The three vitamin E fronts on this page print IU. Behind them, one Supplement Facts panel answers in milligrams and two answer in IU, and the three multivitamin panels give their vitamin E line in milligrams with no IU at all. Six panels from our shelf are read here: three single-ingredient softgels with 400 IU or 1,000 IU on the front, and the vitamin E line inside a women's 50+ tablet, a men's 50+ capsule and a men's gummy with omega-3. We copy the unit, the form in parentheses, the %DV and the serving size from each, do the per-softgel and per-serving arithmetic, and set one 400 IU softgel beside the three multivitamin lines. As always in this series: label math only, nothing about what vitamin E does.
Six vitamin E lines, three ways of printing them
The six panels sort into three groups: one that prints milligrams on the panel and IU on the front, two that print IU and %DV with no milligram figure, and three multivitamins that print milligrams and no IU. Five different serving sizes appear across the six bottles (the two 1,000 IU bottles share “2 Softgels”), and the table carries each one next to its figure.
| Label | Serving size and vitamin E line as printed |
|---|---|
| Nature Made Vitamin E 400 IU Softgels | 1 Softgel: 180 mg, 1200% DV; IU on front only |
| NatureBell Vitamin E 1000 IU Softgels | 2 Softgels: 1,000 IU, 3,000% DV; no mg |
| Vitamin E 1000 IU Softgels 240 Count | 2 Softgels: 1,000 IU, 3,000% DV; no mg |
| Bronson Women's 50+ Multivitamin Tablets | 1 Tablet: 13.5 mg, 90% DV; no IU |
| Thorne Men's Multi 50+ | Six Capsules: 268 mg, 1,787% DV; no IU |
| Nature Made Multi + Omega-3 For Him Gummies | 2 Gummies: 15 mg, 100% DV; no IU |
Five of the six panels name the form as “dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate”, printed in parentheses after “Vitamin E”. The sixth, Thorne, prints “Vitamin E (as d-Alpha Tocopheryl)” with no “Acetate” after it. The one other tocopherol word in the six ingredient lists is “Tocopherols”, the last item in the gummy's other-ingredients list.
Vitamin E 400 IU to mg: the one label that prints both
Nature Made's front label prints “400 IU (180 mg)” and the word “dl-Alpha”. The Supplement Facts panel on the back prints the line “Vitamin E (as dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate)” at 180 mg and 1200% Daily Value, under a column headed “Amount Per Softgel”. The IU figure appears on the front and the front only; the panel does not repeat it. Serving size is “1 Softgel”, which makes per softgel and per serving the same number on this bottle, and the directions use the same count: “Adults, take 1 softgel daily with water and a meal.” The other-ingredients line is “Gelatin, Glycerin.”
This is the only one of the six labels on which vitamin E itself is printed both as an IU figure and as a milligram figure, and the pairing is Nature Made's own: 400 IU of the dl-alpha acetate form is printed as 180 mg. We copy it as printed and do not rework it from a conversion table. The photographed panel prints no “Servings Per Container” line, and no per-container total is calculated for this bottle.
Vitamin E 1000 IU: two panels that stop at IU
The two 1,000 IU bottles read almost identically on paper. NatureBell's front prints “1,000 IU per serving” and “300 Softgels”; the Deal Supplement front prints “1,000 IU”, “per serving” and “240 softgels”. Both panels set the serving at “2 Softgels”, and both carry the same line, “Vitamin E (as dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate)” at 1,000 IU and 3,000% DV. Neither prints a milligram figure anywhere on the panel, and both list the same other ingredients, “Natural carob, softgel (gelatin, glycerin, purified water)”. Deal Supplement's suggested-use line reads “adults take two (2) softgels daily”, the two softgels its panel calls a serving; the photographed NatureBell label prints no suggested-use text.
The phrase “per serving” on both fronts is the whole story of these two labels. One serving is two softgels, and the per-softgel figures are half the printed ones:
- Per softgel: 1,000 IU ÷ 2 = 500 IU, and 3,000% ÷ 2 = 1,500% DV, on both brands.
- Softgels per bottle: NatureBell prints 150 servings per container, and 150 × 2 = 300 softgels, the count on its front. Deal Supplement prints 120 servings, and 120 × 2 = 240 softgels, again matching its front.
- IU per bottle: 150 × 1,000 IU = 150,000 IU for NatureBell; 120 × 1,000 IU = 120,000 IU for Deal Supplement.
A milligram figure for these two bottles cannot be read off a label, and we do not write one. The generic IU-to-milligram table for vitamin E is in our IU to mcg and mg conversion chart; here we stay with what the panels print.
What the printed figures do allow is a ratio. Nature Made's front says 400 IU and its panel, headed “Amount Per Softgel”, says 1200% DV; the 1,000 IU bottles say 1,000 IU and 3,000% DV per two-softgel serving. 1,000 ÷ 400 = 2.5, and 3,000 ÷ 1200 = 2.5: the IU ratio and the %DV ratio are the same number. Per single softgel the gap is smaller, 500 IU against 400 IU (500 ÷ 400 = 1.25) and 1,500% against 1200% (1,500 ÷ 1200 = 1.25). The two scales agree without a milligram figure entering the calculation.
