Vitamin D Daily Value: 20 mcg
The FDA Daily Value for vitamin D is 20 mcg for adults and children 4+.
Key facts
- Adults & children 4+
- 20 mcg
- Ages 1–3
- 15 mcg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 15 mcg
- Infants
- 10 mcg
- On labels until 2020/2021
- 400 IU · increased 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 0.1 mcg
- 20% DV (high)
- 4 mcg
400 IU = 10 mcg, so the Daily Value went up.
Common amounts of vitamin D
Per serving, adults and children 4+.
- 2 mcg is 10%
- 5 mcg is 25%
- 10 mcg is 50%
- 20 mcg is 100%
Vitamin D Daily Value: 15 mcg
The FDA Daily Value for vitamin D is 15 mcg for children 1–3 years.
- Adults & children 4+
- 20 mcg
- Ages 1–3
- 15 mcg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 15 mcg
- Infants
- 10 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)
- 3 mcg
Per serving, children 1–3 years.
- 0.5 mcg is 4%
- 1 mcg is 6%
- 2 mcg is 15%
- 5 mcg is 35%
- 10 mcg is 70%
- 20 mcg is 130%
Vitamin D Daily Value: 15 mcg
The FDA Daily Value for vitamin D is 15 mcg for pregnant and lactating women.
- Adults & children 4+
- 20 mcg
- Ages 1–3
- 15 mcg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 15 mcg
- Infants
- 10 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)
- 3 mcg
Per serving, pregnant and lactating women.
- 0.5 mcg is 4%
- 1 mcg is 6%
- 2 mcg is 15%
- 5 mcg is 35%
- 10 mcg is 70%
- 20 mcg is 130%
Vitamin D Daily Value: 10 mcg
The FDA Daily Value for vitamin D is 10 mcg for infants through 12 months.
- Adults & children 4+
- 20 mcg
- Ages 1–3
- 15 mcg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 15 mcg
- Infants
- 10 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)
- 2 mcg
Per serving, infants through 12 months.
- 1 mcg is 10%
- 5 mcg is 50%
- 10 mcg is 100%
About vitamin D
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 vitamin D off and print “Not a significant source of vitamin D” at the bottom of the nutrient table.
Questions about vitamin D
What is the FDA Daily Value for vitamin D?
The FDA Daily Value for vitamin D is 20 mcg for adults and children 4 years and older. On a Nutrition Facts label, a serving's %DV for vitamin D is its amount divided by 20 mcg, times 100.
How do I work out the %DV for vitamin D?
Divide the amount in one serving by 20 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, 4 mcg ÷ 20 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.
Vitamin D rounding rules
Amount
Vitamin D is declared to the nearest 0.1mcg. Measuring finer than that changes nothing on the label, except below 0.05mcg, where it is declared to the nearest 0.01mcg so a real amount is not printed as 0.
| Amount range | Rounding rule |
|---|---|
| 0 to <0.05 | nearest 0.01 mcg |
| ≥0.05 | nearest 0.1 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 <0.2 mcg |
| 2% DV | 0.2 mcg≤ amount <0.6 mcg |
| 4% DV | 0.6 mcg≤ amount <1 mcg |
| 6% DV | 1 mcg≤ amount <1.4 mcg |
| 8% DV | 1.4 mcg≤ amount <1.8 mcg |
| 10% DV | 1.8 mcg≤ amount <2.5 mcg |
| Nearest 5%>10 to 50% DV | |
| 15% DV | 2.5 mcg≤ amount <3.5 mcg |
| 20% DV | 3.5 mcg≤ amount <4.5 mcg |
| 25% DV | 4.5 mcg≤ amount <5.5 mcg |
| 30% DV | 5.5 mcg≤ amount <6.5 mcg |
| 35% DV | 6.5 mcg≤ amount <7.5 mcg |
| 40% DV | 7.5 mcg≤ amount <8.5 mcg |
| 45% DV | 8.5 mcg≤ amount <9.5 mcg |
| 50% DV | 9.5 mcg≤ amount <11 mcg |
| Nearest 10%>50% DV | |
| 60% DV | 11 mcg≤ amount <13 mcg |
| 70% DV | 13 mcg≤ amount <15 mcg |
| 80% DV | 15 mcg≤ amount <17 mcg |
| 90% DV | 17 mcg≤ amount <19 mcg |
| 100% DV | 19 mcg≤ amount <21 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 vitamin D Daily Value change for children or pregnancy?
Yes. It is 15 mcg for children 1 to 3 years and during pregnancy and lactation and is 10 mcg for infants through 12 months.
How do I convert vitamin D from IU to mcg?
Divide the IU amount by 40 (1 IU is 0.025 mcg). For example, 400 IU is 10 mcg, which is 50% DV for adults.
Where do these numbers come from?
- Daily Values and label rounding: FDA, 21 CFR 101.9, as of 2026-02-12.
- Vitamin D Daily Value: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv).
- Vitamin D 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.
- IU conversions: FDA's 2019 unit-conversion guidance.
- 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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