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Glossary

What does % Daily Value mean on a supplement label?

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

The Daily Value (DV) is the FDA's reference amount of a nutrient for a day, and the %DV shows how much of it one serving provides. On supplements it is the amount divided by the DV, times 100, rounded to a whole percent: 30 mcg against a 300 mcg DV is 10%.1,2

Key facts

  • Daily Values are amounts of nutrients to consume, or not to exceed, each day; one set covers adults and children 4 and older.1,3
  • As a general guide, the FDA calls 5% DV or less per serving low and 20% DV or more high.1
  • A %DV over 100 is allowed: FDA's example supplement with 25 mcg of vitamin D lists 125%.4
  • Ingredients with no Daily Value, such as most herbs, carry a symbol meaning Daily Value not established.2,5
  • A Daily Value is usually one of the highest RDAs or Adequate Intakes for that nutrient, so it can be more than one person needs.6

How the percentage is worked out

The rule is a simple division. Take the amount of the nutrient in one serving, divide it by the Daily Value and multiply by 100. For vitamins and minerals the unrounded amount is used, and supplement labels round the result to the nearest whole percent.2

Where a nutrient such as fat or carbohydrate is present but its percentage would round to zero, the label shows Less than 1% instead of 0%.2

Worked examples from FDA guidance for supplements4
NutrientAmount per servingDaily Value% DV
Vitamin D25 mcg (1,000 IU)20 mcg125%
Folate680 mcg DFE (400 mcg folic acid)400 mcg DFE170%
Niacin14 mg16 mg NE88%
Vitamin E10 mg15 mg67%

Which Daily Values apply

There are separate Daily Values for infants through 12 months, children 1 through 3 years, and pregnant or lactating women. A product made for one of those groups must say so in the column heading and use that group's values. Everything else uses the values for adults and children 4 and older.2,3

Some Daily Values for adults and children 4 and older1
NutrientDaily Value
Vitamin C90 mg
Vitamin D20 mcg
Vitamin B122.4 mcg
Folate400 mcg DFE
Calcium1,300 mg
Iron18 mg
Magnesium420 mg
Zinc11 mg

Iron shows how much the groups can differ: its Daily Value is 18 mg for adults and children 4 and older, and 27 mg for pregnant and lactating women.3

Daily Value is not the same as your RDA

Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes come from the National Academies and vary by age and sex. The FDA sets one Daily Value per nutrient for everyone 4 and older, usually one of the highest of those figures. Vitamin C shows the gap: its Daily Value is 90 mg, while the RDA for adult women is 75 mg.1,6,7

NIH's consumer advice is that labels use the Daily Value, which is often, but not always, close to the RDA or Adequate Intake for a nutrient.8

The footnotes

When a supplement declares total fat, saturated fat, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber or protein with a %DV, a footnote must say Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Ingredients with no Daily Value are flagged with a symbol that points to the footnote Daily Value not established.2

Questions people ask

Is more than 100% of the Daily Value too much?

Not by itself. Many supplements list more than 100%, and vitamin A products with 333% are common. The limit to watch is the Tolerable Upper Intake Level. For magnesium from supplements, that limit is 350 mg for adults, below the 420 mg Daily Value.1,9,10

Why do some ingredients have no %DV?

The FDA has set Daily Values only for certain vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Ingredients without one, such as herbs and many specialty ingredients, are listed by weight with a symbol for Daily Value not established.2,5

Do all Daily Values come from RDAs?

Usually from one of the highest RDAs or Adequate Intakes for the nutrient. For folate, niacin and vitamins A, D and E, the FDA based the current figures on the highest adult RDA.4,6

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Sources

  1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels. Content current as of March 5, 2024. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Section 101.36: Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (eCFR text). Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Section 101.9: Nutrition labeling of food. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (eCFR text). Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Converting Units of Measure for Folate, Niacin, and Vitamins A, D, and E on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels: Guidance for Industry. August 2019. Opened 2026-10-07.
  5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide: Chapter IV. Nutrition Labeling. April 2005. Opened 2026-10-07.
  6. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Multivitamin/mineral Supplements: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated July 17, 2024. Opened 2026-10-07.
  7. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated July 31, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
  8. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Multivitamin/mineral Supplements: Fact Sheet for Consumers. Updated February 15, 2024. Opened 2026-10-07.
  9. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A and Carotenoids: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated March 10, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
  10. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated January 6, 2026. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.