How much saturated fat per day?
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, say that "in general, saturated fat consumption should not exceed 10% of total daily calories." On 2,000 calories a day, that's under about 22 grams. The FDA uses a round 20 grams as the Daily Value on nutrition labels.
The American Heart Association suggests aiming lower, under 6% of calories, which is about 13 grams on 2,000 calories.
How it's calculated
Grams = those calories ÷ 9 (fat has 9 calories per gram)
Shortcut: grams = daily calories ÷ 90
Worked example
On 2,000 calories: 2,000 × 10% = 200 calories, and 200 ÷ 9 = 22.2 grams. On 1,800 calories the limit is 20 grams, and on 2,500 calories it's 27.8 grams. If you ate 25 grams on a 2,000-calorie day, that's 25 × 9 = 225 calories, or 11.3% of your calories.
Saturated fat limit by calorie level
| Calories a day | Under 10% (Dietary Guidelines) | Under 6% (AHA) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,600 | 17.8 g | 10.7 g |
| 1,800 | 20.0 g | 12.0 g |
| 2,000 | 22.2 g | 13.3 g |
| 2,200 | 24.4 g | 14.7 g |
| 2,400 | 26.7 g | 16.0 g |
| 2,600 | 28.9 g | 17.3 g |
| 2,800 | 31.1 g | 18.7 g |
| 3,000 | 33.3 g | 20.0 g |
Where saturated fat comes from
Saturated fat is found in fatty meats, poultry skin, butter, cheese, cream, whole milk, ice cream, lard and tallow, and in coconut, palm and palm kernel oils. Many baked goods, desserts and snack foods contain it too. The Dietary Guidelines note that significantly limiting highly processed foods helps meet the 10% goal. On a label, 5% Daily Value or less per serving is low and 20% or more is high.
Learn more in saturated vs unsaturated fat.
Limitations
- These are general limits. If you have high cholesterol or heart disease, your doctor or a registered dietitian may suggest a different target.
- It's a daily average. One higher day doesn't undo a balanced week.
- Don't know your calorie needs? Estimate them with the calorie calculator or the TDEE calculator.
Sources
- USDA and HHS: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (January 2026)
- FDA: Interactive Nutrition Facts Label, saturated fat — Daily Value under 20 g; 5% DV is low and 20% DV is high.
- American Heart Association: Saturated fat — less than 6% of calories, about 13 g on 2,000 calories.
- MedlinePlus (NIH): Dietary fats explained