Nutrition labels list sodium in milligrams, but home cooks usually measure salt by weight or by the teaspoon. This calculator bridges that gap with the fixed chemistry ratio between sodium and table salt, and adds context from the two most commonly cited U.S. daily sodium targets.

How the Sodium in Salt Calculator works

Table salt is sodium chloride (NaCl), a compound with a fixed, well-known composition: sodium makes up 22.99 / 58.44 = 39.33% of its mass. That means every gram of table salt contains about 393 mg of sodium, and the calculator applies this ratio in both directions - salt-to-sodium and sodium-to-salt - so you can convert whichever number you have.

The Daily Target Comparison tab then takes a total daily sodium figure (in milligrams) and expresses it as a percentage of two widely cited reference points: the American Heart Association's 1,500 mg/day optimal goal and the FDA Daily Value / Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2,300 mg/day upper limit.

Inputs and what they mean

Salt to Sodium takes a weight of table salt in grams. If you only know teaspoons, use the quick preset chips (¼ tsp ≈ 1.5 g, ½ tsp ≈ 3 g, 1 tsp ≈ 6 g, 1 tbsp ≈ 18 g) - these are common approximations for fine table salt and will vary somewhat for coarser salts.

Sodium to Salt takes a milligram figure straight from a nutrition label's "Sodium" line.

Daily Target Comparison takes your running total sodium intake for the day, in milligrams. This is typically the sum of the "Sodium" line across everything you've eaten, not a single food's value.

Limits and edge cases

This calculator only converts sodium contributed by NaCl (table salt) using its fixed molar-mass ratio - it does not track sodium from other additives (sodium bicarbonate, monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrite, sodium citrate) that also appear in processed foods and are the source of the majority of sodium in a typical U.S. diet. For a precise daily total, add up the "Sodium" line from nutrition labels directly rather than trying to back-calculate it from salt weight alone.

The 1,500 mg and 2,300 mg reference targets are general population guidance, not individualized medical advice. People with heart failure, chronic kidney disease, or other conditions may be given a different, more restrictive target by their care team - always follow a personalized plan from a physician or registered dietitian over the general defaults shown here.