How much does zinc cost per dose?
Our picks, by labeled strength, with a link to buy them: see where to buy. A strength with nothing certified at it has no pick, and is not listed there.
Zinc is priced one labeled strength at a time, never as one range across strengths. Which strength to take is a dose decision this site does not make. We price 30 zinc packages at 6 labeled strengths, the most at 30 mg (capsules, softgels and tablets) and 50 mg, 11 at each. At 30 mg a serving (capsules, softgels and tablets), 15 mg elemental zinc costs between $0.018 and $0.192 before delivery, and the median is $0.083. At 50 mg a serving, 15 mg elemental zinc costs between $0.012 and $0.09 before delivery, and the median is $0.03. Every strength is in the table below.
| Labeled strength | Packages | Cheapest per 15 mg elemental zinc | Middle | Most expensive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 1 | $0.10 | one package | |
| 11 mg | 1 | $0.136 | one package | |
| 15 mg | 3 | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.333 |
| 22.5 mg | 2 | $0.155 | $0.178 | $0.20 |
| 30 mg capsules, softgels and tablets | 11 | $0.018 | $0.083 | $0.192 |
| 30 mg gummies and chewables | 1 | $0.308 | one package | |
| 50 mg | 11 | $0.012 | $0.03 | $0.09 |
The salt, the brand and the strength all move the price, so each strength is its own range. A stronger tablet holds more comparison doses, so it looks cheap per dose. The salts are not interchangeable, so the cheapest row is a price, not a recommendation. Every figure is per 15 mg elemental zinc as each product's own Supplement Facts panel states it, before delivery; each product page says whether its retailer publishes a delivery rate.
10 mg a serving: 1 package
| Product | Type | Per 15 mg elemental zinc | Container | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Wood Supplements Zinc Picolinate (300 capsules) | Picolinate | $0.10 | $19.95 | D |
11 mg a serving: 1 package
| Product | Type | Per 15 mg elemental zinc | Container | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BulkSupplements.com Zinc Picolinate Softgels 11 mg (240 count) | Picolinate | $0.136 | $23.97 | A |
15 mg a serving: 3 packages
| Product | Type | Per 15 mg elemental zinc | Container | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorne Zinc Picolinate 15 mg (60 capsules) | Picolinate | $0.25 | $15.00 | C |
| Thorne Zinc Bisglycinate 15 mg (60 capsules) | Bisglycinate | $0.25 | $15.00 | C |
| Momentous Zinc (60 capsules) | Picolinate | $0.333 | $19.99 | A |
22.5 mg a serving: 2 packages
| Product | Type | Per 15 mg elemental zinc | Container | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MegaFood Zinc Bisglycinate (120 tablets) | Bisglycinate; the panel also prints food blend 44 mg (organic spinach, organic brown rice, organic parsley leaf, organic carrot, organic broccoli, organic beetroot) | $0.155 | $27.99 | D |
| MegaFood Zinc Bisglycinate (60 tablets) | Bisglycinate; the panel also prints food blend 44 mg (organic spinach, organic brown rice, organic parsley leaf, organic carrot, organic broccoli, organic beetroot) | $0.20 | $17.99 | D |
30 mg a serving (capsules, softgels and tablets): 11 packages
| Product | Type | Per 15 mg elemental zinc | Container | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BulkSupplements.com Zinc Citrate Capsules 30 mg (500 count) | Citrate | $0.018 | $17.97 | D |
| Nature Made Zinc 30 mg (100 tablets) | Gluconate | $0.029 | $5.79 | A |
| BulkSupplements.com Zinc Citrate Capsules 30 mg (240 count) | Citrate | $0.042 | $19.97 | D |
| Nutricost Zinc Picolinate 30 mg (240 capsules) | Picolinate | $0.044 | $20.97 | D |
| Sports Research Zinc Picolinate 30 mg with Coconut Oil (180 softgels) (last known price, Oct 17) | Picolinate | $0.075 | $26.95 | D |
| Sports Research Zinc Picolinate 30 mg with Coconut Oil (90 softgels) (last known price, Oct 17) | Picolinate | $0.083 | $14.95 | D |
| Thorne Zinc Picolinate 30 mg (180 capsules) | Picolinate | $0.114 | $41.00 | A? |
| Core Med Science Zinc 30 mg (60 capsules) | Picolinate | $0.142 | $16.99 | A |
| Thorne Zinc Picolinate 30 mg (60 capsules) | Picolinate | $0.167 | $20.00 | C |
| Thorne Zinc Bisglycinate 30 mg (60 capsules) | Bisglycinate | $0.167 | $20.00 | C |
| Thorne Zinc Picolinate 30 mg, NSF Certified for Sport (60 capsules) | Picolinate | $0.192 | $23.00 | A |
30 mg a serving (gummies and chewables): 1 package
| Product | Type | Per 15 mg elemental zinc | Container | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Made Zinc Gummies 30 mg (60 gummies) | Citrate | $0.308 | $18.49 | D |
50 mg a serving: 11 packages
| Product | Type | Per 15 mg elemental zinc | Container | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BulkSupplements.com Zinc Gluconate Capsules 50 mg (365 count) | Gluconate | $0.012 | $14.97 | D |
| Nutricost Zinc Gluconate 50 mg (180 tablets) | Gluconate | $0.018 | $10.97 | D |
