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

• Prenatal Once DailyGarden of Life MyKind Organics18 mg
• Prenatal OneRainbow Light27 mg
• Prenatal One Advanced MultivitaminRainbow Light · off the market30 mg
• Prenatal One DailyFreeda27 mg
• Prenatal One MultipleAN Amazing Nutrition Amazing Formulas30 mg
• Prenatal One MultivitaminRainbow Light · off the market27 mg
• Prenatal PackDouglas Laboratories27 mg
• Prenatal PetiteRainbow Light · off the market30 mg
• Prenatal Petite Mini-TabletRainbow Light · off the market30 mg
• Prenatal Petite Mini-Tablet MultivitaminRainbow Light · off the market27 mg
• PreNatal PlusVitabase18 mg
• Prenatal PlusSeton Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• Prenatal PlusAvKare · off the market27 mg
• Prenatal PlusAmneal Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• Prenatal PlusAtlantic Biologicals Corps27 mg
• Prenatal PlusBoca Pharmacal27 mg
• Prenatal Plus1st Phorm18 mg
• Prenatal PlusMama's Select27 mg
• Prenatal PlusRon Teeguarden Nutraceuticals18 mg
• Prenatal Plus 1 mg Folic AcidQuest · off the market10 mg
• Prenatal Plus DHAPink Stork27 mg
• PreNatal Plus DHA CompleteBuried Treasure Liquid Nutrients · off the market20 mg
• PreNatal Plus DHA Daily MultiBuried Treasure Liquid Nutrients20 mg
• Prenatal Plus IronBlenheim Pharmacal · off the market29 mg
• Prenatal Plus Iron TabletsMajor Pharmaceuticals29 mg
• PreNatal Plus Iron TabletsNationwide Laboratories · off the market29 mg
• Prenatal Plus MultivitaminPNV Prenatal Health27 mg
• Prenatal Plus Multivitamin TabletsPNV Prenatal Health27 mg
• Prenatal Plus Vitamin & Mineral TabletNexgen Pharma27 mg
• Prenatal Plus Vitamin And Mineral TabletAmneal Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• Prenatal Plus Vitamin and Mineral TabletBlenheim Pharmacal · off the market27 mg
• Prenatal Plus Vitamin and Mineral TabletAvKARE27 mg
• Prenatal Plus VitaminsPatrin Pharma27 mg
• Prenatal ProDesigns for Health30 mg
• Prenatal ProbioticRenew Life4.2 mg
• Prenatal SAPNFH30 mg
• Prenatal SupportWindmill18 mg
• Prenatal Support Prenatal VitaminsKroger28 mg
• Prenatal SupremeAdaptogen Research30 mg
• Prenatal TabletEsmond Natural28 mg
• Prenatal TabletsLongs Wellness · off the market28 mg
• Prenatal TabletsMajor27 mg
• Prenatal Triple Power MultivitaminsSuper Nutrition SimplyOne · off the market30 mg
• Prenatal Ultra Blend PremiumNatural Goal · off the market27 mg
• Prenatal Vitamin & Mineral FormulaSundown Naturals28 mg
• Prenatal Vitamin & Mineral FormulaNatural Wealth28 mg
• Prenatal Vitamin + DHAPremama18 mg
• Prenatal Vitamin TabletsMajor Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsSafeway Care · off the market28 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsFinest Nutrition28 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