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

• Iron 25 mgAN Amazing Nutrition Amazing Formulas25 mg
• Iron 25 mgSource Naturals25 mg
• Iron 25 mg as Amino Acid Chelate & GluconateMartin Avenue Pharmacy25 mg
• Iron 25 mg with Vitamin CNATURELO Premium Supplements · off the market25 mg
• Iron 27 mgMeijer27 mg
• Iron 27 mg21st Century27 mg
• Iron 27 mgGeri-Care27 mg
• Iron 28MaritzMayer Laboratories · off the market28 mg
• Iron 28 mgVitamin Supply For Life · off the market28 mg
• Iron 28 mgNature's Bounty28 mg
• Iron 28 mgThe Vitamin Shoppe28 mg
• Iron 28 mg (246 mg Of Ferrous Gluconate)Nature's Bounty · off the market28 mg
• Iron 28 mg Ferrous SulfateNature's Bounty28 mg
• Iron 29 mgFreeda29 mg
• Iron 30 + Vitamin CCelebrate30 mg
• Iron 30 + Vitamin C GrapeCelebrate30 mg
• Iron 30 PPMNutriNochein a blend
• Iron 30 ppmOrgana Crystalline Nano0.9 mg
• Iron 36 mgNOW · off the market36 mg
• Iron 40 mgNature's Plus · off the market40 mg
• Iron 40 mgNaturesPlus40 mg
• Iron 45 + Vitamin CCelebrate45 mg
• Iron 45 + Vitamin C Cherry BurstCelebrate45 mg
• Iron 45 + Vitamin C GrapeCelebrate45 mg
• Iron 5 mg Bio-Max SeriesKirkman5 mg
• Iron 50 mgNovaFerrum50 mg
• Iron 50 mgSolaray50 mg
• Iron 60 + Vitamin CCelebrate60 mg
• Iron 60 + Vitamin C BerryCelebrate60 mg
• Iron 60 + Vitamin C Twisted CitrusCelebrate60 mg
• Iron 65 mgVitamin World65 mg
• Iron 65 mgSundown Naturalist65 mg
• Iron 65 mgRexall65 mg
• Iron 65 mgH-E-B65 mg
• Iron 65 mgNature's Bounty65 mg
• Iron 65 mgSundown Naturals · off the market65 mg
• Iron 65 mgBasic Vitamins65 mg
• Iron 65 mgAN Amazing Nutrition Amazing Formulas65 mg
• Iron 65 mgNutricost65 mg
• Iron 65 mgMeijer65 mg
• Iron 65 mgNature Made65 mg
• Iron 65 mg21st Century65 mg
• Iron 65 mgBest Naturals65 mg
• Iron 65 mgNutricost Women65 mg
• Iron 65 mgNature's Truth · off the market65 mg
• Iron 65 mgup&up65 mg
• Iron 65 mgPuritan's Pride65 mg
• Iron 65 mgSpring Valley65 mg
• Iron 65 mg (325 mg Ferrous Sulfate)Nature Made65 mg
• Iron Adult Chewables Orange FlavoredNovaFerrum36 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