What Is an Iron Blood Test?

An iron blood test typically refers to an iron panel — multiple tests interpreted together.

Serum Iron

• Iron circulating in blood bound to transferrin
• Normal: 60–170 µg/dL (men), 30–160 µg/dL (women)
• Fluctuates throughout the day — not reliable alone

TIBC

• How much transferrin is available to bind iron
• Normal: 240–450 µg/dL
• High = iron deficiency
• Low = iron overload or inflammation

Transferrin Saturation

• (Serum Iron ÷ TIBC) × 100
• Normal: 20–50%
• Below 20% = iron deficiency
• Above 45% = iron overload (hemochromatosis)

Ferritin

• Stored iron — most reliable single marker
• Normal: 20–500 (men), 20–200 (women) ng/mL

Interpreting Together

• Iron deficiency: low ferritin + high TIBC + low saturation
• Iron overload: high ferritin + low TIBC + high saturation
• Chronic disease anemia: normal/high ferritin + low TIBC + low iron