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

• Easy Being GreenOra1 mg
• Easy Being Green OrangeOra1 mg
• Easy IronNewflower Farmers Markets25 mg
• Easy IronWoodstock Vitamins29 mg
• Easy IronHigher Nature5 mg
• Easy IronVitamin Discount Center · off the market25 mg
• Easy IronVitabase25 mg
• Easy Iron (Iron Glycinate) 28 mgPuritan's Pride · off the market28 mg
• Easy Iron 20 mgNatural Factors20 mg
• Easy Iron 25 mgCountry Life25 mg
• Easy Iron 28 mgNature's Bounty · off the market28 mg
• Easy Iron 28 mgPuritan's Pride28 mg
• Easy Iron 28 mgNature's Truth28 mg
• Easy Iron for KidsNature's Nutra5 mg
• Easy Iron High Bio-Availability 20 mgNatural Factors · off the market20 mg
• Easy Iron Iron Glycinate 28 mgGood 'N Natural · off the market28 mg
• EFAGold Hemp Protein & FiberNature's Way · off the market5 mg
• Egg White ProteinNOW Sports · off the marketno amount
• Egg White ProteinBulkSupplements.comno amount
• Egg White Protein ChocolateMRM · off the market0.075 mg
• Egg White Protein Chocolate FlavoredMRM Nutrition0.4 mg
• Egg White Protein Creamy ChocolateNOW Sports1 mg
• Egg White Protein Creamy VanillaNOW Sports · off the marketno amount
• Egg White Protein French VanillaMRM · off the market0.072 mg
• Egg White Protein Isolate Chocolate Milk FlavorBlonyx1 mg
• Egg White Protein Powder 30 gBulkSupplements.comno amount
• Egg White Protein Vanilla FlavorMRM Nutritionno amount
• Egg White Protein Vanilla FlavoredMRM Nutrition0.0004 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
• Eggwhite ProteinNOW Sports · off the marketin a blend
• Eggwhite Protein Rich ChocolateNOW Sports · off the marketin a blend
• Eggwhite Protein Vanilla CremeNOW Sports · off the marketin a blend
• EinsteinLove Me · off the market1 mg
• EinsteinLove Me Nutrition1 mg
• Electro-Vita-MinTrace Minerals Research · off the market20 mg
• Electro-Vita-Min Daily 5Trace Minerals Research9 mg
• Electrolyte PowderDr. Berg0.3 mg
• Electrolyte Powder Cucumber & Lime FlavorDr. Berg0.3 mg
• Electrolyte Powder Grape FlavorDr. Berg0.3 mg
• Electrolyte Powder LemonadeDr. Berg0.3 mg
• Electrolyte Powder Orange FlavorDr. Berg0.3 mg
• Electrolyte Powder Variety PackDr. Berg0.3 mg
• Electrolyte StaminaTrace Minerals Research5 mg
• Electrolyte StaminaTrace Minerals TM Sport5 mg
• Electrolytes++ Hydrate UnflavoredMuscle Feastin a blend
• Elemental Select VanillaMoss Nutrition · off the market0.5 mg
• EleutheroSolgar0.4 mg
• Eleuthero 520 mgSolgar0.4 mg
• Elevation Chocolate CoconutArms Race Nutrition1.6 mg
• Elevation Chocolate Ice CreamArms Race Nutrition2.13 mg
• Elevation French VanillaArms Race Nutrition1.25 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