Folate Daily Value: 400 mcg DFE
The FDA Daily Value for folate is 400 mcg DFE for adults and children 4+.
Enter this in mcg DFE. Other units are not converted here.
Key facts
- Adults & children 4+
- 400 mcg DFE
- Ages 1–3
- 150 mcg DFE
- Pregnant/lactating
- 600 mcg DFE
- Infants
- 80 mcg DFE
- On labels until 2020/2021
- 400 mcg · new unit Source (opens in a new tab)
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mcg DFE, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0% FDA guidance (nonbinding): nearest 5 mcg DFE
- 20% DV (high)
- 80 mcg DFE
Same number, new unit. DFE counts folic acid differently from folate that occurs naturally in food: 1 mcg DFE = 1 mcg of naturally occurring folate = 0.6 mcg of folic acid.
Common amounts of folate
Per serving, adults and children 4+.
- 50 mcg DFE is 15%
- 100 mcg DFE is 25%
- 200 mcg DFE is 50%
- 500 mcg DFE is 130%
Folate Daily Value: 150 mcg DFE
The FDA Daily Value for folate is 150 mcg DFE for children 1–3 years.
- Adults & children 4+
- 400 mcg DFE
- Ages 1–3
- 150 mcg DFE
- Pregnant/lactating
- 600 mcg DFE
- Infants
- 80 mcg DFE
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mcg DFE, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0%
- 20% DV (high)
- 30 mcg DFE
Per serving, children 1–3 years.
- 5 mcg DFE is 4%
- 10 mcg DFE is 6%
- 20 mcg DFE is 15%
- 50 mcg DFE is 35%
- 100 mcg DFE is 70%
- 200 mcg DFE is 130%
Folate Daily Value: 600 mcg DFE
The FDA Daily Value for folate is 600 mcg DFE for pregnant and lactating women.
- Adults & children 4+
- 400 mcg DFE
- Ages 1–3
- 150 mcg DFE
- Pregnant/lactating
- 600 mcg DFE
- Infants
- 80 mcg DFE
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mcg DFE, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0%
- 20% DV (high)
- 120 mcg DFE
Per serving, pregnant and lactating women.
- 20 mcg DFE is 4%
- 50 mcg DFE is 8%
- 100 mcg DFE is 15%
- 200 mcg DFE is 35%
- 500 mcg DFE is 80%
Folate Daily Value: 80 mcg DFE
The FDA Daily Value for folate is 80 mcg DFE for infants through 12 months.
- Adults & children 4+
- 400 mcg DFE
- Ages 1–3
- 150 mcg DFE
- Pregnant/lactating
- 600 mcg DFE
- Infants
- 80 mcg DFE
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mcg DFE, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0%
- 20% DV (high)
- 16 mcg DFE
Per serving, infants through 12 months.
- 5 mcg DFE is 6%
- 10 mcg DFE is 15%
- 20 mcg DFE is 25%
- 50 mcg DFE is 60%
- 100 mcg DFE is 130%
About folate
When folic acid is added to a food, or a claim is made about it, the label declares folate in mcg DFE and gives the folic acid amount, in mcg, in parentheses. When folate is declared and a serving has less than 2 percent of its Reference Daily Intake (RDI), the label does not have to state the amount. At that level it may instead show zero, or an asterisk that points to the line “Contains less than 2 percent of the Daily Value of this (these) nutrient (nutrients)”.
Questions about folate
What is the FDA Daily Value for folate?
The FDA Daily Value for folate is 400 mcg DFE for adults and children 4 years and older. On a Nutrition Facts label, a serving's %DV for folate is its amount divided by 400 mcg DFE, times 100.
How do I work out the %DV for folate?
Divide the amount in one serving by 400 mcg DFE and multiply by 100. Then round to the nearest 2% up to 10%, to the nearest 5% above 10% and up to 50%, and to the nearest 10% above 50%. For example, 80 mcg DFE ÷ 400 mcg DFE × 100 = 20%.
