Sodium — Quick answer
Salt is about 40% sodium, so salt grams ≈ sodium grams × 2.5.
salt(g) = sodium(mg) ÷ 1000 × 2.5 · limit 2300 mg · ideal 1500 mg
Worked example: 2300 mg sodium ≈ 5.75 g salt ≈ 1 tsp.
Examples
| Sodium | Salt | % of 2300 |
|---|
| 3400 mg | 8.5 g | 148% |
| 2000 mg | 5.0 g | 87% |
| 1500 mg | 3.75 g | 65% |
General info, not medical advice — follow your clinician's target.
Standards & method
✓ Independently verified 12 July 2026- Governing standard
- WHO Guideline: Sodium Intake for Adults and Children (2012) · AHA
- Clauses applied
- WHO recommends < 2000 mg sodium/day (5 g salt). The American Heart Association advises an ideal limit of 1500 mg/day.
- Core formula
sodium (mg) = salt (g) × 393 · salt (g) = sodium (mg) / 393- Why this matters
- Salt and sodium are not the same number. 5 g of salt contains only about 2000 mg of sodium — a factor of 2.5. Food labels use both, and confusing them is the commonest error. This is general information, not medical advice — discuss any health decision with a qualified clinician.
- Independently verified
- 12 July 2026 — Re-derived from the governing standard and checked numerically against worked reference cases from the standard itself — not merely tested for “returns a number”.
Results are for guidance. Verify against the current edition of the governing standard and have a qualified professional review before use in practice.
Table salt is sodium chloride, about 40% sodium by weight — so salt (g) ≈ sodium (g) × 2.5. This calculator converts between the two, shows the teaspoons of salt, and compares your intake to the 2300 mg daily limit and the 1500 mg ideal.
Reviewed: June 20, 2026 · Author: Naveen P N, Founder — AI Calculator · Verified against: sodium/salt mass ratio & public guidelines, recomputed in code.
Sodium, salt & limits
Because sodium is only part of salt, a small amount of salt carries a lot of sodium: one level teaspoon (≈ 5.7 g) holds about 2300 mg of sodium — the whole daily limit. The FDA Daily Value caps sodium at 2300 mg, and the American Heart Association suggests aiming for 1500 mg. Most dietary sodium comes from packaged and restaurant foods rather than the salt shaker.
Worked examples
3400 mg sodium (US average):
2000 mg sodium:
6 g of salt:
Cutting from the 3400 mg average to the 2300 mg limit means removing roughly 2.75 g of salt — about half a teaspoon — mostly by choosing lower-sodium packaged foods and reading nutrition labels.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much sodium per day?⌄
FDA limit 2300 mg; AHA ideal 1500 mg. About 1 tsp of salt = 2300 mg.
How do I convert sodium to salt?⌄
Salt(g) ≈ sodium(g) × 2.5. 2300 mg sodium ≈ 5.75 g salt.
How many teaspoons is too much?⌄
~1 tsp of salt holds 2300 mg sodium — the daily upper limit.
What is the average intake?⌄
~3400 mg/day in the US — 8.5 g salt, about 148% of the limit.
Is this medical advice?⌄
No — general info. Follow your clinician's target if you have BP, heart or kidney conditions.