Analysis
How supplement amounts compare with the Daily Value
For 11 of the 24 nutrients with an FDA Daily Value, the median supplement lists more than the Daily Value in one serving (DSLD version 9.4.0, January 2026). Vitamin B12 sits highest: the median product lists 36 mcg, 14.6 times the 2.4 mcg Daily Value, and 66% of products list five times the DV or more.
Published by PlainVitamins on ; written with AI tools under the editorial policy, every figure computed from the label database.
How far above the Daily Value does the typical product go?
Median amount per serving as a multiple of the Daily Value
1 means the median product lists exactly the DV in one serving.
| Nutrient | Products | Median | Middle half | Daily Value | Above the DV | 5x the DV or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin B12 | 14,167 | 36 mcg | 6 mcg to 200 mcg | 2.4 mcg | 91% | 66% |
| Biotin | 9,358 | 200 mcg | 50 mcg to 300 mcg | 30 mcg | 84% | 51% |
| Thiamin | 9,749 | 5 mg | 1.5 mg to 25 mg | 1.2 mg | 80% | 44% |
| Vitamin B6 | 15,130 | 6 mg | 2 mg to 20 mg | 1.7 mg | 84% | 46% |
| Riboflavin | 9,765 | 4 mg | 1.7 mg to 25 mg | 1.3 mg | 81% | 42% |
| Chromium | 7,726 | 100 mcg | 45 mcg to 200 mcg | 35 mcg | 77% | 28% |
| Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) | 9,971 | 12 mg | 6 mg to 50 mg | 5 mg | 77% | 34% |
| Niacin | 12,334 | 20 mg | 13.2 mg to 48 mg | 16 mg | 68% | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 18,422 | 100 mg | 60 mg to 270 mg | 90 mg | 57% | 19% |
| Copper | 6,401 | 1 mg | 0.5 mg to 2 mg | 0.9 mg | 59% | under 1% |
| Molybdenum | 4,325 | 50 mcg | 25 mcg to 75 mcg | 45 mcg | 55% | 2% |
| Iodine | 6,300 | 150 mcg | 75 mcg to 150 mcg | 150 mcg | 14% | 2% |
| Zinc | 13,065 | 11 mg | 5 mg to 15 mg | 11 mg | 47% | under 1% |
| Selenium | 7,541 | 55 mcg | 27 mcg to 100 mcg | 55 mcg | 50% | under 1% |
| Manganese | 6,936 | 2 mg | 1 mg to 3.92 mg | 2.3 mg | 32% | 3% |
| Vitamin D | 14,002 | 15 mcg | 10 mcg to 25 mcg | 20 mcg | 42% | 7% |
| Vitamin K | 4,550 | 80 mcg | 35 mcg to 100 mcg | 120 mcg | 13% | 2% |
| Iron | 6,825 | 5 mg | 1.2 mg to 18 mg | 18 mg | 14% | under 1% |
| Magnesium | 13,789 | 86 mg | 30 mg to 200 mg | 420 mg | 5% | 0% |
| Calcium | 17,666 | 115 mg | 50 mg to 252 mg | 1,300 mg | under 1% | 0% |
| Choline | 4,657 | 40 mg | 18 mg to 100 mg | 550 mg | 2% | 0% |
| Phosphorus | 3,735 | 90 mg | 45 mg to 200 mg | 1,250 mg | under 1% | 0% |
| Chloride | 1,451 | 75 mg | 60 mg to 183.5 mg | 2,300 mg | 0% | 0% |
| Potassium | 11,070 | 99 mg | 50 mg to 190 mg | 4,700 mg | 0% | 0% |
Source: NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database version 9.4.0, current labels; Daily Values 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv). Download the data (CSV).
How this was measured
For each nutrient, every current label that gives its amount in the same measure as the FDA Daily Value (21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv), adults and children 4 years and older) is taken at one serving. The median, the middle half and the shares above one and five times the DV are computed over those products.
Limits
Amounts are per serving as printed; directions may call for more or fewer servings. Products giving the nutrient in another measure (for example vitamin A in IU) are left out of that nutrient's figures. The Daily Value is a labelling reference, not a recommendation for any person.
Sources
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Dietary Supplement Label Database, version 9.4.0.
- 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv), the FDA Daily Values; the FDA's Daily Value page explains them.
The data
One row per nutrient: products, median per serving, Daily Value, median as a multiple of the DV, shares above 1x and 5x the DV, measure. Download the CSV. How the labels are grouped and read: methodology.
Other analyses
- Supplement labels above the adult upper limit, nutrient by nutrientWhich nutrients most often pass the adult Tolerable Upper Intake Level at the most servings a label allows, and on which products.
- Proprietary blends: how many supplement labels do not disclose their amountsHow many products list a proprietary blend whose ingredient amounts are not disclosed, by product type and by brand.
- Vitamin D amounts on supplement labels, by yearHow the amount of vitamin D per serving has moved on labels entered into the NIH database each year since 2011.
- Which forms of magnesium, B12, folate and other nutrients supplements useOxide or glycinate, cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin: how many products list each form of twelve nutrients, and at what amounts.
- Gummies, tablets, capsules: how amounts differ by physical formThe median amount per serving of ten common nutrients in gummies, tablets, capsules, softgels, liquids and powders.
- One formula, many brand names: identical supplement labelsFormulas that appear with the same ingredients in the same amounts under several brand names in the label database: identical label formulas, which do not by themselves show a common maker.