Selenium Daily Value: 55 mcg
The FDA Daily Value for selenium is 55 mcg for adults and children 4+.
Key facts
- Adults & children 4+
- 55 mcg
- Ages 1–3
- 20 mcg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 70 mcg
- Infants
- 20 mcg
- On labels until 2020/2021
- 70 mcg · decreased Source (opens in a new tab)
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mcg, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0% FDA guidance (nonbinding): nearest 1 mcg
- 20% DV (high)
- 11 mcg
Common amounts of selenium
Per serving, adults and children 4+.
- 2 mcg is 4%
- 5 mcg is 10%
- 20 mcg is 35%
- 50 mcg is 90%
Selenium Daily Value: 20 mcg
The FDA Daily Value for selenium is 20 mcg for children 1–3 years.
- Adults & children 4+
- 55 mcg
- Ages 1–3
- 20 mcg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 70 mcg
- Infants
- 20 mcg
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mcg, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0%
- 20% DV (high)
- 4 mcg
Per serving, children 1–3 years.
- 2 mcg is 10%
- 5 mcg is 25%
- 10 mcg is 50%
- 20 mcg is 100%
Selenium Daily Value: 70 mcg
The FDA Daily Value for selenium is 70 mcg for pregnant and lactating women.
- Adults & children 4+
- 55 mcg
- Ages 1–3
- 20 mcg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 70 mcg
- Infants
- 20 mcg
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mcg, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0%
- 20% DV (high)
- 14 mcg
Per serving, pregnant and lactating women.
- 5 mcg is 8%
- 10 mcg is 15%
- 20 mcg is 30%
- 50 mcg is 70%
- 100 mcg is 140%
Selenium Daily Value: 20 mcg
The FDA Daily Value for selenium is 20 mcg for infants through 12 months.
- Adults & children 4+
- 55 mcg
- Ages 1–3
- 20 mcg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 70 mcg
- Infants
- 20 mcg
- Label rounding
- Regulation: in mcg, to the precision of the Daily Value; more decimals allowed for small amounts; under 2% DV may show 0%
- 20% DV (high)
- 4 mcg
Per serving, infants through 12 months.
- 2 mcg is 10%
- 5 mcg is 25%
- 10 mcg is 50%
- 20 mcg is 100%
Questions about selenium
What is the FDA Daily Value for selenium?
The FDA Daily Value for selenium is 55 mcg for adults and children 4 years and older. On a Nutrition Facts label, a serving's %DV for selenium is its amount divided by 55 mcg, times 100.
How do I work out the %DV for selenium?
Divide the amount in one serving by 55 mcg 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, 11 mcg ÷ 55 mcg × 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.
Selenium rounding rules
Amount
Selenium is declared to the nearest 1mcg. Measuring finer than that changes nothing on the label, except below 0.5mcg, where it is declared to the nearest 0.1mcg so a real amount is not printed as 0.
| Amount range | Rounding rule |
|---|---|
| 0 to <0.5 | nearest 0.1 mcg |
| ≥0.5 | nearest 1 mcg |
These mcg 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≤ amount <0.55 mcg |
| 2% DV | 0.55 mcg≤ amount <1.65 mcg |
| 4% DV | 1.65 mcg≤ amount <2.75 mcg |
| 6% DV | 2.75 mcg≤ amount <3.85 mcg |
| 8% DV | 3.85 mcg≤ amount <4.95 mcg |
| 10% DV | 4.95 mcg≤ amount <6.875 mcg |
| Nearest 5%>10 to 50% DV | |
| 15% DV | 6.875 mcg≤ amount <9.625 mcg |
| 20% DV | 9.625 mcg≤ amount <12.375 mcg |
| 25% DV | 12.375 mcg≤ amount <15.125 mcg |
| 30% DV | 15.125 mcg≤ amount <17.875 mcg |
| 35% DV | 17.875 mcg≤ amount <20.625 mcg |
| 40% DV | 20.625 mcg≤ amount <23.375 mcg |
| 45% DV | 23.375 mcg≤ amount <26.125 mcg |
| 50% DV | 26.125 mcg≤ amount <30.25 mcg |
| Nearest 10%>50% DV | |
| 60% DV | 30.25 mcg≤ amount <35.75 mcg |
| 70% DV | 35.75 mcg≤ amount <41.25 mcg |
| 80% DV | 41.25 mcg≤ amount <46.75 mcg |
| 90% DV | 46.75 mcg≤ amount <52.25 mcg |
| 100% DV | 52.25 mcg≤ amount <57.75 mcg |
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 selenium Daily Value change for children or pregnancy?
Yes. It is 20 mcg for children 1 to 3 years, is 70 mcg during pregnancy and lactation and is 20 mcg for infants through 12 months.
How do I find out how much selenium is in a food?
A Daily Value is a reference target, not a measurement of any particular food. To find the selenium 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.
- Selenium Daily Value: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv).
- Selenium 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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