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

• Prenatal VitaminsHealthy Accents28 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsDG Health28 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsSmart Sense28 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsDrFormulas27 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsSignature Care28 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsRugby28 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsCVS Health27 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsCentral Texas Community Health Centers28 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsBasic Vitamins27 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsSunmark28 mg
• Prenatal VitaminsPuritan's Pride28 mg
• Prenatal Vitaminsup&up28 mg
• PreNatal Vitamins PlusBoca Pharmacal27 mg
• Prenatal Vitamins PlusNnodum Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• Prenatal Vitamins PlusZIKS Nnodum Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• Prenatal Vitamins Plus Low Iron Multi StrengthPatrin Pharma27 mg
• Prenatal Vitamins Plus Low Iron TabletsPatrin Pharma27 mg
• Prenatal Vitamins With MineralsShopRite28 mg
• Prenatal Vitamins with MineralsFamily Wellness28 mg
• Prenatal With DHAVitaCeutical Labs27 mg
• Prenatal With DHAVitamer Laboratories27 mg
• Prenatal With DHAGNC Women's18 mg
• PreNatal with Folic Acid21st Century28 mg
• Prenatal with Folic AcidMeijer28 mg
• Prenatal with IronGNC Women's18 mg
• Prenatal with Vegan DHA plus ProbioticsGreens First Female30 mg
• Prenatal Women's Essentials + Folic Acid 800 mcgSundance Vitamins27 mg
• Prenatal+DHA 100Zahler18 mg
• Prenatal+DHA 250Zahler36 mg
• Prenatal-U CapsulesCypress Pharmaceutical · off the marketin a blend
• Prenatal/PostnatalRedmont Pharmaceuticals20 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
• PrenatalgynAdvantage Nutraceuticals · off the market18 mg
• Prenate DHAAvion Pharmaceuticals18 mg
• Prenate EliteAvion Pharmaceuticals20 mg
• Prenate EnhanceAvion Pharmaceuticals28 mg
• Prenate EssentialAvion Pharmaceuticals18 mg
• Prenate MiniAvion Pharmaceuticals18 mg
• Prenate PixieAvion Pharmaceuticals10 mg
• Prenate RestoreAvion Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• Prenate StarAvion Pharmaceuticals20 mg
• PrenatVite PlusAUM Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• PrenatVite RxAUM Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• PrenaviteRugby28 mg
• PrePLUS TabletVirtus Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• PreQue 10Atley Pharmaceuticals · off the market30 mg
• PreQue 10Watson · off the market30 mg
• PreTAB TabletVirtus Pharmaceuticals29 mg
• Prevail VanillaThorne Performance · off the market0.425 mg
• Prevail Whey Protein-Blend ChocolateThorne Performance · off the market0.425 mg
• PrimaCareAvion Pharmaceuticals30 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