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Salt Questions · Health & nutrition

How much sodium is in a teaspoon of table salt?

By The Salt AlmanacUpdated November 8, 20262 sources cited

Short answer

One level teaspoon of table salt (about 6 grams) contains about 2,300 mg of sodium. That is the entire daily limit recommended for adults in the United States. Salt is about 39% sodium by weight; the rest is chloride.

The Salt Almanac
2,300 mgsodium in one teaspoon (6 g) of table saltThe full U.S. daily limit for adults
Graphic: The Salt Almanac, drawn from the sources listed below.

The maths

Table salt is sodium chloride. By weight, sodium makes up about 39.3% of it. A level teaspoon weighs about 6 g, so:

6 g × 0.393 ≈ 2,360 mg sodium, usually rounded to 2,300 mg.

Smaller amounts

¼ teaspoon≈ 575 mg sodium
½ teaspoon≈ 1,150 mg sodium
¾ teaspoon≈ 1,725 mg sodium
1 teaspoon≈ 2,300 mg sodium

What about kosher and sea salt?

By weight they have about the same sodium. By the teaspoon, coarse and flaky salts have less, simply because fewer crystals fit in the spoon.

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Cite this page

For school projects and reports. Teachers often prefer the original sources too: see the list below.

The Salt Almanac. (2026, November 8). How much sodium is in a teaspoon of table salt. https://saltalmanac.com/answers/how-much-sodium-is-in-a-teaspoon-of-table-salt

Original sources

  1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sodium in your diet. https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/sodium-your-diet
  2. American Heart Association. How much sodium should I eat per day? https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/how-much-sodium-should-i-eat-per-day