01Product

Creatine Monohydrate Granular

At a glance

Creatine Monohydrate from Zhicheng Bio — supply summary

Zhicheng Bio supplies bulk Creatine Monohydrate (Granular), CAS 6020-87-7, shipping from Shanghai, China. This grade is produced to order. Every shipment carries a batch Certificate of Analysis; specification sheet and MSDS are supplied on request. Extended lead — about 2 weeks to Shanghai port. Zhicheng Bio publishes no list price — quotes are issued per quantity and Incoterm by email to zhicheng1@zhicheng-bio.cn.

Supplier: Zhicheng Bio, Shanghai, China
CAS number: 6020-87-7
Molecular formula: C4H9N3O2·H2O
Grade / specification: Granular
Availability: Made to order
Documents: Batch CoA with every shipment; spec sheet and MSDS on request
Packing: 25 kg cartons or bags, adjustable
PubChem CID: 80116
How to get a price: Email RFQ to zhicheng1@zhicheng-bio.cn — no list price is published

Creatine Series ~2 weeks

Creatine Monohydrate

Granular

CAS 6020-87-7 · C4H9N3O2·H2O

Bulk Creatine Monohydrate for B2B manufacturing — supplied against your target specification, with documentation your QA can review before anything ships. Pricing below is indicative; send an RFQ for a firm quote, MOQ and lead time.

$4.87 – $5.46 /kg by order volume · indicative, ex-Shanghai

Indicative range — larger volumes price toward the low end. Ingredient markets move weekly; your firm price is confirmed by quotation, typically within one business day.

Category: Creatine Series

Availability: Extended lead — about 2 weeks to Shanghai port

Packing: 25 kg bags, cartons or drums (standard)

Key supply points

Supplied against your target specification — USP / FCC / JP monograph where applicable
Recent batch COA provided with the quotation, before you commit
Consolidates with other SKUs into one shipment out of Shanghai
Third-party lab verification available pre-shipment on request

Documentation with every batch

COA per batchSpec SheetMSDS / SDSExport docs

Third-party lab verification can be arranged pre-shipment on request. Certificates of origin, non-GMO or allergen statements per destination-market requirements.

Request COA & Quote Use the RFQ form

Shipping & Lead Time

Estimate freight for this product

~2 weeksExtended lead — about 2 weeks to Shanghai port

Destination region Quantity (kg)

Air FreightFast

Transit: —
Est. freight *: —
Total door-to-port: —

Sea LCLValue

Transit: —
Est. freight *: —
Total door-to-port: —

Request Exact Quote

Documentation-first

COA per batch, Spec Sheet and MSDS — reviewed by your QA before anything ships.

Ready-stock depth

Multi-tonne inventory on core SKUs, plus 28 actives held in our US warehouse in Los Angeles for domestic delivery.

Certified supply chain

Sourced from audited, certified manufacturers — ISO, HACCP, Halal & Kosher available.

Flexible export

25 kg bags, cartons or drums; FOB / CIF / DDP by lane, sea or air consolidation.

02Identity & properties

Identity & properties

Compound identifiers and physical properties for this material. The binding version is always the Specification Sheet and batch COA issued with your quotation.

CAS No.	6020-87-7
Molecular Formula	C4H11N3O3 (written as C4H9N3O2·H2O)
Molecular Weight	149.15
EINECS	611-954-8
Synonyms	Creatine monohydrate, CrM, N-methyl-N-guanylglycine monohydrate, methylguanidinoacetic acid monohydrate
Appearance	White crystalline granular powder, odourless
Solubility	Sparingly soluble in water. Creatine base is 13.3 g/L at 18 °C; the Merck Index states that 1 g of the monohydrate dissolves in 75 mL of water (about 13 g/L); a 2026 peer-reviewed review states that the thermodynamic solubility of creatine monohydrate in water at 25 °C does not exceed 13 g/L. Slightly soluble in ethanol and ether.

03Specifications

Specifications

Typical parameters below — the binding version is the Specification Sheet and batch COA we send with your quotation.

Parameter	Specification	Test method
Creatine content (anhydrous basis)	87.9% theoretical	Calculated from molecular weights
Water (as monohydrate)	12.1% theoretical	Karl Fischer or loss on drying
Creatinine	—	HPLC
Dicyandiamide	—	HPLC
Dihydrotriazine	—	HPLC
Particle size / mesh	Granular (not micronised) — confirm the distribution	Sieve analysis
Assay (as-is / dried basis)	—	Titration or HPLC per the applicable monograph
Appearance	—	Visual
Identification	—	IR / specific optical rotation per monograph
Specific optical rotation	—	Polarimetry
Loss on drying	—	Gravimetric
Residue on ignition / sulphated ash	—	Gravimetric
Chloride	—	Per monograph
Sulphate	—	Per monograph
Iron	—	Per monograph
Other amino acids / related substances	—	TLC or HPLC per monograph
Heavy metals (Pb / As / Cd / Hg)	—	ICP-MS or per monograph
Microbiology (TAMC / TYMC / E. coli / Salmonella)	—	USP <61>/<62> or equivalent

A dash means we have no fixed limit to publish for that parameter: it is reported on the batch COA and the limit is agreed with your QA. We would rather leave it blank than invent a number. Full physical, chemical, heavy-metal and microbiological parameters are listed in the Specification Sheet — sent with every quotation.

