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Between them, Shelcal (Torrent) and Calcimax (Meyer) own most of India's calcium shelf. Both are built on the same workhorse: 500 mg elemental calcium as carbonate plus vitamin D3 for absorption. The differences live in the variant ladders — K2, magnesium, isoflavones, calcitriol — and in the tablets themselves.
Our verdict
For plain calcium + vitamin D3 supplementation, they're functionally interchangeable — pick by price and tablet tolerance; Shelcal 500 is the reference and Calcimax 500 matches it. The real decision is the add-on tier: Calcimax K2 leads if you want the vitamin K2 bone-routing theory; Shelcal's variants (XT, OS) map to specific prescriptions. Whichever strip you buy, vitamin D status and food-first calcium decide whether it works at all.
Written by the PingMeDoc doctor team. We stock the products below — the verdict above doesn't change based on what earns us more.
Pick Shelcal if…
Your doctor wrote 'calcium + D3' without drama, you want the most-dispensed standard, or a specific Shelcal variant was prescribed.
Shop ShelcalPick Calcimax if…
You're choosing the fuller combination yourself — K2 and magnesium variants at competitive prices — or Shelcal's tablet size bothers you.
Shop Calcimax| Shelcal | Calcimax | |
|---|---|---|
| Core calcium + D3 | 500 mg + D3 — the standard | Matches it |
| K2 / combination variants | Fewer | Broader ladder (K2, Forte, Total) |
| Doctor familiarity | Highest — most prescribed | High |
| Tablet size / formats | Large; syrup available | Comparable; more format variety |
| Price for plain 500+D3 | Reference price | Often a notch lower |
≈₹110–₹150 per strip of 15
The prescription-pad default — India's reference calcium
Where it loses: The tablets are large — a genuine adherence problem for some seniors (the syrup exists for exactly this). Carbonate needs food and clashes with acidity medicines.
≈₹100–₹250 per strip by variant
The variant ladder — K2, magnesium and combination science
Where it loses: The variant maze (500, D, K2, Forte, Total, Joints…) confuses buyers into overpaying for add-ons they don't need — match the variant to an actual requirement, not the box promises.
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