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Normal Iron Levels for Women and Men, Plus How to Increase Naturally

By Ethan Boldt

March 25, 2025

Iron is a mineral that’s critical for your blood health, as it helps oxygen move throughout the body via your hemoglobin (part of your red blood cells). Iron also assists your immune system function, helps maintain energy levels and can boost exercise performance.

For women, iron is especially important during menstruation, particularly those with heavy periods. Pregnant women also need iron in order to support baby development. For men, it’s also important for fertility.

That being said, according to the World Health Organization, it’s estimated that 30 percent or more of the world’s total population might need an iron boost. Premenopausal women, in particular, need to watch their iron levels, as demand for iron naturally increases during menstruation due to blood loss.

In addition, low iron levels can point to iron-deficiency anemia, a condition that is more common among women than men. Anemia occurs when you don’t have enough iron in your body to produce a healthy amount of red blood cells, which means your body cannot carry enough oxygen throughout your body.

Let’s learn more about iron as a potential nutrient shortfall, how much iron women and men need, what normal iron levels look like, and then how to increase your iron levels through diet or dietary supplementation.

As always, you should consult your healthcare professional prior to beginning any new dietary or lifestyle regimen.

Is iron a common nutrient shortfall?

As shown above, coming up short on iron is fairly common worldwide, especially among women. According to the World Health Organization, an iron shortfall is common in industrialized and developing countries alike.

An iron shortfall among women is more common than men because of menstruation, pregnancy and uterine fibroids. Girls and women of menstruation age (roughly age 14 to 50) generally need more iron than boys and men of the same age. Men who are more iron deficient tend to be vegetarian, may donate blood more often and perhaps need more digestive support.

Signs you may not be getting enough iron? Less energy, pale skin, hair loss, headaches, brittle nails and shortness of breath.

The best test for normal iron levels is when a healthcare professional uses a serum iron blood test.

How much iron do women need per day?

The amount of iron needed by women varies quite a bit depending on age and other factors.

According to National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for iron is:

• 18 mg per day for women ages 19–50

• 27 mg per day for pregnant women

• 9 mg per day for breastfeeding women over age 18

• 8 mg per day for women ages 51 and older

On average, a woman needs 18 mg of iron a day to maintain normal iron levels. This amount is different for men because they tend to store more iron in their bodies than women.

How much iron do men need per day?

Men tend to store more iron in their bodies than women, so men generally require less iron per day.

According to NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for iron is:

• 11 mg for teenage boys

• 8 mg for men ages 19 and older

Normal iron levels for women

There are several different ways to measure your iron levels:

• Serum iron blood test: Measures how much iron you have circulating in the blood.

• Hemoglobin: This is part of a Complete Blood Count (CBC), and it measures the amount of hemoglobin in the blood.

• Hematocrit: Also part of a CBC, this represents the percentage of your blood volume made up by red blood cells.

• Ferritin test: Ferritin is a protein that helps store iron in your body, and this test measures how much iron is stored in the body, primarily in the liver.

• TIBC (Total Iron-Binding Capacity) test: This test measures how successfully iron attaches to transferrin and other proteins in the blood.

• Transferrin saturation: This represents a calculation to determine the percentage of your transferrin that is saturated with iron.

Normal iron levels for women are as follows in these blood tests:

• Total serum iron: 60 to 140 micrograms per deciliter of blood (mcg/dL)

• Hemoglobin: 11.6 to 15 grams of hemoglobin per deciliter of blood (g/dL)

• Hematocrit: 35.5 to 44.9 percent

• Ferritin: 13 to 150 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL)

• TIBC: 250 to 450 mcg/dL

• Transferrin saturation: 20 percent to 50 percent

Note that iron levels can vary over time based on your overall health.

Normal iron levels for men

Among these different blood tests, here’s what are considered normal iron levels for men:

• Total serum iron: 75 to 150 mcg/dL

• Hemoglobin: 13.2 to 16.6 g/dL

• Hematocrit: 38.3 to 48.6 percent

• Ferritin: 30 to 400 ng/mL

• TIBC: 250 to 450 mcg/dL

• Transferrin saturation: 20 percent to 50 percent

How to increase iron levels through diet or dietary supplementation

If you seek to raise your iron levels, the two most common natural ways are through food and supplementation. Often it can mean simply eating more iron-rich foods and then taking a multivitamin that includes iron, or perhaps even an iron supplement.

1. Eat more foods rich in iron

The best way to make sure you’re not lacking in this key nutrient is to eat adequate amounts of iron-rich foods.

Here are the top iron-rich foods:

• One cup of cooked spinach contains 6.4 milligrams of iron (36% Daily Value)

• Four ounces of beef liver contains 5.5 milligrams of iron (31% DV)

• One ounce of 70–85 percent cacao dark chocolate contains 3.4 milligrams of iron (19% DV)

• One half-cup of cooked lentils contains 3.3 milligrams of iron (18% DV)

• One 3.75 ounce can of Atlantic sardines contains 2.7 milligrams of iron (15% DV)

• One half-cup of canned black beans contains 2.3 milligrams of iron (13% DV)

• One ounce of roasted pumpkin seeds contains 2.3 milligrams of iron (13% DV)

• A 3.5 ounce of ground beef contains 2.1 milligrams of iron (12% DV)

2. Pair iron-rich foods with vitamin C foods

When you pair food rich in iron with foods high in vitamin C, you help your body’s ability to absorb iron, even from supplements.

Possible iron–vitamin C combination include:

• Spinach and roasted pumpkin seeds with sweet red pepper in a salad

• Ground beef cooked with Brussels sprouts

• Dark chocolate with fruits high in vitamin C, like kiwi, orange or strawberries

• Cooked lentils or black beans with green bell peppers

3. Take a multivitamin

Some multivitamins contain the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of iron, but they typically are the ones geared towards premenopausal women. Check each label to make sure. Ancient Multivitamin Women's contains 18 mg (100% Daily Value or DV) while Ancient Multivitamin Women's 40+ contains 6 mg (33% DV).

Men’s multivitamins, however, tend to be lower in iron. Ancient Multivitamin Men's and Ancient Multivitamin Men’s 40+ contain just 3 mg (17% DV).

4. Consider an iron supplement

Lastly, an iron supplement can fill this common gap in the modern diet. Ancient Nutrients Iron is formulated with real food ingredients and optimized for absorption, as it includes organic, fermented vitamin C. It contains 18 mg (100% DV*) of enzyme-activated iron.

This supplement supports more restful sleep, cardiovascular and blood health, cognitive health as well as healthy fertility and prenatal and postpartum health. It can also reduce fatigue.

Ideally, take an iron supplement separate from other single nutrient supplements, such as calcium or magnesium.