04Formulation & handling notes

Formulation & handling notes

The practical points our technical team raises with buyers of this material — the things that decide whether a batch behaves in your process.

This is the granular grade, and the reason that matters is flow, not chemistry. Granular creatine flows and fills consistently through a tablet press, a capsule filler and a volumetric doser; micronised 200-mesh creatine dissolves faster but bridges, dusts and segregates. If you are tabletting or capsuling, granular is the right grade. If you are selling on 'dissolves instantly', it is not.

Creatine is genuinely sparingly soluble and formulators consistently underestimate it. A 2026 peer-reviewed review states that thermodynamic solubility in water at 25 °C does not exceed 13 g/L, and the Merck Index puts it at 1 g in 75 mL. A 5 g serving therefore needs roughly 400 mL of water to fully dissolve at room temperature. Anything less is a suspension, which is fine but should be described honestly on the label.

Micronisation is the industry answer to that, and it is a real effect rather than a marketing one: published work reports mean particle size reduced from 44.67 µm to 0.36-9.06 µm with the needle-like crystals becoming spherical, giving faster dissolution and higher apparent solubility. It also gives you a dustier, worse-flowing powder — hence two grades.

Creatinine is the number that defines creatine quality. Creatine cyclises to creatinine, the reaction is acid-catalysed and heat-accelerated, and creatinine is what a competitor's lab will look for if they test your product. Insist on a creatinine limit on every lot.

Dicyandiamide and dihydrotriazine are the synthesis-related impurities European buyers name explicitly in their creatine specifications. Have the limits in hand before an EU customer asks.

It is a monohydrate, so 12.1% of the mass is water of crystallisation and only 87.9% is creatine. A 5 g creatine claim needs 5.69 g of monohydrate. This is also why an over-dried lot will over-assay on a creatine basis while being out of specification on water.

Published stress work found structural modification of creatine under thermal stress from 60 °C upward, UV exposure, pH extremes and in common beverage matrices including coffee, orange juice and energy drink. Any wet or hot creatine application needs its own stability study, not an assumption.

Lead time on this SKU is about two weeks rather than the one week typical of the range, because the granular grade is made to order in campaign quantities. Plan a creatine launch around that.

05Applications

Applications

B2B manufacturing use only — no finished-product or health claims.

Creatine powders and tubs (the granular grade's core market)

Capsules and tablets, where granular flow beats micronised powder

Protein powders and meal-replacement blends

Bars and dry powdered drink mixes

Gummies and chews

06Regulatory status by market

Regulatory status by market

Status of the raw material, stated as conservatively as our sources allow. This is supply-chain information, not regulatory advice — confirm the position for your finished product and destination market with your own regulatory counsel.

Market	Status	Basis
United States	GRAS Notice GRN 931 (notifier AlzChem Trostberg GmbH) for creatine monohydrate closed with an 'FDA has no questions' letter in 2020. The notified use was as 'an ingredient in energy drinks, protein bars and powders, milk shakes, meal replacement bars and powders, meat analogs, and dry powdered drink mixes' at 1.2 g per serving, equivalent to 1.0 g creatine per serving. A GRAS notice is specific to the notifier's substance and use; it is not transferable to another manufacturer's material without an equivalence assessment. Creatine is not listed in 21 CFR 172.320.	FDA GRAS Notice Inventory GRN 931; 21 CFR 172.320
European Union	Creatine monohydrate has a long-established position in EU food supplements. EU buyers conventionally require limits on dicyandiamide and dihydrotriazine on the creatine specification.	EU food supplement law; industry specification practice
China	Status as a nutrient fortification substance / food additive under Chinese national standards to be confirmed. Creatine's status in China as a food ingredient versus a health-food (保健食品) ingredient should be checked separately — this is a real distinction for domestic Chinese customers.	GB 14880-2012 (nutrient fortification substances), GB 2760 (food additives), and NHC new-food-ingredient announcements
Japan	No JP XVIII Official Monograph for this substance was located.	JP XVIII

07Selected research

Selected research

Peer-reviewed literature on this compound, with linked identifiers so you can read the primary source rather than take our word for it.