Vitamin E inside three multivitamins: three serving sizes
The three multivitamins print their vitamin E in milligrams only, and each counts a serving differently. Bronson's women's 50+ tablet prints “1 Tablet” as the serving and 180 servings per container; its vitamin E line reads “Vitamin E (as dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate)” 13.5 mg, 90% DV. Thorne's men's 50+ capsule prints the serving as “Six Capsules” and 30 servings. Its line reads “Vitamin E (as d-Alpha Tocopheryl)” 268 mg, 1,787% DV. Nature Made's gummy prints “2 Gummies” and 75 servings; the line reads “Vitamin E (as dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate)” 15 mg, 100% DV, and the directions say “Adults, chew 2 gummies daily.” All three came from the Multivitamins collection; their full panels, piece counts and the other lines are read in our men's, women's and 50+ multivitamin article linked at the end.
Per piece the three multivitamins are far apart; the table sets them beside the three softgels, and every per-container total is plain multiplication of printed numbers.
| Label | Vitamin E per piece and per container |
|---|---|
| Nature Made 400 IU, softgels | 180 mg per softgel; servings line not printed |
| NatureBell 1,000 IU, softgels | 500 IU per softgel; 150 × 1,000 = 150,000 IU |
| Deal Supplement 1,000 IU, softgels | 500 IU per softgel; 120 × 1,000 = 120,000 IU |
| Bronson Women's 50+, tablets | 13.5 mg per tablet; 180 × 13.5 mg = 2,430 mg |
| Thorne Men's Multi 50+, capsules | 44.7 mg per capsule; 30 × 268 mg = 8,040 mg |
| Nature Made For Him, gummies | 7.5 mg per gummy; 75 × 15 mg = 1,125 mg |
The Thorne per-capsule figure is 268 mg ÷ 6 = 44.67 mg, rounded in the table to 44.7; the %DV per capsule is 1,787% ÷ 6, about 298%. The gummy per piece is 15 mg ÷ 2 = 7.5 mg and 100% ÷ 2 = 50% DV. From the smallest to the largest multivitamin serving the vitamin E figure runs from 13.5 mg to 268 mg, and 268 ÷ 13.5 is about 19.9: the Thorne six-capsule serving prints nearly twenty times the vitamin E of the Bronson tablet.
On each of the four milligram panels the printed milligrams divided by the printed %DV come to the same figure: 15 ÷ 100 = 0.15 (gummy), 13.5 ÷ 90 = 0.15 (Bronson), 180 ÷ 1200 = 0.15 (Nature Made), 268 ÷ 1,787 ≈ 0.15 (Thorne).
A 400 IU softgel beside the multivitamin lines
In milligrams, the softgel and the multis can be compared piece by piece. One Nature Made softgel prints 180 mg.
- Against the gummy: 180 mg ÷ 15 mg = 12, so one softgel prints the vitamin E of twelve 2-gummy servings, which is 12 × 2 = 24 gummies. The %DV says the same: 1200% ÷ 100% = 12.
- Against the Bronson tablet: 180 mg ÷ 13.5 mg ≈ 13.3, so one softgel prints the vitamin E of about 13⅓ tablets.
- Against the Thorne capsule: the six-capsule serving prints 268 mg, which is 268 − 180 = 88 mg more than the softgel. Per capsule, 180 mg ÷ 44.67 mg ≈ 4.03, so about 4 capsules carry the milligrams one softgel prints; by %DV, 1200% ÷ 298% is again about 4.
The 1,000 IU softgels cannot join this list in milligrams; their panels stop at IU, and this page does not convert for them. What can be said is that one softgel from either 1,000 IU bottle works out to 500 IU and 1,500% DV (1,000 ÷ 2 and 3,000 ÷ 2) where the Nature Made softgel prints 400 IU on the front and 1200% on the panel.
Two of the multivitamin panels print IU on one line and not on another. The gummy's vitamin D3 line prints 25 mcg followed by “(1000 IU)”, and Thorne's reads “Vitamin D (as Vitamin D3) (1,000 IU)” beside 25 mcg, yet the vitamin E line on each of those panels carries milligrams with no IU in parentheses. Nature Made's 400 IU bottle does the reverse: IU on the front, milligrams on the panel.
Quick answers
Is vitamin E 400 IU the same as 180 mg? On the Nature Made label, yes: the front prints “400 IU (180 mg)” and the panel prints 180 mg at 1200% DV, with the form named as dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate. The pairing is the manufacturer's own for that form.
How many mg is vitamin E 1000 IU? Neither 1,000 IU panel on this page prints a milligram figure; both print 1,000 IU and 3,000% DV per 2-softgel serving, which is 500 IU and 1,500% DV per softgel. The label does not say the milligrams, and this guide does not fill them in.
What is the vitamin E %DV per softgel? Nature Made: 1200% per softgel, read straight from the panel. NatureBell and Deal Supplement: 3,000% per two softgels, 1,500% per softgel.
Which panel names a d-alpha form? One of six: Thorne prints “Vitamin E (as d-Alpha Tocopheryl)” at 268 mg per six capsules, with no IU figure; the other five panels print dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate.
How much vitamin E is in a multivitamin? On these three panels: 13.5 mg (90% DV) per Bronson tablet, 15 mg (100% DV) per two Nature Made gummies, and 268 mg (1,787% DV) per six Thorne capsules. One 400 IU softgel, at 180 mg, is more than the first two and less than the third.
Six labels, one unit at a time, and nothing beyond what they print. The softgels sit on the Vitamin E Supplements collection; for more men's, women's and 50+ multivitamin panels read the same way, see our men's, women's and 50+ multivitamin label read, and for the vocabulary start with how to read a Supplement Facts label.
“1,000 IU per serving” above a two-softgel serving is the same front device as “1330mg per serving” above two magnesium capsules; how that front figure, the panel's 240 mg magnesium row and the serving size divide to 120 mg per capsule is worked through in our magnesium per capsule vs per serving read.