Total iron-binding capacity

(TIBC); a medical laboratory test of the blood, determining its capacity to bind iron

Description
TIBC is performed by drawing blood and measuring the amount of iron that it can bind. Transferrin is by far the most abundant and significant iron carrier in the blood, so that TIBC indirectly and cheaply measures transferrin levels. The difference between the TIBC and the actual serum level gives the unsaturated iron-binding capacity.