Test your Iron and 100+ other biomarkers for $190

Iron

Normal range: 60 – 170 µg/dL (higher is better)

A serum iron test measures how much iron is circulating in your blood, bound to a transport protein called transferrin. Iron is essential for making hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells). Too little iron causes anemia and fatigue. Too much can damage organs over time. Serum iron is best interpreted alongside TIBC and ferritin for the full picture, since it fluctuates throughout the day.

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How much does an Iron test cost?

Iron isn't sold on its own. It comes in an iron panel, about $50. A fuller workup adds Ferritin ($45), Vitamin D ($75), hs-CRP ($69), and ApoB ($50). You can test Iron and 100 other biomarkers for $190 as part of an Empirical membership.

Empirical is FSA/HSA eligible, so you can pay with pre-tax dollars. Fast for 8-12 hours beforehand for the most accurate lipid and metabolic results, and expect results in days rather than weeks.

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Serum iron measures how much iron is circulating in your blood, bound to a transport protein called transferrin. Iron is essential for making hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your red blood cells. Serum iron fluctuates throughout the day, so it is best interpreted alongside TIBC and ferritin for the full picture.

How does Iron change with age?

Iron stays relatively flat across adult ages (correlation with age, r = -0.03). Most of the spread in the chart below comes from differences between people rather than from age.

Iron is stable with age, chart with median and linear trend

What can cause low Iron?

A normal Iron is 60 – 170 µg/dL. Higher is better.

Low serum iron is most commonly caused by iron deficiency from poor dietary intake, blood loss (heavy periods, GI bleeding), or impaired absorption (celiac disease, gastric bypass). Chronic inflammation suppresses iron release from stores, causing low serum iron even when total body iron is adequate.

High serum iron can indicate iron overload from hereditary hemochromatosis, repeated blood transfusions, or excessive supplementation. Iron levels fluctuate throughout the day, so morning fasting samples are most reliable.

Eating iron-rich foods (red meat, poultry, beans, spinach, fortified cereals) helps prevent deficiency. Vitamin C boosts iron absorption, while calcium, tea, and coffee can inhibit it. If you take iron supplements, taking them on an empty stomach with vitamin C improves absorption. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and antacids can reduce iron absorption over time. Women of reproductive age and frequent blood donors should be especially attentive to iron status.

Biomarkers related to Iron

Iron is most highly correlated with Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin and High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein. Here are the top biomarkers correlated with Iron, based on 500,000 tests done by Empirical Health.

1 MCH
+23%
2 hs-CRP
−18%
3 MCV
+18%
4 Creatinine
−13%
5 Total Cholesterol
+11%
6 HbA1c
−10%
7 Albumin
−10%
8 Globulin
−10%
9 Ferritin
+10%
10 Urine pH
+10%

The percentage shows how strongly two biomarkers move together. A higher number means the relationship is stronger. Green = rises and falls together. Orange = one rises as the other falls.

Frequently asked questions about Iron

Where to get an Iron test near you

Iron is drawn at 2,200+ Quest and BioReference patient service centers across the US, so there's usually one within a short drive. Browse the full directory to find the one closest to you.

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Know your Iron. Know your health.

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