How are vitamin and mineral %DV values rounded?
The percentages for vitamins and minerals shall be expressed to the nearest 2-percent increment up to and including the 10-percent level, the nearest 5-percent increment above 10 percent and up to and including the 50-percent level, and the nearest 10-percent increment above the 50-percent level.
Folate rounding rules
Amount
Folate is declared to the nearest 5mcg DFE. Measuring finer than that changes nothing on the label, except below 2.5mcg DFE, where it is declared to the nearest 1mcg DFE so a real amount is not printed as 0.
| Amount range | Rounding rule |
|---|---|
| 0 to <2.5 | nearest 1 mcg DFE |
| ≥2.5 | nearest 5 mcg DFE |
These mcg DFE increments come from FDA guidance, banded by this group's Daily Value.
% Daily Value
| %DV range | Rounding rule |
|---|---|
| 0 to 10% DV | Nearest 2% |
| >10 to 50% DV | Nearest 5% |
| >50% DV | Nearest 10% |
Every %DV a label can show
What a serving has to contain for a label to print each figure. The %DV is worked out from the actual amount, before that amount is rounded.
| If the label shows | The serving must contain |
|---|---|
| Nearest 2%0 to 10% DV | |
| 0% DV | 0 mcg DFE≤ amount <4 mcg DFE |
| 2% DV | 4 mcg DFE≤ amount <12 mcg DFE |
| 4% DV | 12 mcg DFE≤ amount <20 mcg DFE |
| 6% DV | 20 mcg DFE≤ amount <28 mcg DFE |
| 8% DV | 28 mcg DFE≤ amount <36 mcg DFE |
| 10% DV | 36 mcg DFE≤ amount <50 mcg DFE |
| Nearest 5%>10 to 50% DV | |
| 15% DV | 50 mcg DFE≤ amount <70 mcg DFE |
| 20% DV | 70 mcg DFE≤ amount <90 mcg DFE |
| 25% DV | 90 mcg DFE≤ amount <110 mcg DFE |
| 30% DV | 110 mcg DFE≤ amount <130 mcg DFE |
| 35% DV | 130 mcg DFE≤ amount <150 mcg DFE |
| 40% DV | 150 mcg DFE≤ amount <170 mcg DFE |
| 45% DV | 170 mcg DFE≤ amount <190 mcg DFE |
| 50% DV | 190 mcg DFE≤ amount <220 mcg DFE |
| Nearest 10%>50% DV | |
| 60% DV | 220 mcg DFE≤ amount <260 mcg DFE |
| 70% DV | 260 mcg DFE≤ amount <300 mcg DFE |
| 80% DV | 300 mcg DFE≤ amount <340 mcg DFE |
| 90% DV | 340 mcg DFE≤ amount <380 mcg DFE |
| 100% DV | 380 mcg DFE≤ amount <420 mcg DFE |
The rules are FDA's; the inversion is ours. Ranges are inclusive at the low end and exclusive at the high end, because an exact half rounds up.
Does the folate Daily Value change for children or pregnancy?
Yes. It is 150 mcg DFE for children 1 to 3 years, is 600 mcg DFE during pregnancy and lactation and is 80 mcg DFE for infants through 12 months.
What does mcg DFE mean for folate?
DFE means Dietary Folate Equivalents. 1 mcg DFE equals 1 mcg of naturally occurring folate, or 0.6 mcg of folic acid.
Where do these numbers come from?
- Daily Values and label rounding: FDA, 21 CFR 101.9, as of 2026-02-12.
- Folate Daily Value: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv).
- Folate label rounding: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iii).
- %DV rounding: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iii).
- Old Daily Values: 21 CFR 101.9, April 1, 2016 edition.
- 5% low and 20% high: FDA's consumer page on the lows and highs of %DV.
- Dataset: bm-regulatory US Nutrition Label Rules v17.0.0.
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