PlainVitamins

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.

Products listing it
8,6966,910 print an amount; 1,243 list it inside a blend without an amount
Median per serving
5 mgmiddle half 1.2 mg to 18 mg
FDA Daily Value
18 mgthe median is 28% of it
Adult upper limit (IOM)
45 mg234 products go above it a day

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).

Products by amount of iron per serving

6,953 products, log scale; extreme 0.2% at each end left out of the drawing.

Iron: products by amount per serving0.03 mg0.3 mg3 mg30 mg300 mgDaily Value 18 mgUpper limit 45 mg
Iron: products by amount per serving0.03 mg0.3 mg3 mg10 mg100 mgDaily Value 18 mgUpper limit 45 mg
Iron: products by amount per serving0.03 mg0.3 mg1 mg3 mg10 mg30 mg100 mgDaily Value 18 mgUpper limit 45 mg
Iron: products by amount per serving0.03 mg0.1 mg0.3 mg1 mg3 mg10 mg30 mg100 mg300 mgDaily Value 18 mgUpper limit 45 mg
Iron: products by amount per serving0.03 mg0.1 mg0.3 mg1 mg3 mg10 mg30 mg100 mg300 mgDaily Value 18 mgUpper limit 45 mg
The amounts printed most often
Amount per servingProductsFor example
18 mg778 Maximum Nutrition Vanilla Creme (GNC Women's Ultra Mega); Active Milk Chocolate (GNC Women's Ultra Mega); Active Vanilla Creme (GNC Women's Ultra Mega)
1 mg527 Colon Care Plus (Vitamin World); Psyllium Husk Seed (Vitamin World); LifeEssence (Pure Essence Labs)
5 mg414 V.M.T. Regular Strength (Viva Vitamins); FocusFactor (FOCUSfactor); Age Defying Skincare Vitamin (Vite MD)
9 mg287 Spiru-Pro Soy Protein Drink With Spirulina Natural Vanilla (Vitamin World); Super 75 Vitamins & Minerals (Carlson); R4yt (Exakta)
2 mg271 Shape! (Hydroxycut); Nitro-Tech Advanced Protein Bar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip (MuscleTech); Mega Vita-Min (Radiance)
3 mg240 IntraPro Double Chocolate Flavor (Gaspari Nutrition); Every Woman's One Daily (New Chapter Organics); Super Greens Power (MET-Rx)
6 mg226 Training-Peak (Inner Armour); Pro-Equalizer Protein Powder (Douglas Laboratories); Ultra-Pro Vanilla (Douglas Laboratories)
27 mg223 Prenatal Once Daily (VitaCeutical Labs); Iron Tablets (Sunmark); Original Prenatal Formula (Bronson Laboratories)
10 mg210 V.M.T. Extra Strength (Viva Vitamins); Multi Vitamin With Minerals (Radiance Select); Vegetarian Multi (VitaCeutical Labs)
4 mg203 Basic Preventive Junior (Douglas Laboratories); IsoFast50 Chocolate Milkshake (MHP Maximum Human Performance); Kid's Stuff (Vitabase)

Source: Supplement Facts rows of every product's current label, NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database version 9.4.0; amounts in one measure (weight).

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.

Sources: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv) (Daily Values); Institute of Medicine, DRI summary tables (2011) (upper limits); on reading them, the FDA's Daily Value page.

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.

Products by the form of iron on the label

Count, and the median amount per serving in that form.

Iron by formFerrous fumarate1,280, median 18 mgIron bisglycinate546, median 18 mgFerrous gluconate228, median 9 mgFerrous sulfate186, median 15 mgCarbonyl iron164, median 24 mgPolysaccharide-iron complex38, median 29 mg
Iron by formFerrous fumarate1,280, median 18 mgIron bisglycinate546, median 18 mgFerrous gluconate228, median 9 mgFerrous sulfate186, median 15 mgCarbonyl iron164, median 24 mgPolysaccharide-iron complex38, median 29 mg
Iron by formFerrous fumarate1,280, median 18 mgIron bisglycinate546, median 18 mgFerrous gluconate228, median 9 mgFerrous sulfate186, median 15 mgCarbonyl iron164, median 24 mgPolysaccharide-iron complex38, median 29 mg
Iron by formFerrous fumarate1,280, median 18 mgIron bisglycinate546, median 18 mgFerrous gluconate228, median 9 mgFerrous sulfate186, median 15 mgCarbonyl iron164, median 24 mgPolysaccharide-iron complex38, median 29 mg
Iron by formFerrous fumarate1,280, median 18 mgIron bisglycinate546, median 18 mgFerrous gluconate228, median 9 mgFerrous sulfate186, median 15 mgCarbonyl iron164, median 24 mgPolysaccharide-iron complex38, median 29 mg
Iron: products naming each form, and their median amount per serving (DSLD version 9.4.0)
FormProductsShare of iron productsMedian per serving
Ferrous fumarate1,28015%18 mg
Iron bisglycinate5466%18 mg
Ferrous gluconate2283%9 mg
Ferrous sulfate1862%15 mg
Carbonyl iron1642%24 mg
Polysaccharide-iron complex38under 1%29 mg

Source: the form each label gives for its iron row (DSLD "forms"), current labels.

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).

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.

Median iron per serving by the year the label entered DSLD (years with 20+ products)
YearProductsMedian per serving
20111396 mg
20124008 mg
20134906.4 mg
20142726 mg
20153634 mg
20163145 mg
20173436 mg
20183094 mg
20193576 mg
20206804.5 mg
20216185 mg
20226486 mg
20236594 mg
20248024 mg
20255594 mg

Source: DSLD label entry dates and amounts, current labels.

In which products and brands?

Products listing iron by DSLD product type

Iron by product typeOther Combinations4,335Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)703Amino acid/Protein652Botanical with Nutrients524Mineral376Botanical192Fiber and Other Nutrients61Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical55
Iron by product typeOther Combinations4,335Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)703Amino acid/Protein652Botanical with Nutrients524Mineral376Botanical192Fiber and Other Nutrients61Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical55
Iron by product typeOther Combinations4,335Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)703Amino acid/Protein652Botanical with Nutrients524Mineral376Botanical192Fiber and Other Nutrients61Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical55
Iron by product typeOther Combinations4,335Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)703Amino acid/Protein652Botanical with Nutrients524Mineral376Botanical192Fiber and Other Nutrients61Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical55
Iron by product typeOther Combinations4,335Multi-Vitamin and Mineral (MVM)703Amino acid/Protein652Botanical with Nutrients524Mineral376Botanical192Fiber and Other Nutrients61Non-Nutrient/Non-Botanical55

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

Where next?