BPC-157 and TB-500: two research peptides, how they are supplied, what a COA shows

"BPC-157 and TB-500" is one of the most typed searches in this category, and the wording suggests a single item. It is not. BPC-157 and TB-500 are two different synthetic peptides, made in separate syntheses, filled in separate vials, tested in separate lots. A laboratory that orders both receives two vials, two labels and two certificates of analysis.

• BPC-157 — a 15-residue peptide, sequence Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV), about 1,419 Da, usually supplied as the acetate salt. Details in the BPC-157 buying guide.
• TB-500 — a trade name, not a sequence: on the research market most often full-length synthetic thymosin β4 (43 amino acids, about 4,963 Da, N-terminal Ac-SDKP), sometimes a shorter fragment of the same protein sold under the same name. The mass on the batch COA identifies which one a lot is. Details in the TB-500 buying guide.

Both are sold in the catalog as research reagents: sealed vials of lyophilized powder, each with its own lot number and batch COA. Research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.

The two powders look identical in the vial. The only way to tell them apart, and to know that each vial holds what its label says, is the mass confirmation on each certificate: one mass near 1,419 Da for BPC-157, and for TB-500 the mass that matches the sequence stated on its product page (about 4,963 Da for full-length thymosin β4).

Because the two compounds are so often ordered in the same parcel, some listings offer one "COA" for the pair. That document cannot exist: a chromatogram describes one lot of one compound. For each of the two vials, the certificate has to carry:

• A named independent laboratory and a test number that can be looked up on the lab's site.
• The lot number printed on that vial — BPC-157 and TB-500 will have different lot numbers.
• HPLC purity as a measured percentage with the chromatogram, not a "≥ 98 %" typed in a table.
• Mass confirmation matching the compound: about 1,419 Da for BPC-157; for TB-500, the mass that matches the sequence stated on the product page (about 4,963 Da for full-length thymosin β4, less for a fragment). Compare the two before ordering.
• The test date, recent enough to describe a lot that is still in stock.
• A photograph of the tested vial wearing the supplier's own label.

How to read each of those fields, and what a re-used or edited certificate looks like, is covered in how to read a peptide COA.

The two are frequently ordered together, and the reason is logistical rather than chemical: they come from the same kind of supplier, ship under the same storage conditions, and are documented the same way. Ordering both from one source means one parcel, one set of storage rules, and — with the right supplier — two certificates issued by the same laboratory, which makes them easy to compare.

What to expect from a supplier when both are in the same order:

• Two separate lot numbers, two separate COAs, both verifiable at the lab.
• Labels that state the compound and the net quantity in mg — never a generic "peptide" label.
• The same sealed-vial storage line for both (−20 °C, dark, dry), so the parcel is stored as one.
• Vials packed so that they cannot be mixed up: distinct labels, ideally distinct cap colors.

A listing that sells the pair as a bundle without two lot numbers is selling two unknowns at a discount.

Both powders share the catalog's storage line for lyophilized peptides:

• Temperature: −20 °C for long-term storage; a refrigerator (2–8 °C) for short periods.
• Light and moisture: keep the vials sealed, in their box, and let a cold vial reach room temperature before it leaves its bag.
• Shelf life: 24 months from the fill date for a sealed vial stored as above.

Ambient shipping for a few days does not degrade either powder, which is why neither ships with cold packs. The full rules, compound by compound, are in lyophilized peptides: storage and shelf life.

The checks are the same as for any research peptide, applied twice:

1. Two verifiable batch COAs from a named independent laboratory, each showing the supplier's own label on the tested vial.
2. Quantity in mg and lot number printed on each vial.
3. Domestic, tracked shipping in a few days.
4. A product page that describes the reagent only — composition, purity documentation, storage — with "research use only" stated plainly. A supplier that publishes usage content is a supplier that is easy to shut down while an order is in transit.
5. A price at or above the market. Two lots tested by a third party cost several hundred dollars; a pair sold far below the market did not pay for that.

The wider checklist — payment, packaging, what happens if a parcel is stopped — is in where to buy research peptides in the US.

Each compound is priced per vial, in three sizes, and the price per milligram is shown next to each size in the live catalog tables. TB-500 costs more per milligram than BPC-157 — a 43-residue peptide is the more expensive synthesis — so the two are never priced as a pair. The table at the top of this page is read from the catalog for BPC-157; the TB-500 table is on its own guide and product page.

See BPC-157 in the catalog →
See TB-500 in the catalog →