how much calcium per day

For most healthy adults, the recommended daily calcium intake is about 1,000–1,200 mg per day, depending on age and sex.

How much calcium per day?

Adults

Men 19–70 years: about 1,000 mg/day.

Men 71+ years: about 1,200 mg/day.

Women 19–50 years: about 1,000 mg/day.

Women 51+ years: about 1,200 mg/day (higher need after menopause).

Many expert groups also set an upper safe limit (tolerable upper intake level) of about 2,000–2,500 mg/day for adults from food plus supplements to reduce risks like kidney stones and other complications.

Kids and teens

1–3 years: about 700 mg/day.

4–8 years: about 1,000 mg/day.

9–18 years: about 1,300 mg/day (peak bone-building years).

Infants have lower needs (around 200–260 mg/day), but this is normally covered by breast milk or formula.

Simple rule of thumb

Aim for 1,000 mg/day if you’re a generally healthy adult under 50–70 (depending on sex).

Aim for 1,200 mg/day if you’re a woman over 50 or a man over 70.

Try to get most of it from food (dairy, fortified plant milks, leafy greens, tofu, etc.), and only use supplements to top up if diet alone isn’t enough, ideally after discussing it with a healthcare professional.

HTML table of daily calcium needs

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Group</th>
      <th>Recommended calcium per day (mg)</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Infants 0–6 months</td>
      <td>200</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Infants 7–12 months</td>
      <td>260</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Children 1–3 years</td>
      <td>700</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Children 4–8 years</td>
      <td>1,000</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Children &amp; teens 9–18 years</td>
      <td>1,300</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Women 19–50 years</td>
      <td>1,000</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Women 51+ years</td>
      <td>1,200</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Men 19–70 years</td>
      <td>1,000</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Men 71+ years</td>
      <td>1,200</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Typical upper safe limit for adults</td>
      <td>2,000–2,500 (from food + supplements)</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

TL;DR: Most adults need about 1,000 mg of calcium a day, or 1,200 mg if older (women 51+, men 71+), and should generally stay below about 2,000–2,500 mg per day total.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.

how much calcium per day