Phosphorus Daily Value: 1,250 mg
The FDA Daily Value for phosphorus is 1,250 mg for adults and children 4+.
Key facts
- Adults & children 4+
- 1,250 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 460 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 1,250 mg
- Infants
- 275 mg
- On labels until 2020/2021
- 1,000 mg · increased Source (opens in a new tab)
- 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 10 mg
- 20% DV (high)
- 250 mg
Common amounts of phosphorus
Per serving, adults and children 4+.
- 50 mg is 4%
- 100 mg is 8%
- 200 mg is 15%
- 500 mg is 40%
- 1,000 mg is 80%
Phosphorus Daily Value: 460 mg
The FDA Daily Value for phosphorus is 460 mg for children 1–3 years.
- Adults & children 4+
- 1,250 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 460 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 1,250 mg
- Infants
- 275 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)
- 92 mg
Per serving, children 1–3 years.
- 20 mg is 4%
- 50 mg is 10%
- 200 mg is 45%
- 500 mg is 110%
Phosphorus Daily Value: 1,250 mg
The FDA Daily Value for phosphorus is 1,250 mg for pregnant and lactating women.
- Adults & children 4+
- 1,250 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 460 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 1,250 mg
- Infants
- 275 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)
- 250 mg
Per serving, pregnant and lactating women.
- 50 mg is 4%
- 100 mg is 8%
- 200 mg is 15%
- 500 mg is 40%
- 1,000 mg is 80%
Phosphorus Daily Value: 275 mg
The FDA Daily Value for phosphorus is 275 mg for infants through 12 months.
- Adults & children 4+
- 1,250 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 460 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 1,250 mg
- Infants
- 275 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)
- 55 mg
Per serving, infants through 12 months.
- 10 mg is 4%
- 20 mg is 8%
- 100 mg is 35%
- 200 mg is 70%
Questions about phosphorus
What is the FDA Daily Value for phosphorus?
The FDA Daily Value for phosphorus is 1,250 mg for adults and children 4 years and older. On a Nutrition Facts label, a serving's %DV for phosphorus is its amount divided by 1,250 mg, times 100.
How do I work out the %DV for phosphorus?
Divide the amount in one serving by 1,250 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, 250 mg ÷ 1,250 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.
Phosphorus rounding rules
Amount
Phosphorus is declared to the nearest 10mg. Measuring finer than that changes nothing on the label, except below 5mg, where it is declared to the nearest 5mg so a real amount is not printed as 0.
| Amount range | Rounding rule |
|---|---|
| 0 to <5 | nearest 5 mg |
| ≥5 | nearest 10 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 <12.5 mg |
| 2% DV | 12.5 mg≤ amount <37.5 mg |
| 4% DV | 37.5 mg≤ amount <62.5 mg |
| 6% DV | 62.5 mg≤ amount <87.5 mg |
| 8% DV | 87.5 mg≤ amount <112.5 mg |
| 10% DV | 112.5 mg≤ amount <156.25 mg |
| Nearest 5%>10 to 50% DV | |
| 15% DV | 156.25 mg≤ amount <218.75 mg |
| 20% DV | 218.75 mg≤ amount <281.25 mg |
| 25% DV | 281.25 mg≤ amount <343.75 mg |
| 30% DV | 343.75 mg≤ amount <406.25 mg |
| 35% DV | 406.25 mg≤ amount <468.75 mg |
| 40% DV | 468.75 mg≤ amount <531.25 mg |
| 45% DV | 531.25 mg≤ amount <593.75 mg |
| 50% DV | 593.75 mg≤ amount <687.5 mg |
| Nearest 10%>50% DV | |
| 60% DV | 687.5 mg≤ amount <812.5 mg |
| 70% DV | 812.5 mg≤ amount <937.5 mg |
| 80% DV | 937.5 mg≤ amount <1,062.5 mg |
| 90% DV | 1,062.5 mg≤ amount <1,187.5 mg |
| 100% DV | 1,187.5 mg≤ amount <1,312.5 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 phosphorus Daily Value change for children or pregnancy?
Yes. It is 460 mg for children 1 to 3 years, stays 1,250 mg during pregnancy and lactation and is 275 mg for infants through 12 months.
How do I find out how much phosphorus is in a food?
A Daily Value is a reference target, not a measurement of any particular food. To find the phosphorus 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.
- Phosphorus Daily Value: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv).
- Phosphorus 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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