Sodium Calculator
An Upper Limit, Not a Target to Reach
Unlike most nutrient calculators on this site, which return a minimum to aim for, sodium works the other direction — the Dietary Guidelines for Americans set an upper limit that most people are encouraged to stay under, not a floor to hit. This calculator returns that ceiling by age and, if you enter your current intake, shows how close you are to it.
Recommended Daily Sodium Limit
| Age group | Upper limit |
|---|---|
| Up to 3 years | 1,200 mg/day |
| 4 – 8 years | 1,500 mg/day |
| 9 – 13 years | 1,800 mg/day |
| 14+ years | 2,300 mg/day |
The Formula
Sodium makes up about 39.3% of table salt's weight (the rest is chlorine), so dividing the sodium limit by 0.393 converts it into an equivalent weight of salt — useful since food labels and recipes are often discussed in terms of salt rather than sodium directly.
Why the Limit Exists
- Blood pressure — excess sodium intake is one of the most consistently identified dietary contributors to elevated blood pressure at a population level.
- Processed food exposure — the majority of dietary sodium in a typical Western diet comes from processed and restaurant food rather than the salt shaker, making the 2,300 mg adult limit easy to exceed without adding any salt at the table.
- Comparing intake against the limit — entering a current intake figure shows what percentage of the recommended ceiling has already been used for the day.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter your age.
- Optionally enter your current sodium intake in mg to see it compared against the recommended limit.
- Select Calculate to see your recommended daily sodium limit and its salt equivalent.
Related Calculations
Check your potassium target with the Potassium Calculator, since the two minerals are often discussed together in blood pressure guidance.