Vitamin D Sun Exposure Calculator
Estimate how much midday sun you need for your daily vitamin D — adjusted for skin tone, latitude, and season — plus supplement fallback doses.
Midday sun minutes for ~1,000 IU
31
Breakdown
- Total across 3 weekly sessions
- 93
- Sessions per week
- 3
- Approaching burn territory after (minutes)
- 27
- Supplement fallback (IU/day)
- 900
- Verdict
- worth splitting across the week rather than one long bake
Last updated:
FAQ
How much sun do I need for vitamin D?
For most skin types, 10–20 minutes of midday sun on arms and face three times a week roughly matches 1,000 IU. Darker skin needs several times longer because melanin filters the same UVB that makes the vitamin. Beyond that window you get sun damage faster than extra vitamin.
Can I make vitamin D in winter?
Above roughly latitude 37° — most of the US north of San Francisco, and nearly all of Europe — winter UVB is too weak for meaningful synthesis from about November through February. Blood levels drift down; that's why winter supplementation is standard advice.
Do I need a vitamin D supplement?
If you're indoors most daylight hours, over 60, darker-skinned at high latitude, or fully sunscreened, likely yes. 1,000–2,000 IU daily is the common maintenance range; the definitive answer comes from a 25(OH)D blood test, not guesswork.
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