Zinc Daily Value: 11 mg
The FDA Daily Value for zinc is 11 mg for adults and children 4+.
Key facts
- Adults & children 4+
- 11 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 3 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 13 mg
- Infants
- 3 mg
- On labels until 2020/2021
- 15 mg · decreased 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 0.1 mg
- 20% DV (high)
- 2.2 mg
Common amounts of zinc
Per serving, adults and children 4+.
- 0.5 mg is 4%
- 1 mg is 10%
- 5 mg is 45%
- 10 mg is 90%
Zinc Daily Value: 3 mg
The FDA Daily Value for zinc is 3 mg for children 1–3 years.
- Adults & children 4+
- 11 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 3 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 13 mg
- Infants
- 3 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)
- 0.6 mg
Per serving, children 1–3 years.
- 0.1 mg is 4%
- 0.2 mg is 6%
- 0.5 mg is 15%
- 1 mg is 35%
- 2 mg is 70%
Zinc Daily Value: 13 mg
The FDA Daily Value for zinc is 13 mg for pregnant and lactating women.
- Adults & children 4+
- 11 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 3 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 13 mg
- Infants
- 3 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)
- 2.6 mg
Per serving, pregnant and lactating women.
- 0.5 mg is 4%
- 1 mg is 8%
- 2 mg is 15%
- 5 mg is 40%
- 10 mg is 80%
Zinc Daily Value: 3 mg
The FDA Daily Value for zinc is 3 mg for infants through 12 months.
- Adults & children 4+
- 11 mg
- Ages 1–3
- 3 mg
- Pregnant/lactating
- 13 mg
- Infants
- 3 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)
- 0.6 mg
Per serving, infants through 12 months.
- 0.1 mg is 4%
- 0.2 mg is 6%
- 0.5 mg is 15%
- 1 mg is 35%
- 2 mg is 70%
Questions about zinc
What is the FDA Daily Value for zinc?
The FDA Daily Value for zinc is 11 mg for adults and children 4 years and older. On a Nutrition Facts label, a serving's %DV for zinc is its amount divided by 11 mg, times 100.
How do I work out the %DV for zinc?
Divide the amount in one serving by 11 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, 2.2 mg ÷ 11 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.
Zinc rounding rules
Amount
Zinc is declared to the nearest 0.1mg. Measuring finer than that changes nothing on the label, except below 0.05mg, where it is declared to the nearest 0.01mg so a real amount is not printed as 0.
| Amount range | Rounding rule |
|---|---|
| 0 to <0.05 | nearest 0.01 mg |
| ≥0.05 | nearest 0.1 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 <0.11 mg |
| 2% DV | 0.11 mg≤ amount <0.33 mg |
| 4% DV | 0.33 mg≤ amount <0.55 mg |
| 6% DV | 0.55 mg≤ amount <0.77 mg |
| 8% DV | 0.77 mg≤ amount <0.99 mg |
| 10% DV | 0.99 mg≤ amount <1.375 mg |
| Nearest 5%>10 to 50% DV | |
| 15% DV | 1.375 mg≤ amount <1.925 mg |
| 20% DV | 1.925 mg≤ amount <2.475 mg |
| 25% DV | 2.475 mg≤ amount <3.025 mg |
| 30% DV | 3.025 mg≤ amount <3.575 mg |
| 35% DV | 3.575 mg≤ amount <4.125 mg |
| 40% DV | 4.125 mg≤ amount <4.675 mg |
| 45% DV | 4.675 mg≤ amount <5.225 mg |
| 50% DV | 5.225 mg≤ amount <6.05 mg |
| Nearest 10%>50% DV | |
| 60% DV | 6.05 mg≤ amount <7.15 mg |
| 70% DV | 7.15 mg≤ amount <8.25 mg |
| 80% DV | 8.25 mg≤ amount <9.35 mg |
| 90% DV | 9.35 mg≤ amount <10.45 mg |
| 100% DV | 10.45 mg≤ amount <11.55 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 zinc Daily Value change for children or pregnancy?
Yes. It is 3 mg for children 1 to 3 years, is 13 mg during pregnancy and lactation and is 3 mg for infants through 12 months.
How do I find out how much zinc is in a food?
A Daily Value is a reference target, not a measurement of any particular food. To find the zinc 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.
- Zinc Daily Value: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv).
- Zinc 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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