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Free health tool

Sodium to salt converter

Convert between total sodium shown on a food label and the conventional salt-equivalent amount, without adding an intake target or health classification.

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Calculate your result

Enter the total sodium or salt amount from the same food-label basis, such as per serving or per 100 g. Do not use thousands separators; use a full stop or an unambiguous comma for decimals.

Accepted range: 0 to 100000 mg sodium

Your result will appear here

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What this result means

Choose the direction, enter the food-label amount, and the converter will apply the standard salt-equivalent relationship: 1 gram of sodium corresponds to 2.5 grams of salt, and 1 gram of salt corresponds to 400 milligrams of sodium. [1][2]

Sodium and salt are related, but not identical

Table salt is sodium chloride. By mass, it is about 40% sodium and 60% chloride, so 1 gram of salt corresponds to about 400 milligrams of sodium. The standard label conversion expresses 1 gram of sodium as 2.5 grams of salt equivalent. [1][2][3]

Keep the label basis the same

Convert a per-serving sodium value into a per-serving salt equivalent, or a per-100 g value into a per-100 g equivalent. The formula changes the unit and expression only; it does not change the serving size or scale one basis into another. [2][4]

Why the answer says salt equivalent

Food analysis can count sodium from naturally occurring sources and additives as well as sodium chloride. Multiplying total sodium by 2.5 is the standard salt-equivalent convention, but it does not prove that the calculated mass of table salt was added to the food. [3][4]

The converter therefore avoids teaspoons and salt-type estimates. Crystal size and composition can make volume conversions unreliable, and reduced-sodium salts are not the same as ordinary sodium chloride. [1][3]

How the result is rounded

The calculator applies 2.5 or its exact stored inverse and rounds once at the end. Salt equivalent is shown to three decimal places and sodium equivalent to one decimal place. This display choice does not add precision to a rounded food label. [1][4]

Safe next steps

Keep the original label beside the converted number and check whether it is per serving, per pack or per 100 g. If a clinician or dietitian gave you an individual sodium or salt plan, use their stated unit and ask them how to apply it rather than treating this converter as a target.

Formula and assumptions

Formula
Salt equivalent (g) = sodium (mg) Ă— 2.5 Ă· 1,000. Sodium equivalent (mg) = salt (g) Ă· 2.5 Ă— 1,000, which is salt (g) Ă— 400. [1][2][3][4]
Version
Standard food-label sodium and salt-equivalent conversion, who-food-label-salt-equivalent-v1
Rounding
Calculate with the stored inverse factors, then round once for display: salt equivalent to three decimal places and sodium equivalent to one decimal place. The source label's own rounding is not corrected.
Worked example
A label showing 400 mg sodium per serving has a conventional salt equivalent of 400 Ă— 2.5 Ă· 1,000 = 1.000 g per serving. Converting 1 g salt back gives 1 Ă— 400 = 400.0 mg sodium equivalent. [1][2]

Who this is for — and when not to use it

Intended use

Neutral conversion between total sodium stated in milligrams and the conventional salt equivalent stated in grams on the same food-label or nutrition-record basis.

Not intended for

This tool does not set a sodium or salt target, judge a food, estimate a person's intake, convert serum sodium, measure actual added sodium chloride, convert teaspoons or other volumes, analyse reduced-sodium salt substitutes, or guide treatment.

Exclusions

  • Serum, plasma or urine sodium in mmol/L, mEq/L or another clinical unit
  • Dietary targets, low/high labels or personalised nutrition advice
  • Actual sodium-chloride mass when sodium also comes from other compounds
  • Reduced-sodium or potassium-based salt substitutes
  • Teaspoon, tablespoon, pinch or other volume conversions
  • Recipe absorption, cooking losses or serving-size estimation
  • Medication, electrolyte replacement or medical decisions

Evidence sources

  1. 1. Sodium reduction — World Health Organization, Western Pacific Region. Accessed Aug 10, 2026.
  2. 2. Sodium and salt — Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Accessed Aug 10, 2026.
  3. 3. How much sodium do Australians eat? — Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Accessed Aug 10, 2026.
  4. 4. Technical guidance on nutrition labelling — United Kingdom Department of Health. Accessed Aug 10, 2026.