DV Calculator: FDA Daily Values

FDA defines Daily Values as "reference amounts (in grams, milligrams, or micrograms) of nutrients to consume or not to exceed each day." Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs) cover vitamins and minerals; Daily Reference Values (DRVs) cover fat, carbohydrate, sodium and similar nutrients. Each population group has its own set. Calcium, for example, is 1,300 mg for adults and 700 mg for children 1 through 3.

An RDA is the daily intake that meets the needs of 97 to 98 percent of healthy people in one age and sex group. A Daily Value is FDA's single label reference for a population group, usually the highest RDA or Adequate Intake among the groups it covers: calcium's 1,300 mg is the RDA for ages 9 to 18. Some are amounts not to exceed, like sodium's 2,300 mg.

Divide the amount per serving by the Daily Value and multiply by 100. For sodium, 460 mg ÷ 2,300 mg × 100 = 20%. Labels round to the nearest 1% for nutrients with a Daily Reference Value (fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fiber, added sugars, protein). For those, except protein, FDA allows the amount before rounding or the label amount. Vitamins and minerals use 2%, 5% or 10% steps.

FDA's consumer page says 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is low, and 20% DV or more is high. For sodium, that is 115 mg or less for low and 460 mg or more for high. It is advice for reading labels. Separately, a package may claim “high” only at 20% DV or more per reference amount.

Only some. For adults and children 4 and older, six Daily Values come from a 2,000-calorie diet: total fat (78 g), saturated fat (20 g), total carbohydrate (275 g), dietary fiber (28 g), added sugars (50 g) and protein (50 g). Children 1 through 3 use 1,000 calories. Sodium (2,300 mg) and cholesterol (300 mg) are fixed amounts, and vitamin and mineral Daily Values come from recommended intakes.

A statement of the caloric content per serving, expressed to the nearest 5-calorie increment up to and including 50 calories, and 10-calorie increment above 50 calories, except that amounts less than 5 calories may be expressed as zero.

A %DV is per serving, and FDA sets the serving size for each kind of food (its RACC, the reference amount customarily consumed). Look up your food in the FDA serving size (RACC) tool.

Look up your serving size →

• Daily Values and label rounding: FDA, 21 CFR 101.9, as of 2026-02-12.
• IU conversions: FDA's 2019 unit-conversion guidance.
• 5% low and 20% high: FDA's consumer page on the lows and highs of %DV.
• RDA vs Daily Value: FDA's 2016 final rule (81 FR 33742).
• Dataset: bm-regulatory US Nutrition Label Rules v17.0.0.