Iron
The amount of iron circulating in the blood, bound to transferrin.
| Typical reference range (male) | 50–180 ug/dL |
| Typical reference range (female) | 40–190 ug/dL |
Ranges vary by laboratory, method, age and sex: always use the range printed on your own report. Why labs differ.
What it measures
Serum iron measures iron carried by transferrin on its way to the bone marrow and other tissues. It represents a small, rapidly changing fraction of total body iron.
Why it matters
Serum iron alone is a poor measure of iron status because it fluctuates widely; it is used with TIBC to calculate transferrin saturation.
What a high result can mean
High values can occur after iron supplements or iron-rich meals, with hemochromatosis, hemolysis, liver damage, or repeated transfusions.
What a low result can mean
Low values occur with iron deficiency but also with inflammation, infection and chronic disease, where iron is sequestered by the hormone hepcidin.
What affects the result
Iron is highest in the morning and can vary 30% or more day to day. Avoid iron supplements for 24 hours and test fasting in the morning for consistency. Interpret with ferritin and transferrin saturation.
Units and conversion
Usually reported in ug/dL.
- From umol/L: multiply by 5.585 to get ug/dL
Also called on lab reports
Iron, Total, Serum Iron, Iron, Serum, Fe, Iron Total
Related tests: Iron Status
This page is educational and does not replace advice from a healthcare professional.