Supplement Label Index

Potassium Chloride vs. Potassium Gluconate

Among 3,345 on-market potassium products with an identifiable primary form, 36.8% use Potassium Chloride (1,232 products) and 7.1% use Potassium Gluconate (239).

Potassium ChloridePotassium Gluconate
Quality tierTier 1Tier 2
Potassium by weight52.4%16.7%
Share of market36.8%7.1%
On-market products1,232239
Median declared dose70 elemental mg
middle half: 30–99
33 elemental mg
middle half: 12–99
Most common brandsNOW, DC, Vitamin WorldDC, Puritan's Pride, Wonder Laboratories

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

Why Potassium Chloride is tier 1

Standard reference form used in essentially all major clinical hypokalemia/blood-pressure trials.

Source: Whelton PK et al. 1997, JAMA 277(20):1624-32, PMID 9168293

Why Potassium Gluconate is tier 2

No dedicated comparative bioavailability citation located; assumed acceptable as a simple soluble monovalent salt.

Source: uncertain -- needs review

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 potassium comparisons