Supplement Label Index

Chromium Picolinate vs. Chromium Chloride

Among 4,926 on-market chromium products with an identifiable primary form, 38.8% use Chromium Picolinate (1,909 products) and 14.2% use Chromium Chloride (700).

Chromium PicolinateChromium Chloride
Quality tierTier 1Tier 3
Chromium by weight12.4%19.5%
Share of market38.8%14.2%
On-market products1,909700
Median declared dose100 elemental mcg
middle half: 37.2–200
100 elemental mcg
middle half: 35–120
Most common brandsEmergen-C, Vitamin World, vitafusionNew Chapter, GNC Mega Men, Nature Made

Doses are declared per serving in elemental mcg. “By weight” is the share of the ingredient that is the nutrient itself (e.g. elemental magnesium in a magnesium salt).

Why Chromium Picolinate is tier 1

Produced significantly higher 24h urinary Cr than chloride/nicotinate forms in a randomized crossover; the form used in the positive Anderson 1997 glycemic-control RCT.

Source: DiSilvestro RA, Dy E. 2007, J Trace Elem Med Biol 21(2):120-4, PMID 17499152; Anderson RA et al. 1997, PMID 9356027

Why Chromium Chloride is tier 3

Produced significantly lower 24h urinary Cr than picolinate in the same crossover study -- cheapest/most common multivitamin form but weakest absorption signal.

Source: DiSilvestro RA, Dy E. 2007, PMID 17499152

Tiers summarize published comparative bioavailability or outcome evidence for each form (see methodology). This page describes the market; it is not a recommendation to take either form. Talk to a clinician about what's right for you.

Other chromium comparisons