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

• Veggie Protein Vanilla FlavoredMRM Nutrition5.3 mg
• Veggie Solution Raspberry & Lemon Natural FlavorDr. Berg1.06 mg
• Veggimins Dark Chocolate HeartsVeggiminsno amount
• VegiehillsHerbal Hills0.357 mg
• VegiSource MultivitaminViva Vitamins18 mg
• Velvet Cocoa GreensDr. Whitaker1 mg
• VersaCARBPEScienceno amount
• Very Vanilla Whey Protein IsolateCalifornia Gold Nutrition SPORTno amount
• Vi-Min CapsVitamin Discount Center · off the market5 mg
• VibranceEu Natural9 mg
• Vibrance Energy Greens + Probiotics Citrus CucumberVibrant Health9 mg
• Vibrance Energy Greens + Probiotics Orange PineappleVibrant Health9 mg
• Vibrance Essential Daily Green Food Citrus CucumberVibrant Health9.6 mg
• Vibrance Essential Daily Green Food Orange PineappleVibrant Health · off the market9.6 mg
• Vibrance Orange PineappleVibrant Health9.6 mg
• Vibrant CleanseVibrant Health0.1 mg
• Vibrant Cleanse Detox boxVibrant Health0.1 mg
• Vibrant Flora Improved Bowel Support Mandarin OrangeVibrant Health · off the market3.4 mg
• Vibrant Flora Mandarin OrangeVibrant Health · off the market3.4 mg
• Vibrant Flora Peach MangoVibrant Health6 mg
• Vidoplex-MLDC12 mg
• Vineyard BlendJuice Plus+ · off the marketin a blend
• Virt-C DHAVirtus Pharmaceuticalsin a blend
• Virt-NateVirtus Pharmaceuticals28 mg
• Virt-Nate DHAVirtus Pharmaceuticals28 mg
• Virt-PNVirtus Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• Virt-PN DHAVirtus Pharmaceuticals27 mg
• Virt-PN PlusVirtus Pharmaceuticals28 mg
• Vision HealthYuen Diing Enterpriseno amount
• Visualex GoldSimplyBest · off the market7 mg
• Visualex GoldSimply Best7 mg
• Vit-Min 100NOW10 mg
• Vit-Min 75+NOW9 mg
• VitaJYM · off the market18 mg
• VitaJYM Supplement Science18 mg
• Vita BuildMuscleTech Pro Series18 mg
• Vita Chel PackDouglas Laboratories5 mg
• Vita ChewsNew Sun2.5 mg
• Vita JYMJYM Supplement Science · off the market18 mg
• Vita JYMJYM · off the market18 mg
• Vita LifeS4L Slim4Life18 mg
• Vita Mom Advanced Prenatal FormulaKAL25 mg
• Vita Mom Prenatal FormulaKAL25 mg
• Vita SuperMedi Weightloss5.8 mg
• Vita XTJacked Factory JF18 mg
• Vita-BarleyVitabase0.3 mg
• Vita-Chel PlusDouglas Laboratories4 mg
• Vita-FlaxThe Vitamin Shoppein a blend
• Vita-Fresh Life's GreensPuritan's Pride · off the market3 mg
• Vita-Glan-FDouglas Laboratories10 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