All articles
Practical guides on pharmaceutical manufacturing calculations, batch reconciliation, coating, compression, equipment qualification and quality checks, written by Sajjad Ahmad. Most guides link to the calculator that goes with the topic. The newest articles are listed first.
- October 30, 2026MACO Calculation for Cleaning Validation: Step-by-Step with a Worked ExampleA simple and step by step guide to learn all about maximum allowable carry over or MACO in pharma.
- October 30, 2026Expiry Date Calculation in Pharma: From Manufacturing Date and Shelf Life to the LabelTurn a manufacturing date and shelf life into an expiry date: three common rules, leap-year and month-end traps, remaining shelf life and a calculator.
- October 30, 2026How to Calculate Cost per Tablet: Materials, Labour, Overheads and Yield LossIn this article you will learn to calculate the true cost of a single good tablet from materials, labour, overhead and packaging, with a practical example showing how yield loss adds to the cost.
- October 30, 2026What Does a 1% Yield Drop Really Cost per Year? A Practical Calculation for Pharma PlantsDid you ever calculate or imagine the impact of 1% loss in yield over yearly manufactured batches? This point is usually ignored but in this article you will learn to calculate this surprising impact with practical examples.
- October 30, 2026Compression Force to Pressure: How to Convert kN to MPa for Any Punch DiameterConvert tablet compression force (kN) into pressure (MPa) for round and capsule punches in pharma.
- October 30, 2026How Many Batches per Month? Tablet Press Speed, OEE and Shifts ExplainedPlan monthly output from tablet press speed, OEE, changeover and shifts, with a worked example, a bottleneck check across stages and a calculator.
- October 29, 2026Yield Above 100%? Seven Real Reasons It Happens in Pharma Batches and How to Check Each OneA batch yield above 100% is a warning sign or good news? Here you will learn seven real causes, from moisture to wrong average weights, with a check for each which contributes batch yield above 100%.
- October 29, 2026Weight Variation Test for Tablets: BP vs USP Limits, Calculation and Common CausesMost of the professionals working in pharmaceutical industries find the weight variation ranges the confusing one & in this article you will learn how the tablet weight variation test works under BP, Ph. Eur. and USP, with practical examples and the usual causes of weight drift during the tablet compression process.
- October 29, 2026How to Write a URS for Pharmaceutical Equipment: Structure, Examples and Template OutlineA major lacking discipline for pharma professionals working in pharmaceutical industries as the majority don't know how to write a user requirement specification. (URS)
- October 29, 2026How to Set Pharmaceutical Yield Limits from Your Own Batch Data: A Step-by-Step MethodHow to set the yield limits from a set of data of previous batches.
- October 29, 2026How to Read a Certificate of Analysis for the Numbers That Change Your DispensingBeing a pharma professional you must be familiar with the reading and meaning of certificate of analysis & here we will learn how CoA may impact the process of dispensing.
- October 29, 2026How to Calculate Pharmaceutical Batch Size: Step-by-Step Method with Worked ExamplesA step-by-step method to calculate batch size, total batch weight and API quantity for tablets and liquids, with worked examples and a checklist.
- October 29, 2026FAT vs SAT in Pharmaceutical Equipment: Differences, Checks and a Practical ChecklistWhat factory and site acceptance tests are, how they differ, what to check in each, and how they feed into IQ, OQ and PQ for new pharmaceutical equipment.
- October 29, 2026Tablet Coating Pan Loading: How Much Is Too Much? A Practical Guide with a Worked ExampleHere in this article we will learn regarding tablet coating pan loading mean how much we can add in a pan for smooth and trouble free tablet coating.
- October 28, 2026Tablet Coating Defects: Picking, Orange Peel, Twinning and How to Fix ThemA practical guide for the most common tablet coating defects in tablet manufacturing with practical approaches along with reasons and solutions.
- September 30, 2026Deliverable Volume Testing for Liquid Dosage Forms: A Practical GuideUnderstanding the USP <698> Stage 1 / Stage 2 deliverable volume decision tree, worked through with real numbers.
- August 14, 2026Understanding Yield Loss Points Across Granulation, Compression, Coating, and PackingWhere tablets go missing at each stage, from granulation through packing, and why each loss has different causes and fixes.
- August 14, 2026How to Investigate a Batch Reconciliation FailureA step-by-step process for investigating a batch reconciliation failure: where to look, in what order, and how to reach the root cause.
- August 8, 2026Coating Weight Gain Troubleshooting: Why Actual Doesn't Match TheoreticalA practical approach to learn why there is a gap between actual vs theoretical weight gain during tablet coating process.
- August 8, 2026Carr's Index & Hausner Ratio Explained: What Powder Flow Numbers Actually MeanA practical guide to interpreting powder compressibility data for tablet and capsule manufacturing, with references to USP, Ph. Eur., BP, and ICH guidance.
- August 8, 2026Batch Reconciliation Explained: Where Manufacturers Actually Lose MaterialA stage-by-stage guide to granulation, compression, coating, and encapsulation reconciliation, with the formula for each.
- August 8, 2026API Overage: How Much Is Too Much? A Practical Guide by Dosage FormProcess-loss vs. stability overage, rough ranges by dosage form, and how overage interacts with assay correction.
Looking for a calculator instead?
All 16 pharmaceutical calculators are on the home page, from batch size and tablet weight to the six stage-wise reconciliation tools.