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Volvic
Volvic from Clairvic spring, Auvergne volcanic park, Puy-de-Dome — 11.5 mg calcium, 8 mg magnesium, 11.6 mg sodium per litre. Hardness, what a litre contributes against the EFSA reference intakes, and the EU label claims the analysis supports.
Where it comes from
Volvic percolates through six stacked layers of Auvergne lava, and volcanic rock is stingy with calcium. The result is a genuinely soft water — under 1 mmol of hardness per litre — whose most distinctive figure is not a mineral at all but silica at 31.7 mg per litre, dissolved out of the basalt. At 130 mg per litre of dry residue it clears the EU threshold for a "low mineral content" claim with room to spare, which is why it turns up so often in kettles, coffee machines and infant-feeding guidance.
Source: Clairvic spring, Auvergne volcanic park, Puy-de-Dome · Category: Natural mineral water · Carbonation: Still
This is a reference table, not a diagnosis and not a prescription. If a clinician has put you on a sodium, calcium, potassium or fluid restriction, that number comes from them and overrides anything here. Analyses are revised as sources are re-tested, so the label on the bottle you are holding always outranks this page.
The published analysis
| Constituent | mg per litre | What a litre of it means |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 11.5 | 1.2% of the 950 mg calcium reference |
| Magnesium | 8 | 2.3% of the 350 mg magnesium adequate intake |
| Sodium | 11.6 | 0.6% of the 2.0 g sodium intake · 0.029 g as salt |
| Potassium | 6.2 | |
| Bicarbonate | 71 | |
| Sulphate | 8.1 | |
| Chloride | 13.5 | |
| Silica | 31.7 | no European reference intake exists for silica |
| Dry residue at 180 °C | 130 | the figure EU law uses for the mineral-content claims |
How hard it is
Hardness is nothing but the calcium and magnesium already in the table above, re-expressed as though all of it were calcium carbonate. For Volvic the arithmetic runs 11.5 ÷ 40.08 + 8 ÷ 24.31 = 0.62 mmol per litre.
| Unit | Value | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|
| Millimoles per litre | 0.62 | the chemistry, and the German consumer bands |
| German degrees °dH | 3.5 | dishwasher and washing-machine settings in the Nordics and Baltics |
| French degrees °fH | 6.2 | French and Belgian labelling |
| mg per litre as CaCO₃ | 61.7 | the international classification and most water-utility reports |
That places it at moderately hard on the classification used in the international drinking-water literature, and weich (soft) on the three-band German scale printed on detergent packets. Hardness has no health-based guideline value; what it changes is limescale, soap and the taste. More on hardness.
What EU labelling law lets this water claim
Annex III of Directive 2009/54/EC fixes exactly which indications a natural mineral water may print and the figure each one requires. Applying those rules to the analysis above:
| Indication | Criterion | This water |
|---|---|---|
| “Very low mineral content” | not above 50 mg/l dry residue | does not qualify |
| “Low mineral content” | not above 500 mg/l dry residue | qualifies |
| “Rich in mineral salts” | above 1 500 mg/l dry residue | does not qualify |
| “Contains bicarbonate” | above 600 mg/l bicarbonate | does not qualify |
| “Contains sulphate” | above 200 mg/l sulphate | does not qualify |
| “Contains chloride” | above 200 mg/l chloride | does not qualify |
| “Contains calcium” | above 150 mg/l calcium | does not qualify |
| “Contains magnesium” | above 50 mg/l magnesium | does not qualify |
| “Contains fluoride” | above 1 mg/l fluoride | no published figure |
| “Contains sodium” | above 200 mg/l sodium | does not qualify |
| “Suitable for a low-sodium diet” | below 20 mg/l sodium | qualifies |
A litre against a day
| Nutrient | Per litre | Share of an adult day |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 11.5 mg | 1.2% of the 950 mg EFSA reference intake |
| Magnesium | 8 mg | 2.3% of the 350 mg adequate intake for men |
| Sodium | 11.6 mg | 0.6% of the 2.0 g safe and adequate intake |
The sodium contribution is small enough to disappear into the noise of an ordinary diet, where bread and cheese do the real work. Which is the general rule for bottled water and sodium — the exceptions are the sodium-bicarbonate waters, and they announce themselves on the label.
Analyses: the figures each producer publishes on the label or in its technical sheet — see the basis line on every water page. Reference intakes: EFSA Dietary Reference Values. Label claims: Directive 2009/54/EC, Annex III. Mineral-water constituent limits and the fluoride labelling rule: Directive 2003/40/EC. Tap-water parametric values: Directive (EU) 2020/2184. Checked 2026-09-06.
Frequently asked questions
What is in Volvic?
Volvic is still from Clairvic spring, Auvergne volcanic park, Puy-de-Dome, natural mineral water. The published analysis is 11.5 mg calcium, 8 mg magnesium, 11.6 mg sodium per litre.
Is Volvic hard water?
Calcium and magnesium together come to 0.62 mmol per litre, which is 3.5 °dH or about 61.7 mg per litre as calcium carbonate — moderately hard on the international scale and weich (soft) on the German one.
Is Volvic suitable for a low-sodium diet?
On the EU criterion, yes: sodium is 11.6 mg per litre, below the 20 mg per litre line that allows the claim "suitable for a low-sodium diet". A litre is about 0.6% of the 2.0 g safe and adequate sodium intake. A medically prescribed restriction is still your clinician's number, not a label's.
How much magnesium does Volvic have?
8 mg per litre, which is about 2.3% of the EFSA adequate intake of 350 mg a day for adult men and 2.7% of the 300 mg figure for women. EU labelling allows a "contains magnesium" claim above 50 mg per litre.
Waters with a similar mineral load
Highland Spring
Scotland · Still
Acqua Panna
Italy · Still
Voss
Norway · Still
Fiji Water
Fiji · Still
All waters compared
The full table, grouped by mineral content.
Water hardness explained
Degrees, millimoles and parts per million, converted.
Know what you drank, not just what you bought
TempoLife logs hydration alongside food and sleep, so the litre you actually drank is in the same picture as everything else.