See how your sodium stacks up. This free daily sodium intake calculator converts between sodium and salt and compares your daily total to the common 2,300 mg limit and 1,500 mg ideal.
Labels list either sodium or salt. 1 g of salt is about 393 mg of sodium. Add up the values from a day’s foods for your total.
Guidelines are general for healthy adults. People with high blood pressure or certain conditions may be advised a lower limit – follow your clinician’s guidance.
How the Daily Sodium Intake Calculator Works
This calculator converts between sodium and salt and checks your daily total against two common adult benchmarks: a 2,300 mg upper limit and a 1,500 mg ideal some guidelines suggest for extra blood-pressure benefit. Enter your intake in whichever unit your food labels use and the tool handles the conversion.
Formula: If you enter salt, Sodium (mg) = Salt (g) × 393. If you enter sodium directly, that value is used as-is. Percent of limit = Sodium ÷ 2,300 × 100; Percent of ideal = Sodium ÷ 1,500 × 100; Salt equivalent (g) = Sodium ÷ 393. Status: ≤1,500 mg → “Within ideal”; 1,500–2,300 mg → “Within limit”; over 2,300 mg → “Above limit”.
- Entry mode — whether you’re entering your intake as Sodium (mg) or Salt (g)
- Amount — your total daily sodium or salt figure, added up from the day’s foods
Example Scenarios
| Entry Mode | Amount Entered | Daily Sodium (Status) |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 1,200 mg | 1,200 mg — Within ideal |
| Sodium | 2,000 mg | 2,000 mg — Within limit |
| Sodium | 3,000 mg | 3,000 mg — Above limit |
| Salt | 3 g | 1,179 mg — Within ideal |
| Salt | 4 g | 1,572 mg — Within limit |
| Salt | 6 g | 2,358 mg — Above limit |
Getting Accurate Numbers into the Daily Sodium Intake Calculator
A daily sodium intake calculator can only work with the numbers you give it, and sodium is easy to undercount. Most of it comes from packaged, restaurant and takeaway food rather than the salt shaker.
- Nutrition labels list sodium per serving. If you eat two servings, double the figure before entering it into the daily sodium intake calculator.
- Some labels give salt instead of sodium. Salt is roughly 40% sodium, so 1 g of salt contains about 400 mg of sodium.
- Log a few ordinary days, not just one, and average them in the daily sodium intake calculator.
The 2,300 mg figure is a general upper limit for most adults, and 1,500 mg is an ideal many heart organisations suggest, but your own target may differ. People with high blood pressure, heart failure or kidney disease should follow the limit their doctor sets rather than the default in the daily sodium intake calculator.
The FDA guide to sodium in your diet explains label terms that help when you use the daily sodium intake calculator.
Daily Sodium Intake Calculator FAQ
How much sodium is in a gram of salt?
About 393 mg. Table salt is roughly 40% sodium by weight, so 1 gram of salt converts to approximately 393 mg of sodium — the conversion this calculator uses to switch between the two units.What’s the difference between the 2,300 mg limit and 1,500 mg ideal?
2,300 mg is a commonly cited daily upper limit for healthy adults. 1,500 mg is a lower “ideal” some guidelines suggest, particularly for people who want extra blood-pressure benefit. Neither is a strict rule for everyone.Should I add up sodium from every food label in a day?
Yes — sodium adds up across meals and snacks, so totaling the “sodium” or “salt” line from each label you eat in a day gives the most accurate daily figure to enter here.Does this calculator account for medical conditions like high blood pressure?
No. It only compares your entry to two general population benchmarks. People with high blood pressure, kidney disease or certain other conditions may be advised a different limit by their clinician — follow that guidance over this tool’s benchmarks.Why do some nutrition labels list salt instead of sodium?
Labeling conventions vary by country — some list “salt,” others list “sodium.” Since the two aren’t interchangeable numbers, this calculator’s mode switch lets you enter whichever one your label shows without doing the math yourself.What if I’m well over the limit on a single day?
One high day generally isn’t cause for alarm for most healthy adults — sodium intake is usually considered as a pattern over time rather than a single day. If it’s a frequent pattern, or you have a condition affected by sodium, it’s worth discussing with a clinician.Related Calculators
Sodium is closely tied to blood pressure, so pairing this tool with the blood pressure by age calculator or the blood pressure tracker can help you see the bigger picture. Since hydration also affects daily fluid and mineral balance, the water intake calculator is worth checking too.