist a creatine monohydrate supplier, the lot COA is the document that separates sheets from results.
Frequently asked questions
What is creatine monohydrate standardised to?
The standard grade is creatine monohydrate at 99% or higher per lot COA, from fermentation-origin creatine by synthesis and recrystallisation. The powder is white and crystalline, free-flowing, with low dicyandiamide, at 80 mesh as standard with 100 mesh on request. Loss on drying and total ash are each limited to 5.0% or less.
What should I check when comparing creatine monohydrate specifications?
Check the assay basis first: 99% or higher stated per lot COA, and ask what the percentage is measured against, because sheets written on different bases cannot be compared line by line. Then the source line (fermentation-origin creatine), the purity and dicyandiamide line, the mesh line (80 mesh standard, 100 mesh on request), and the physical limits (loss on drying and total ash each at 5.0% or less). Ask each supplier for the lot COA that would ship with your order rather than a generic sample.
What is the MOQ, sample policy and lead time for creatine monohydrate?
MOQ is 1 kg. Samples are always drawn from production lots; the free quantity depends on the item's value, and anything beyond is billed at cost plus courier and quoted up front. In-stock items are ready in about 2 days, bulk production takes 3 to 5 working days after deposit, and transit is about 3 days Xi'an to Shenzhen plus about 6 days by air to major U.S. and EU airports, or 18 to 25 days by sea.
Related: Creatine Monohydrate — full specification, grades and documentation.