The physical characteristics of potentially floating small-sized tablets were studied in two series of experiments. In the first series, a preliminary screening of the excipients which would float in water or in artificial gastric juice was performed with tablets 6 mm in diameter. The floating time and lag time required before tablet buoyancy occurred were determined Among the sixty-three excipients tested, various types of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (Methocel F4M, E4M, K15M and K100M) exhibited good floating capabilities and were selected for the second part of the work. In the second series, minitablets were prepared with the selected excipients. A six-punch die 3 mm in diameter was specially designed in our laboratory for the purpose. The upper part of the device allowed the force to be equally divided between the six punches, whatever the volume of the powder. The characteristics of these minitablets, such as porosity and tensile strength, were measured increasing the compaction pressure heightened the tensile strength of the minitablets, but, at the same time, the floating ability was lowered due to the reduced porosity.