Calculate your daily iron target
The recommended intake for your age and sex.
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Why the target differs by sex
Iron is lost through menstrual blood, so the recommended intake for women under 51 is more than double the figure for men, before dropping to match it after menopause. Pregnancy raises it again, well beyond what this calculator accounts for.
Iron carries oxygen in the blood; running low on it is what causes iron-deficiency anaemia, one of the most common nutrient shortfalls worldwide.
Getting enough
Red meat, poultry and fish carry the form of iron the body absorbs most easily; beans, lentils and leafy greens carry a form absorbed less efficiently, though pairing it with vitamin C improves that.
This figure is a general recommendation, not a diagnosis. Persistent tiredness is worth a blood test rather than guesswork, since both too little and too much iron cause real problems.
