Daily Value

The percent Daily Value (% DV) reported on Dietary Supplement (DS) product labels is based primarily on
the 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs)1. Specifically, the % DVs for nutrients listed on the required labels
for DS are based on the highest of the 1968 RDAs for persons four years of age and older, excluding pregnant and
lactating women. The reference values used for labeling vitamins and minerals are termed the Reference Daily Intakes
(RDIs), with Daily Reference Values (DRVs) established by the FDA for macronutrients, sodium, and potassium2.
Additional regulations later added RDIs for vitamins and minerals from the 1989 RDAs 3 and established RDIs for
vitamin K, selenium, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, and chloride4. The % DV is based on the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) reference values and a daily 2,000 calorie diet.

The current reference values used as the basis for the % DV reported on the Supplement Facts Panel are
shown in the tables below. The first table provides the Daily Value nutrient references, based on a 2,000-calorie diet
for adults and children over 4 years. The second table includes the Daily Values for infants, children less than 4 years
of age, and pregnant and lactating women. A good additional source of information about nutrition labeling is the
background section of Food Labeling: Revision of Reference Values and Mandatory Nutrients, Federal Register, Vol.
72, No. 212, November 2, 2007.

Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling, Based on a 2,000 Calorie Intake, for Adults
and Children 4 or More Years of Age
Nutrient Unit of Measure Daily Value
Total fat grams (g) 65
Saturated fatty acids grams (g) 20
Cholesterol milligrams (mg) 300
Sodium milligrams (mg) 2,400
Potassium milligrams (mg) 3,500
Total carbohydrate grams (g) 300
Fiber grams (g) 25
Protein grams (g) 50
Vitamin A International Unit (IU) 5,000
Vitamin C milligrams (mg) 60
Calcium milligrams (mg) 1,000
Iron milligrams (mg) 18
Vitamin D International Unit (IU) 400
Vitamin E International Unit (IU) 30
Vitamin K micrograms (g) 80
Thiamin milligrams (mg) 1.5
Riboflavin milligrams (mg) 1.7
Niacin milligrams (mg) 20
Vitamin B6 milligrams (mg) 2.0
Folate micrograms (g) 400
 Vitamin B12 micrograms (g) 6.0
Biotin micrograms (g) 300
Pantothenic acid milligrams (mg) 10
Phosphorus milligrams (mg) 1,000
Iodine micrograms (g) 150
Magnesium milligrams (mg) 400
Zinc milligrams (mg) 15
Selenium micrograms (g) 70
Copper milligrams (mg) 2.0
Manganese milligrams (mg) 2.0

Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling for Infants, Children Less Than 4 Years of Age, and Pregnant and
Lactating Women
Pregnant and Lactating
Nutrient Infants Less than 4 Years Women Units of Measure
Vitamin A 1,500 2,500 8,000 International Unit (IU)
Vitamin C 35 40 60 milligrams (mg)
Calcium 600 800 1,300 milligrams (mg)
Iron 15 10 18 milligrams (mg)
Vitamin D 400 400 400 International Unit (IU)
Vitamin E 5 10 30 International Unit (IU)
Thiamin 0.5 0.7 1.7 milligrams (mg)
Riboflavin 0.6 0.8 2.0 milligrams (mg)
Niacin 8 9 20 milligrams (mg)
Vitamin B6 0.4 0.7 2.5 milligrams (mg)
Folate 100 200 800 micrograms (g)
Vitamin B12 2 3 8 micrograms (g)
Biotin 50 150 300 micrograms (g)
Pantothenic acid 3 5 10 milligrams (mg)
Phosphorus 500 800 1,300 milligrams (mg)
Iodine 45 70 150 micrograms (g)
Magnesium 70 200 450 milligrams (mg)
Zinc 5 8 15 milligrams (mg)
Copper 0.6 1.0 2.0 milligrams (mg)
References
1. National Research Council (NRC). Recommended dietary allowances, 7th ed. Washington, DC: National
Academy of Sciences; 1968.
2. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food labeling; mandatory status of nutrition labeling and nutrient
content revision; format of nutrition label. Final rule. Fed Regist. 1993;58:2079-2205.
3. National Research Council (NRC). Recommended dietary allowances, 10th ed. Washington, DC: National
Academy Press; 1989.
4. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food labeling: Reference Daily Intakes, Part II; Final rule. Fed Regist.
1995;60:67164-67175.

SOURCE: https://dsld.nlm.nih.gov/dsld/dailyvalue.jsp

Unit Conversions
The contents of three ingredients (Vitamin A, D, and E) are expressed as International Units (IU) on dietary
supplement and food labels. Guidelines for converting units of IU to mg are given below.

For these calculations, the formulas are:

To convert Vitamin A as retinol:

From IU to mcg: IU * 0.3 = mcg
For example: 5000 IU * 0.3 = 1500 mcg
From mcg to IU: mcg / 0.3 = IU

To convert Vitamin A as beta-carotene:

From IU to mcg: IU * 0.6 = mcg
For example: 5000 IU * 0.6 = 3000 mcg
From mcg to IU: mcg / 0.6 = IU

To convert Vitamin D:
From IU to mcg: IU * 0.025 = mcg
For example: 400 IU * 0.025 = 10 mcg
From mcg to IU: mcg / 0.025 =IU

To convert Vitamin E if the product label has DL-Alpha-tocopherol as the ingredient:

From IU to mg: IU * 0.9 = mg
For example: 30 IU * 0.9 = 27 mg
From mg to IU: mg / 0.9 = IU

To convert Vitamin E if the product label has D-Alpha-tocopherol as the ingredient:

From IU to mg: IU * 0.67 = mg.
For example: 30 IU * 0.67 = 20.1 mg
From mg to IU: mg / 0.67 = IU

SOURCE: https://dietarysupplementdatabase.usda.nih.gov/ingredient_calculator/equation.php