These references are listed for scientific context only. They describe published research on the compound; they are not claims about this raw material and not claims about any finished product. Zhicheng Bio makes no medical, health or performance claims.

A review reported that the thermodynamic solubility of creatine monohydrate in water at 25 °C does not exceed 13 g/L, and surveyed micronisation and granulation approaches, including a study in which mean particle size fell from 44.67 µm to 0.36-9.06 µm with the crystals changing from needle-like to spherical, and granulation producing free-flowing dust-free granules. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2026;19(1):128. PMID 41599726 DOI 10.3390/ph19010128 Source
A multi-analytical study characterised creatine degradation under thermal stress (60-200 °C), UV light, pH variation (pH 3, 8 and 13) and common beverage matrices (coffee, orange juice and energy drink), using ATR-FTIR and high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify the structural modifications relevant to storage, transport and preparation of creatine supplements. Saiki PY, Sales GM, de Oliveira AN, Catharino RR. Food Res Int. 2025;221(Pt 3):117472. PMID 41214971 DOI 10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117472 Source
A position stand of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reported that studies have consistently shown creatine supplementation increases intramuscular creatine concentrations, and reviewed the safety and efficacy literature on creatine in exercise, sport and medicine. Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. PMID 28615996 DOI 10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z Source
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials in postmenopausal women examined creatine monohydrate supplementation, with or without resistance training, against DXA-derived lean mass, one-repetition-maximum strength, bone mineral density, physical function and safety outcomes. Naddafha S, Antonio J, Kreider RB, Stout JR. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2026;23(1):2668435. PMID 42141930 DOI 10.1080/15502783.2026.2668435 Source
In a randomised trial, eight weeks of resistance training with creatine monohydrate (with and without a five-day loading phase), creatine hydrochloride, or placebo produced significant increases in strength, muscular cross-sectional area and skeletal muscle mass in the supplemented groups relative to placebo. Eghbali E, Arazi H, Suzuki K. Physiol Res. 2024;73(5):739-753. PMID 39545789 DOI 10.33549/physiolres.935323 Source

08Packing, storage & lead time

Packing, storage & lead time

Standard packing	25 kg bags, cartons or drums
Private packing	Custom packing & labeling available for regular customers
Storage	Cool, dry place, sealed in original packaging
Lead time	Extended lead — about 2 weeks to Shanghai port
Shipping	Sea or air consolidation out of Shanghai · FOB / CIF / DDP by lane

09Procurement FAQ

Procurement FAQ

01Granular or micronised — which should I buy?

Granular if you are tabletting, capsuling or volumetrically dosing, because it flows and fills without bridging or dusting. Micronised if your product's promise is instant dissolution in a shaker. Published work shows micronisation genuinely does cut particle size from about 45 µm to under 10 µm and speeds dissolution — it also gives you a dustier, worse-flowing powder. We can quote either; tell us your dosage form.

02How much water does 5 g of creatine actually need?

About 400 mL at room temperature. Creatine monohydrate's solubility does not exceed 13 g/L at 25 °C — the Merck Index puts it at 1 g in 75 mL. Anything more concentrated than that is a suspension. That is perfectly workable, but say so on the label rather than promising a clear solution.

03Which impurity limits must be on the COA?

Creatinine, dicyandiamide and dihydrotriazine. Creatinine is the degradation marker every lab checks; dicyandiamide and dihydrotriazine are the synthesis-related impurities European buyers name in their specifications. We will request all three limits with your quotation.

04Does FDA's creatine GRAS notice cover my product?

Read it carefully before assuming so. GRN 931 closed with an 'FDA has no questions' letter for creatine monohydrate in specific categories at 1.2 g per serving, equal to 1.0 g creatine. A GRAS notice belongs to the notifier's substance and use. If your customer needs equivalence to it, tell us and we will put the question to the manufacturer in writing.

05Can I put creatine in a bottled drink or a hot-filled product?

Only with your own stability data. Published stress testing found structural changes to creatine under thermal stress from 60 °C, under UV, at pH extremes, and in beverage matrices including coffee, orange juice and energy drink. Creatine converts to creatinine faster when hot and acidic. Run a real accelerated study at your pH and fill temperature.

06What is the lead time and how much can you hold?

Roughly 7-10 tonnes available with about two weeks to Shanghai — longer than most of our range, because the granular grade is made in campaigns rather than held loose. Build that into a launch schedule and we will discuss holding stock against a forecast.

07What is the MOQ for Creatine Monohydrate?

MOQ is quote-based and flexible. Tell us your target quantity in the RFQ — for core in-stock SKUs we can usually accommodate both trial orders and multi-tonne volumes.

08Can I get a sample of Creatine Monohydrate before ordering?

Yes — samples are available on request for evaluation and lab verification. Mention it in your RFQ and we will confirm the arrangement.

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