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

• Good 'N Greens PowderGood 'N Natural · off the market3 mg
• Good 'N Greens Powder With Advanced ProbioticsGood 'N Natural · off the market3 mg
• Good as Gold.Ora1 mg
• Gorilla Mode Premium Protein Chocolate Peanut ButterGorilla Mind2 mg
• Gorilla Mode Premium Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter FlavorGorilla Mind · off the marketno amount
• Gorilla Mode Premium Protein Cookies & CreamGorilla Mindno amount
• Gorilla Mode Premium Protein Strawberry BananaGorilla Mindno amount
• Gorilla Mode Premium Protein Vanilla Ice CreamGorilla Mindno amount
• Gorilla Mode Premium Protein Vanilla Ice Cream FlavorGorilla Mind · off the marketno amount
• Gorilla Mode Protein 24 g Milk Chocolate FlavorGorilla Mindno amount
• Gotu KolaSolgar1 mg
• Gotu Kola PowderBIOVEA Natural Foodsin a blend
• Gourmet Pro Chocolate CaramelMM Sports Nutrition4.5 mg
• Gourmet Pro Chocolate Fudge BrownieMM Sports Nutrition4.5 mg
• Gourmet Pro Vanilla Caramel SwirlMM Sports Nutrition4.5 mg
• Gourmet VanillaDymatize Nutrition · off the market2 mg
• Grape Colloidal MineralsBuried Treasure Liquid Nutrients3.8 mg
• Grass Fed Beef Organ ComplexDr. Mercola4.1 mg
• Grass Fed Collagen Greens Beauty Apple FlavorGarden of Life1.8 mg
• Grass Fed Hormone Free Whey ChocolateDr. Venessa's Formulas0.7 mg
• Grass Fed Hormone Free Whey NaturalDr. Venessa's Formulas0.4 mg
• Grass Fed Hormone Free Whey VanillaDr. Venessa's Formulas0.4 mg
• Grass Fed Non-Dairy Collagen CreamerPeak Performance · off the market2 mg
• Grass-Fed 100% Whey Protein Deluxe VanillaMuscleTech0.2 mg
• Grass-Fed LiverAncient Nutrition6 mg
• Grass-Fed Pure Whey Protein Chocolate Milkshake FlavorPrimeGENIX0.67 mg
• Grass-Fed Whey Isolate Protein Mexican Chocolate FlavorOnnit1 mg
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein ChocolateEat The Bear ETB · off the marketin a blend
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Concentrate 25 g Milk ChocolateNutricost1 mg
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Concentrate 25 g VanillaNutricostno amount
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Concentrate Creamy VanillaNOW Sportsno amount
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Concentrate Dutch ChocolateNOW Sports · off the market1 mg
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Concentrate Natural UnflavoredNOW Sports0.2 mg
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Creamy ChocolateNOW Sports1 mg
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate 30 g Milk ChocolateNutricost1 mg
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate 30 g UnflavoredNutricostno amount
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate 30 g VanillaNutricostno amount
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate ChocolateOpportuniteas · off the market1 mg
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate UnflavoredFortifeye1 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder French Vanilla Wafer SundaeNatreve · off the marketno amount
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder Fudge BrownieNatreve · off the market1 mg
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein StrawberryAN Amazing Nutrition Amazing Formulasin a blend
• Grass-Fed Whey Protein VanillaEat The Bear ETB · off the marketin a blend
• Grass-Fed, Certified rBGH-Free Whey Protein Powder ChocolateSwanson Ultra · off the market0.8 mg
• Grass-Fed, Certified rBGH-Free Whey Protein Powder StrawberrySwanson Ultra · off the market0.2 mg
• Grass-Fed, Certified rBGH-Free Whey Protein Powder VanillaSwanson Ultra · off the market1.8 mg
• Great Plains Bentonite DetoxYerba Prima2 mg
• Greater-GreensViva Vitamins0.5 mg
• Green 85Chemical Free Body2.2 mg
• Green and RedNatures Plus Source of Life · off the market4.5 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