Guide
How to compare zinc supplement prices
Comparing zinc supplements on sticker price alone is misleading; the number that matters is price per serving at the elemental zinc amount you actually need, which depends on compound, serving size and how many capsules count as one serving.
A zinc supplement's sticker price doesn't tell you what you're actually paying for zinc. The number that matters is price per serving at the elemental zinc amount you need — and that depends on the compound, the serving size, and how many capsules count as one serving, all of which vary between products that look similarly priced on the shelf.
Work out the real cost per serving
Divide the bottle's total price by the number of servings in it — not the number of capsules, if the label calls for more than one capsule per serving. That gives price per serving. To compare across products with different doses, divide again by the elemental zinc milligrams per serving to get a price-per-elemental-mg figure you can put side by side.
| Product | Price | Servings | Elemental zinc/serving | Cost per elemental mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | $12 | 60 | 15 mg | $0.013 |
| B | $12 | 30 (2 capsules/serving) | 30 mg | $0.013 |
| C | $8 | 60 | 7 mg (as 50 mg zinc gluconate) | $0.019 |
Product C looks cheaper on the shelf but costs more per elemental milligram, because "50 mg zinc gluconate" is only about 14% elemental zinc — roughly 7 mg. See how much zinc should you take a day for elemental-content percentages across the common compounds.
Check the compound before you compare
Two labels can both say "50 mg" and deliver very different amounts of actual zinc, because that number can describe either the elemental amount or the total compound weight. US labels are required to state the elemental figure (21 CFR 101.9), so look for the word "elemental," or work it out from the compound's known percentage if the label lists a compound weight instead. Comparing compound-weight numbers across two different zinc forms — say, a gluconate product and an oxide product — without adjusting for elemental content will make the wrong one look like the better deal.
Servings per bottle, and how fast it runs out
A bottle that requires two or three capsules per serving runs out roughly two or three times faster than the capsule count suggests. Divide capsule count by capsules-per-serving to get true servings per bottle before comparing cost-per-month, not just cost-per-bottle.
A low price isn't automatically a red flag
Zinc is an inexpensive raw ingredient, so a genuinely low price per elemental milligram doesn't by itself mean a product is cutting corners — the arithmetic above is what tells you whether a price is actually low for the amount of zinc delivered, or just looks low because the serving size or elemental content is smaller than a competing product's.
Questions people ask
How do I compare zinc supplement prices fairly?
Price ÷ servings per bottle ÷ elemental zinc mg per serving. That gives a cost-per-elemental-mg figure that's comparable across brands and compounds, unlike price per bottle or price per capsule.
Why do two "50 mg" zinc products cost so differently for the same dose?
Because "50 mg" can mean the compound weight or the elemental amount, and those aren't the same number — see zinc dosage for the elemental percentages by compound.
Related reading: zinc without fillers, how to choose a good zinc, and types of zinc supplements compared.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.