| Nutricost Zinc Gluconate 50 mg (240 capsules) | Gluconate | $0.021 | $16.97 | D |
| Nutricost Zinc Picolinate 50 mg (240 capsules) | Picolinate | $0.025 | $19.97 | D |
| BulkSupplements.com Zinc Orotate Capsules 50 mg (240 count) | Orotate | $0.029 | $22.97 | D |
| Nutricost Zinc Sulfate 50 mg (120 tablets) | Sulfate | $0.03 | $11.97 | D |
| Nutricost Zinc Bisglycinate 50 mg (120 capsules) | Bisglycinate | $0.035 | $13.97 | D |
| Nutricost Zinc Citrate 50 mg (120 capsules) | Citrate | $0.037 | $14.97 | D |
| Nutricost Zinc Chelate 50 mg (120 capsules) | Citrate | $0.037 | $14.97 | D |
| Sports Research Zinc Picolinate 50 mg with Coconut Oil (120 softgels) (last known price, Oct 17) | Picolinate | $0.075 | $29.95 | D |
| Sports Research Zinc Picolinate 50 mg with Coconut Oil (60 softgels) (last known price, Oct 17) | Picolinate | $0.09 | $17.95 | D |
15 mg elemental zinc is the unit this site prices zinc against, so that packages of different strengths and forms can be priced on one scale at all; it is not a recommendation about what to take. The cheapest salt at each strength, side by side: What is the cheapest zinc per dose?
Where to buy: the pick for each type
The pick is the cheapest certified product, at the exact package sold where the certifier names packages, with no adverse finding on record, a price its retailer let us read recently, and no more than a year’s supply at the label’s serving; per delivered dose where the retailer publishes a delivery rate. Where none does, it is the cheapest such product before delivery, and it says how far the order is from free delivery. It is the same pick the category page shows.
How these lines are chosen
Among 1 product and 1 retailer listing we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below. No product here that clears every other bar publishes a delivery rate below its free-delivery threshold, so the pick is priced before delivery.
How these lines are chosen
Among 2 products and 2 retailer listings we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below. No product here that clears every other bar publishes a delivery rate below its free-delivery threshold, so the pick is priced before delivery.
How these lines are chosen
Among 7 products and 7 retailer listings we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below.
A pick has to be independently certified, at the exact package sold where the certifier names packages, with no recall or failed test, a price its retailer let us read recently, and no more than a year’s supply at the label’s serving. Where the retailer publishes no delivery rate, the pick is priced before delivery and says so. Nothing we track here clears all of those yet. Each of these misses at least one bar, and says which:
A pick has to be independently certified, at the exact package sold where the certifier names packages, with no recall or failed test, a price its retailer let us read recently, and no more than a year’s supply at the label’s serving. Where the retailer publishes no delivery rate, the pick is priced before delivery and says so. Nothing we track here clears all of those yet. Each of these misses at least one bar, and says which:
How these lines are chosen
Among 1 product and 1 retailer listing we track; Amazon and Walmart are not included. A month is thirty doses of the size in the heading, priced the same way as the per-dose figure beside it. “Delivery known” ranks only products whose retailer publishes a delivery rate; a cheaper product with an unpublished rate is on its own line, or in the full list below.
A pick has to be independently certified, at the exact package sold where the certifier names packages, with no recall or failed test, a price its retailer let us read recently, and no more than a year’s supply at the label’s serving. Where the retailer publishes no delivery rate, the pick is priced before delivery and says so. Nothing we track here clears all of those yet. This one misses at least one bar, and says which:
A pick has to be independently certified, at the exact package sold where the certifier names packages, with no recall or failed test, a price its retailer let us read recently, and no more than a year’s supply at the label’s serving. Where the retailer publishes no delivery rate, the pick is priced before delivery and says so. Nothing we track here clears all of those yet. This one misses at least one bar, and says which:
Full comparison of every product in this category: Zinc. Every question we answer: the question index.
What this rests on: prices we last recorded at the retailer named on each product page, which go stale, and each page says when it was checked; the products we track, not every product sold, and Amazon and Walmart are not among the stores; listings and labels read at the source, each linked from the page. Found an error? Tell us. The full method: How we compare.