How many units is a 1 mg SS-31 dose?

With a 10 mg SS-31 vial reconstituted in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (5 mg/mL, or 5000 mcg/mL), a 1 mg (1000 mcg) dose works out to 1000 divided by 50 mcg per unit, which is 20 units on a U-100 insulin syringe.

How much bacteriostatic water goes into an SS-31 vial?

It depends on the concentration you want. A common reference point is 2 mL for a 10 mg vial, which gives 5 mg/mL and keeps typical research doses in a readable unit range. Use the calculator to test other volumes and find one that lands your dose on a round syringe mark.

Is SS-31 FDA-approved?

No. SS-31 (elamipretide) is not FDA-approved for any use. It is sold as a research compound, not as a drug or supplement, and none of the figures in an SS-31 reconstitution calculator describe an approved or recommended human dose.

Does an SS-31 reconstitution calculator handle both mg and mcg?

Yes. Vial labels are almost always in milligrams while some research protocols describe doses in micrograms. 1 mg equals 1000 mcg, and the calculator converts between the two automatically once a vial size, water volume, and target dose are entered.

SS-31 Reconstitution Calculator: Water & Syringe Math

By PeptCalc Research — Medically reviewed by David Mansour, MD — Last reviewed August 13, 2026

SS-31 vials are labeled in milligrams, and turning that label into an exact syringe draw is the arithmetic an SS-31 reconstitution calculator is built to handle. This is a reference for that math: how vial size and bacteriostatic water volume set concentration, and how concentration turns a target dose into an exact draw on a U-100 insulin syringe. It is written for research purposes only and is not medical advice.

What the calculator does

An SS-31 reconstitution calculator only needs three numbers to do its job: vial size, water volume, and target dose. The peptide calculator handles the conversion in two directions:

Forward mode — enter vial size, water volume, and target dose, and it returns the syringe units to draw.
Reverse mode — enter vial size, target dose, and a desired unit count, and it returns the water volume that produces it.

Both modes run on the same formula: concentration equals mass divided by water volume, and units equal that volume in mL multiplied by 100 on a U-100 syringe. That formula doesn't change because the vial holds SS-31 instead of another peptide — only the vial's own mass and water volume matter.

SS-31 at a glance

SS-31, also called elamipretide, is a short synthetic peptide built from four amino acids, engineered to cross into cells and concentrate in mitochondria rather than diffusing through tissue at random. Its structure — alternating aromatic and basic residues — lets it bind cardiolipin, a phospholipid found almost exclusively in the inner mitochondrial membrane. That targeting is why SS-31 has been studied in the context of mitochondrial dysfunction: how cells under metabolic stress in heart, kidney, and skeletal muscle tissue hold up structurally and functionally. Much of the published work is in cell and animal models, with a smaller and more recent body of human research — a peptide where the mechanism is well described but the human evidence base is still developing.

SS-31 is not FDA-approved for any use. It is sold as a lyophilized research compound, not as a drug or supplement, and nothing here describes a use recommendation. It describes reconstitution arithmetic, which is identical regardless of a compound's regulatory status or how established its research is. For a peptide studied in a related mitochondrial context, see the MOTS-c reconstitution calculator.

Typical research concentration

SS-31 most commonly reaches researchers as lyophilized powder in vials in the 5 mg to 10 mg range. Reconstituted in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water, a reference point chosen because it keeps typical research doses on readable syringe marks:

Vial size	Water added	Concentration
5 mg	2 mL	2.5 mg/mL (2500 mcg/mL)
10 mg	2 mL	5 mg/mL (5000 mcg/mL)
30 mg	2 mL	15 mg/mL (15,000 mcg/mL)

These are reference points, not requirements — the free peptide calculator recalculates concentration for any vial size and water volume actually on hand.

The math

Step 1: Calculate concentration

Concentration = vial mass ÷ water volume

10 mg vial + 2 mL water = 10 ÷ 2 = 5 mg/mL (5000 mcg/mL)

Step 2: Convert concentration to mcg per unit

A U-100 insulin syringe divides 1 mL into 100 units, so:

mcg per unit = concentration (mcg/mL) ÷ 100

5000 mcg/mL ÷ 100 = 50 mcg per unit

Step 3: Convert the target dose to units

Units = target dose (mcg) ÷ mcg per unit

Worked example. A 10 mg SS-31 vial reconstituted in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water is 5 mg/mL, or 5000 mcg/mL, which is 50 mcg per unit. A 1 mg (1000 mcg) research reference dose from that vial is 1000 ÷ 50 = 20 units. A 0.5 mg (500 mcg) dose from the same vial is 500 ÷ 50 = 10 units.

Compare that to the same 10 mg vial reconstituted in just 1 mL of water instead: 10 ÷ 1 = 10 mg/mL, or 10,000 mcg/mL, which is 100 mcg per unit. That same 1 mg dose is now 1000 ÷ 100 = 10 units — a smaller draw from a higher-concentration vial, even though the dose in mg hasn't changed at all.

Choosing a water volume

Water volume is the lever that sets how large a given dose reads on the syringe. For a 10 mg vial and a 1 mg dose:

Water added	Concentration	mcg per unit	Units for 1 mg
1 mL	10,000 mcg/mL	100 mcg/unit	10 units
2 mL	5,000 mcg/mL	50 mcg/unit	20 units
5 mL	2,000 mcg/mL	20 mcg/unit	50 units

None of these rows is more correct than another — 1 mg is 1 mg regardless of which row it comes from. A larger draw is generally easier to measure precisely on a U-100 barrel than a very small one, since a one-unit misread is a bigger proportional error at the low end. Reverse mode on the peptide reconstitution calculator finds the water volume that lands a specific dose on a round unit mark.

Reconstitution process

Gather the SS-31 vial, bacteriostatic water, a U-100 insulin syringe, and alcohol swabs.
Swab both vial stoppers with alcohol.
Draw the water volume the chosen concentration calls for.
Inject it slowly down the inside wall of the vial, not directly onto the powder.
Swirl gently until fully dissolved — don't shake.
Confirm the resulting concentration matches what was entered into the calculator before drawing a dose.

For the general mixing walkthrough that applies to any peptide vial, see how to reconstitute peptides.

Storage

Reconstituted SS-31 is generally kept refrigerated and protected from light. Unreconstituted lyophilized powder is far more stable than the mixed solution, which is why vials ship dry. Track the date each vial was reconstituted, particularly if more than one vial is in use at different concentrations.

Common mistakes

Confusing mg and mcg. SS-31 vial labels are in milligrams; some research protocols describe doses in micrograms. 1 mg equals 1000 mcg, and misreading one for the other produces a 1000x error.
Treating research figures as established human dosing. SS-31's human research base is still developing relative to its preclinical evidence. A number appearing in a research protocol is not the same as a validated clinical dose.
Reusing a unit count across a different water volume. As the table above shows, 1 mg is 20 units at one concentration and 10 units at another. A unit count only means something relative to the specific concentration it was calculated from.
Using a syringe that isn't U-100. Every unit conversion here assumes 100 units equal 1 mL. A different syringe scale changes the math entirely.
Skipping a fresh concentration check after reconstitution. Confirm the math before drawing, especially when switching between vial sizes.

Used as an SS-31 reconstitution calculator, the peptide calculator skips the arithmetic and returns exact syringe units, with reverse mode available for finding a water volume that lands a dose on a clean mark. For a peptide studied in a related mitochondrial context, see the MOTS-c reconstitution calculator.