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 104 of 174), each with the amount its label prints; an amount far outside what other labels print is marked as a possible slip.

• ORAC-Energy Protein & Greens Vanilla FlavorParadise · off the marketin a blend
• Orange DreamsicleDymatize Nutrition · off the market1 mg
• Orange Flavor Daily FiberKonsyl1,000 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
• Orchard BlendJuice Plus+ · off the marketin a blend
• Orega-Cinn Children's Throat SprayNorth American Herb & Spice Kid-e-Karein a blend
• Orega-Cinn Wild Cherry-plusNorth American Herb & Spicein a blend
• Organ DetoxGarden of Life3 mg
• Organ UltraXtendlife0.8 mg
• Organic A B C (Apple, Beet, Carrot) PowderSmart Organicsin a blend
• Organic All-In-One Decadent ChocolatePurely Inspired22.5 mg
• Organic All-In-One French VanillaPurely Inspired13.4 mg
• Organic Ashwagandha Root PowderGrenera0.2 mg
• Organic Ashwaghandha Root PowderSuperfoods By MRM Nutrition0.2 mg
• Organic Baobab Fruit PowderHealth Ranger Select0.2 mg
• Organic Baobab PowderSuperfoods By MRM Nutrition0.1 mg
• Organic Barley GrassNatural Elements4 mg
• Organic Barley GrassHerbal Secrets · off the marketin a blend
• Organic Barley Grass Juice PowderPure Synergy0.5 mg
• Organic Barley Grass PowderHerbal Hills0.52 mg
• Organic Beet RootAntler Farms0.31 mg
• Organic Black CherryLuckyHerbs2 mg
• Organic Blue Green Superfood Berry FlavorFortifeye0.6 mg
• Organic Blue-Green SuperfoodTriquetra Health · off the market0.5 mg
• Organic Blue-Green SuperfoodTriquetra0.5 mg
• Organic Bone Broth Collagen from Beef ChocolateDr. Mercola2 mg
• Organic Bone Broth Protein ChocolateNatural Force2 mg
• Organic Bone Broth Protein VanillaNatural Force2 mg
• Organic Brown Rice Protein With Nondairy Probiotics Sweet Vanilla FlavorDaVinci Laboratories Of Vermont4 mg
• Organic Camu Camu PowderHerbal Secrets · off the marketin a blend
• Organic Camu Camu PowderGroovy Beeno amount
• Organic Carrot EssenceGreen Foods · off the marketin a blend
• Organic Carrot Essence Juice PowderGreen Foods0.2 mg
• Organic Chia SeedBarlean's · off the marketin a blend
• Organic Chia Seed SuperfoodSanar Naturalsin a blend
• Organic Chia SeedsNature's Labin a blend
• Organic Chia SeedsHealth Ranger Select0.9 mg
• Organic Chia SeedsHerbal Secrets · off the market1.26 mg
• Organic ChlorellaSoTru · off the market4 mg
• Organic Chlorella 200 mgGreen Foods · off the market6 mg
• Organic Chlorella 3 g UnflavoredNutricost Organic4 mg
• Organic Chlorella 500 mgGreen Foods6 mg
• Organic Chlorella PowderGreen Foods6 mg
• Organic Chlorella TabletMicro Ingredientsin a blend
• Organic Chlorella TabletsGreen Foods6 mg
• Organic Clean Chlorella PowderHealth Ranger Select1.7 mg
• Organic Clean Chlorella SL PowderHealth Ranger Select2 mg
• Organic Clean Clorella SLHealth Ranger Select2 mg
• Organic Cocoa EnergizeGroovy Bee0.4 mg
• Organic Cocoa PowderHerbal Secrets · off the marketin a blend
• Organic Coconut Milk PowderGroovy Bee0.4 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