Do zinc supplement labels leave you wondering which number to trust?
Founder of Clean Green Safe
Many people feel the same way. Two zinc products can look very different on the shelf yet contain similar amounts. The trick is finding the zinc figure itself.
Not sure how much zinc is in yours? Our mineral calculator works it out for you from the form on your label.
The number that matters
Look for words like “equivalent to zinc” or “elemental zinc”.
For example: “Zinc gluconate 58.5 mg” gives about 8.4 mg of zinc.
How much zinc is in zinc gluconate?
Zinc gluconate is about 14% zinc. So 50 mg of zinc gluconate gives you about 7 mg of zinc, a little under the 8 mg daily target for women. It’s one of the gentler forms, which is why you’ll often see it in lozenges and children’s products.
How much zinc each form gives you
- Zinc oxide: about 80%
- Zinc sulfate: about 36%
- Zinc citrate: about 31%
- Zinc picolinate: about 20%
- Zinc gluconate: about 14%
- Glycinates and chelates: this varies, so check the label for the zinc amount
Daily nutritional targets
- Women: 8 mg
- Men: 14 mg
- During pregnancy: 11 mg
- While breastfeeding: 12 mg
The upper limit is 40 mg a day from all sources.
Wondering how much to take? Read How much zinc should I take a day?
Three quick checks before you buy
- Find the zinc amount, not the compound weight.
- Multiply it by the number of tablets you’ll take each day.
- Look for an AUST L or AUST R number. It shows the product is on the TGA register.
If you take other medicines, your pharmacist can check that zinc fits well with them.
Cassie is a registered pharmacist, a parent and the founder of Clean Green Safe. With a background in Australian supplement regulation across the TGA, FSANZ and NHMRC, she built Clean Green Safe to help people understand what’s really in their supplements, and how it all adds up across everything they take.
How Clean Green Safe can help
Scan your zinc supplement or enter its AUST L number, and Clean Green Safe finds the zinc figure for you, compares it with your daily target and the upper limit, and checks the product against the TGA register.
- STEP 1ScanScan the barcode or enter the AUST L number
- STEP 2CheckWe check it against the TGA register and Australian limits
- STEP 3SeeSee your grade and your daily totals across everything you take
Built by a registered pharmacist · Works in your phone’s browser
Zinc reference data
Daily nutritional target
Reference type: RDI. Source: NRV Table 7.
Upper limit
Common forms
- zinc oxide
- zinc sulfate monohydrate
Basis form: elemental zinc
Conversion factors
Reference details
Rated products containing this nutrient
Not medical advice. Reference values from NHMRC / NZ MoH Nutrient Reference Values.