mineral

Iron supplements

Half of the 6,910 iron supplements in the NIH label database that print an amount list 5 mg or less per serving; the middle half list 1.2 mg to 18 mg, and 1 in 29 of the 6,825 with a plausible amount give more than the adult upper limit at the most servings their labels direct (DSLD version 9.4.0, January 2026). The 291 products whose only supplement ingredient is iron list a median of 27 mg, and 25% of them give more than the upper limit.

How much iron do supplements contain?

The median product lists 5 mg per serving. One in ten lists 0.5 mg or less, one in ten 27 mg or more. The amount printed most often is 18 mg (778 products).

How do the amounts compare with the Daily Value and the upper limit?

The FDA Daily Value for iron is 18 mg (adults and children 4 and older). The median product gives 28% of it per serving; the 90th percentile 150%.

The adult Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 45 mg a day (total intake from food, water and supplements). At the most servings their labels direct, 234 of the 6,825 products with a plausible amount (3.4%) give more than that from the supplement alone (what counts as plausible).

The upper limit is for total intake from food, water and supplements unless stated, and does not apply under medical supervision. A label amount is what the maker printed. This is data, not advice: the NIH ODS fact sheets explain what each nutrient does.

Which forms of iron do labels name?

Ferrous fumarate is the form named most often: 1,280 of the 8,696 iron products (15%), ahead of iron bisglycinate (546, 6%) and ferrous gluconate (228, 3%). A product naming two forms counts in both; the table below gives every form.

• Ferrous fumarate
• Iron bisglycinate
• Ferrous gluconate
• Ferrous sulfate
• Carbonyl iron
• Polysaccharide-iron complex

Which products list the most iron?

On-market products, per serving, with a plausible amount: the rule leaves out likely entry slips, such as an amount far beyond every other label with no %DV or strength on the label to back it (each product page still shows its own amount, marked).

• Trigelsd-F ForteTrigen Laboratories151 mg
• Trigels-F ForteTrigen Laboratories151 mg
• Ferrex-150Major150 mg
• Ferrex 150 Plus CapsulesBreckenridge150 mg
• Ferrex 150Breckenridge Pharmaceutical150 mg
• FEONYX 1 mg/150 mgAmella Pharma150 mg
• Corvite 150Vertical Pharmaceuticals150 mg
• Corvite FeVertical Pharmaceuticals150 mg

Have the amounts changed over the years?

Products whose current label entered DSLD in 2011 list a median of 6 mg; those entered in 2025, 4 mg.

In which products and brands?

Brands listing it most: Nature's Plus (162), Nature's Way (73), Core Nutritionals (63), Douglas Laboratories (58), Amazing Grass (55), Bronson (50), Sunwarrior (50), Garden of Life (49), Solgar (47), XYMOGEN (45).

Every product listing iron

8,696 products, A to Z by name (page 101 of 174), each with the amount its label prints; an amount far outside what other labels print is marked as a possible slip.

• Oats + Isolate ChocolateMuscle Feastno amount
• Oats + Isolate UnflavoredMuscle Feastno amount
• Oats + Isolate VanillaMuscle Feastno amount
• OB CompleteVertical Pharmaceuticals50 mg
• OB Complete 400Vertical Pharmaceuticals10 mg
• OB Complete ChewableVertical Pharmaceuticals5 mg
• OB Complete OneVertical Pharmaceuticals50 mg
• OB Complete PetiteVertical Pharmaceuticals40 mg
• OB Complete PremierVertical Pharmaceuticals50 mg
• OB Complete with DHAVertical Pharmaceuticals40 mg
• OJC Plus Super Formula Organic Juice Cleanse Berry SurprisePurity Products1.5 mg
• Oligo IronMBi Nutraceuticals0.035 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
• Olive Leaf Complex Natural FlavorBarlean's Organic Oils · off the market1 mg
• Omega 3 BasicDesigning Health · off the market0.7 mg
• Omega 3 Chia Raw SeedGreens+ Organics2.5 mg
• Omega GreensHeartland Products · off the marketin a blend
• Omega-3s AntioxidantsAnutra0.3 mg
• Omega3Regenesis2,110 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
• OmegaEnergy MixEnergyFirstin a blend
• Omni Jr.DaVinci Laboratories Of Vermont1.7 mg
• OMNI With Chelated MineralsHighland Laboratories9 mg
• OmniumSolgar9 mg
• Once Daily Bariatric MultiVitaminBariatric Choice45 mg
• Once Daily High Energy MultivitaminSolaray1.8 mg
• Once Daily High Energy Multivitamin Timed ReleaseSolaray1.8 mg
• Once Daily Multiple Vitamins, Minerals & HerbsSaveWorldHealth.com · off the market7.5 mg
• Once Daily MultivitaminNatrol10 mg
• Once Daily Prenatal MultiMeijer28 mg
• Once Daily Raspberry Splash FlavorEye Candy1.9 mg
• Once Daily Woman MultivitaminSolaray18 mg
• OncoMARXYMOGEN0 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
• OncoMar Natural Orange Flavored Instant Drink MixXYMOGEN1 mg
• One 'N' OnlyPure Essence Labs · off the market20 mg
• One 'n' Only PrenatalPure Essence20 mg
• One 'n' Only WomenPure Essence Labs · off the market9 mg
• One 'n' Only WomenPure Essence9 mg
• One All-In-One Nutritional ChocolateVega · off the market9 mg
• One All-In-One Nutritional Shake BerryVega9 mg
• One All-In-One Nutritional Shake ChocolateVega9 mg
• One All-In-One Nutritional Shake French VanillaVega9 mg
• One All-In-One Nutritional Shake NaturalVega9 mg
• One All-In-One Nutritional Shake Vanilla ChaiVega9 mg
• One DailyGNC Women's Ultra Mega18 mg
• One DailyCHK Nutrition3 mg
• One DailyMegaFood4.5 mg
• One DailyInnate Response Formulas4.5 mg
• One Daily A to Zinc With LycopeneNature's Gifts · off the market18 mg
• One Daily Active21st Century9 mg
• One Daily EnergyRite Aid Pharmacy9 mg
• One Daily EnergyRexall Sundown Naturalist18 mg

Where next?

• Iron capsules
• Iron drops
• Iron gummies
• Iron powder
• Liquid iron
• Vegan iron
• Check an amount of iron
• Labels above the upper limit
• All ingredients