Iron Daily Value: 18 mg
The FDA Daily Value for iron is 18 mg for adults and children 4+.
Key facts
- Adults & children 4+
- 18 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 7 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 27 mg
- Infants
- 11 mg
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mg, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0% FDA guidance (nonbinding): nearest 0.1 mg
- 20% DV (high)
- 3.6 mg
Common amounts of iron
Per serving, adults and children 4+.
- 1 mg is 6%
- 2 mg is 10%
- 5 mg is 30%
- 10 mg is 60%
- 20 mg is 110%
Iron Daily Value: 7 mg
The FDA Daily Value for iron is 7 mg for children 1–3 years.
- Adults & children 4+
- 18 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 7 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 27 mg
- Infants
- 11 mg
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mg, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0%
- 20% DV (high)
- 1.4 mg
Per serving, children 1–3 years.
- 0.5 mg is 8%
- 1 mg is 15%
- 2 mg is 30%
- 5 mg is 70%
- 10 mg is 140%
Iron Daily Value: 27 mg
The FDA Daily Value for iron is 27 mg for pregnant and lactating women.
- Adults & children 4+
- 18 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 7 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 27 mg
- Infants
- 11 mg
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mg, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0%
- 20% DV (high)
- 5.4 mg
Per serving, pregnant and lactating women.
- 1 mg is 4%
- 2 mg is 8%
- 10 mg is 35%
- 20 mg is 70%
Iron Daily Value: 11 mg
The FDA Daily Value for iron is 11 mg for infants through 12 months.
- Adults & children 4+
- 18 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 7 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 27 mg
- Infants
- 11 mg
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mg, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0%
- 20% DV (high)
- 2.2 mg
Per serving, infants through 12 months.
- 0.5 mg is 4%
- 1 mg is 10%
- 5 mg is 45%
- 10 mg is 90%
About iron
When a serving has less than 2 percent of the RDI, the label does not have to state the amount: it may show zero, or an asterisk that points to “Contains less than 2 percent of the Daily Value of this (these) nutrient (nutrients)”. Or, except on the simplified format, it may leave iron off and print “Not a significant source of iron” at the bottom of the nutrient table.
Questions about iron
What is the FDA Daily Value for iron?
The FDA Daily Value for iron is 18 mg for adults and children 4 years and older. On a Nutrition Facts label, a serving's %DV for iron is its amount divided by 18 mg, times 100.
How do I work out the %DV for iron?
Divide the amount in one serving by 18 mg 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, 3.6 mg ÷ 18 mg × 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.
Iron rounding rules
Amount
Iron is declared to the nearest 0.1mg. Measuring finer than that changes nothing on the label, except below 0.05mg, where it is declared to the nearest 0.01mg so a real amount is not printed as 0.
| Amount range | Rounding rule |
|---|---|
| 0 to <0.05 | nearest 0.01 mg |
| ≥0.05 | nearest 0.1 mg |
These mg 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 mg≤ amount <0.18 mg |
| 2% DV | 0.18 mg≤ amount <0.54 mg |
| 4% DV | 0.54 mg≤ amount <0.9 mg |
| 6% DV | 0.9 mg≤ amount <1.26 mg |
| 8% DV | 1.26 mg≤ amount <1.62 mg |
| 10% DV | 1.62 mg≤ amount <2.25 mg |
| Nearest 5%>10 to 50% DV | |
| 15% DV | 2.25 mg≤ amount <3.15 mg |
| 20% DV | 3.15 mg≤ amount <4.05 mg |
| 25% DV | 4.05 mg≤ amount <4.95 mg |
| 30% DV | 4.95 mg≤ amount <5.85 mg |
| 35% DV | 5.85 mg≤ amount <6.75 mg |
| 40% DV | 6.75 mg≤ amount <7.65 mg |
| 45% DV | 7.65 mg≤ amount <8.55 mg |
| 50% DV | 8.55 mg≤ amount <9.9 mg |
| Nearest 10%>50% DV | |
| 60% DV | 9.9 mg≤ amount <11.7 mg |
| 70% DV | 11.7 mg≤ amount <13.5 mg |
| 80% DV | 13.5 mg≤ amount <15.3 mg |
| 90% DV | 15.3 mg≤ amount <17.1 mg |
| 100% DV | 17.1 mg≤ amount <18.9 mg |
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 iron Daily Value change for children or pregnancy?
Yes. It is 7 mg for children 1 to 3 years, is 27 mg during pregnancy and lactation and is 11 mg for infants through 12 months.
How do I find out how much iron is in a food?
A Daily Value is a reference target, not a measurement of any particular food. To find the iron content of a specific ingredient or product, look it up in USDA FoodData Central, then use that amount here to see what a label would declare and what %DV it carries.
Where do these numbers come from?
- Daily Values and label rounding: FDA, 21 CFR 101.9, as of 2026-02-12.
- Iron Daily Value: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv).
- Iron 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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