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Total iron binding capacity (TIBC) is a blood test to see if you have too much or too little iron in the blood. Iron moves through the blood attached to a protein called transferrin. This test helps your doctor know how well that protein can carry iron in the blood.
The Test. Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) is most frequently used along with a serum iron test to evaluate people suspected of having either iron deficiency or iron overload. These two tests are used to calculate the transferrin saturation, a more useful indicator of iron status than just iron or TIBC alone. In healthy people, about 20-40% of available transferrin sites are used to transport iron. In iron deficiency, the iron level is low but the TIBC is increased, thus transferrin saturation becomes very low. In iron overload states, such as hemochromatosis, the iron level will be high and the TIBC will be low or normal, causing the transferrin saturation to increase.