🩸 Iron Intake Calculator
Estimate your recommended daily iron intake based on your age, sex, and life stage.
Why iron matters
Iron is essential for making hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. Needs vary considerably by age, sex, and life stage, largely because of menstrual blood loss and the demands of pregnancy.
How this calculator works
The calculator looks up the standard Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron based on your age, sex, and life stage, using published dietary reference values. Menstruating women generally need more iron (18 mg/day) than men of the same age (8 mg/day), and needs rise sharply during pregnancy (27 mg/day) to support increased blood volume and fetal development.
If you enter your typical daily iron intake from food and supplements, the calculator compares it to your target so you can see whether your diet is meeting recommended levels.
This tool is for general educational and dietary planning purposes only. Iron deficiency and iron overload both carry health risks, so anyone concerned about their iron status should get tested and advised by a healthcare professional rather than relying on a general calculator.