Calculate TSAT, UIBC, and TIBC from transferrin and serum iron, then review the iron-panel pattern alongside ferritin and CRP context.
Transferrin is the main iron-transport protein in the blood. Together with serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), ferritin, and sometimes CRP, it helps show whether the iron panel looks more like iron deficiency, inflammatory iron restriction, overload, or a mixed picture.
This calculator computes transferrin saturation, unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC), and the transferrin/TIBC conversion, then places those values next to ferritin and CRP context. It also includes a Ganzoni deficit estimate as a rough replacement-planning tool when iron deficiency has already been established.
The page is meant as an iron-panel interpretation aid. It should not be treated as a stand-alone diagnosis or an infusion order set, especially when inflammation, kidney disease, chronic illness, blood loss, or recent iron therapy may distort the usual patterns.
This calculator puts the core iron studies in one place so transferrin, TIBC, TSAT, UIBC, ferritin, and inflammation-adjusted ferritin can be interpreted together. It also helps distinguish iron deficiency from inflammatory iron restriction and gives a practical way to estimate replacement needs when deficiency is confirmed.
TSAT (%) = (Serum Iron / TIBC) × 100. TIBC ≈ Transferrin × 1.41 µg/dL. UIBC = TIBC − Serum Iron. Ganzoni Iron Deficit (mg) = Weight(kg) × (Target Hb − Actual Hb)(g/dL) × 2.4 + 500.
Result: TIBC 564, TSAT 5.3%, Pattern: Iron Deficiency Anemia
Markedly low TSAT (5.3%), very low ferritin (8 ng/mL), and elevated TIBC (564 µg/dL from high transferrin) create the classic IDA pattern: high transferrin production compensating for iron deficiency, with depleted stores confirmed by low ferritin and low serum iron.
Low TSAT with high TIBC and low ferritin is the classic iron deficiency pattern, while low iron with low TIBC and normal or elevated ferritin fits inflammation-driven iron restriction. The calculator is most useful when the pattern is read as a whole rather than as isolated numbers.
Ferritin rises with inflammation and transferrin falls, so a patient can look less iron deficient than they really are if the inflammatory state is ignored. That is why CRP-adjusted interpretation matters in chronic disease, infection, and malignancy.
When true deficiency is present, the Ganzoni calculation provides a starting estimate for total iron repletion. It is a dosing aid, not a substitute for the treatment plan, but it helps translate the iron panel into a practical replacement target.
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This page calculates TIBC from transferrin when needed, then computes transferrin saturation and unsaturated iron-binding capacity from the entered iron studies. It places those values next to ferritin and optional CRP context so the overall pattern can be reviewed as possible iron deficiency, inflammatory iron restriction, overload, or a mixed picture. When weight and hemoglobin values are entered, it also shows a Ganzoni iron-deficit estimate as a rough replacement-planning number.
The result is an iron-panel interpretation aid, not a stand-alone diagnosis or an infusion order. Iron studies can be distorted by inflammation, kidney disease, recent iron exposure, and chronic illness, so the output still has to be read with the CBC and the broader clinical picture.
TIBC measures the total capacity of serum to bind iron (µg/dL), while transferrin is the actual protein concentration (mg/dL). They are proportional: TIBC ≈ transferrin × 1.41. TIBC is a functional assay; transferrin is a direct protein measurement. Both provide equivalent clinical information.
Serum iron fluctuates widely with diet, diurnal variation (highest in AM), and meals. TSAT normalizes iron to its carrier capacity, providing a more stable indicator of iron availability. TSAT <16% indicates functional iron deficiency regardless of absolute iron level.
Inflammation increases ferritin (acute-phase reactant, may mask deficiency), decreases transferrin (negative acute-phase reactant), and reduces serum iron via hepcidin-mediated iron sequestration. This creates the ACD pattern: low iron, low TIBC, "normal" or elevated ferritin despite possible true iron deficiency.
Functional iron deficiency means iron is not being delivered effectively to erythropoiesis even if ferritin is not frankly low. It often shows up as low TSAT with ferritin values that are not obviously depleted.
Use it as a rough replacement estimate once iron deficiency has already been confirmed. It is useful for planning discussions, but it is not a stand-alone infusion order.
TSAT >45% warrants investigation for iron overload, and TSAT >60% is highly suggestive of hereditary hemochromatosis (especially with elevated ferritin >300 in men or >200 in women). HFE gene testing should be performed when TSAT is persistently elevated.