DRI Calculator

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are reference values for planning and assessing nutrient intake in generally healthy people. They are grouped by age and sex, with separate values for pregnancy and breastfeeding. The calculator presents a selected set of macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and total water rather than every nutrient in the DRI system.

The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements explains the DRI terms. Nutrient tables from Health Canada's vitamin reference values, element reference values, and macronutrient and water reference values provide the life-stage figures.

• RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance): a usual daily intake that meets the needs of about 97–98% of healthy people in a group.
• AI (Adequate Intake): a planning value used when evidence is insufficient to establish an RDA.
• EAR (Estimated Average Requirement): an estimate meeting the needs of half of a healthy group, used especially to assess groups and derive an RDA.
• UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Level): a highest usual daily intake unlikely to cause harm for most people. It is not a goal.

Some macronutrients also have an Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR), shown as a percentage of total energy. An AMDR is a range, not a gram target supplied by this page.

1. Enter completed years of age. If age is 0, enter completed months so the infant's reference band can be selected.
2. Select sex and, where applicable, pregnancy or breastfeeding status. For pregnancy, specify the first or second half when the form asks; the protein reference differs.
3. Enter weight in kilograms or pounds for the protein calculation. The other displayed references primarily follow the life-stage tables.
4. Read each result with its unit and label, including RDA, AI, or AMDR. The water value includes water from foods and beverages.

The calculator covers birth through age 120. Protein, carbohydrate and iron use the 0–6 and 7–11 completed-month groups. Calcium follows its specific source footnote: 0–5 and 6–11 completed months. At 12 completed months the 1–3 year group applies. The calcium-specific footnote was checked September 30, 2026. Pregnancy and breastfeeding selections are available for females ages 14–50, the range covered by those source rows.

For a nonpregnant woman age 30 weighing 70 kg, the protein estimate is 0.8 × 70 = 56 g/day. Other displayed references include carbohydrate RDA 130 g/day, iron RDA 18 mg/day, calcium RDA 1,000 mg/day, potassium AI 2,600 mg/day, sodium AI 1,500 mg/day, and total water AI 2.7 L/day. The protein figure changes with the entered weight; the listed mineral and water values are life-stage references.

For a pregnant woman age 30, the carbohydrate RDA is 175 g/day, potassium AI is 2,900 mg/day, and total water AI is 3.0 L/day. These examples show why selecting the correct life stage matters. The calculator displays reference values, not an analysis of a person's diet or a prescription for supplements.

Children are not assigned adult nutrient values. For example, calcium RDA is 700 mg/day at ages 1–3, 1,000 mg/day at 4–8, and 1,300 mg/day at 9–18. Iron RDA for women changes from 18 mg/day at ages 19–50 to 8 mg/day from age 51. Pregnancy and breastfeeding have their own table rows, including different carbohydrate and water references.

Protein is expressed in grams per kilogram for most age and life-stage groups. For infants 0–6 completed months, the source provides a protein AI of 1.52 g/kg/day and a separate 9.1 g/day figure based on a reference weight. The calculator displays the weight-specific estimate alongside that reference figure.

RDA and AI values are reference intakes, not universal minimums or upper limits. The sodium AI, for example, is distinct from the National Academies' Chronic Disease Risk Reduction intake. A shortfall from an RDA on one day does not establish deficiency; likewise, an intake above an RDA is not automatically harmful.

Medical conditions, medicines, and clinical nutrition plans can change individual needs. For an energy estimate based on height, weight, and activity, see the EER calculator.

Vitamin D values reflect the 2011 DRI; sodium and potassium reflect the 2019 update. Sources checked September 29, 2026.