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Iron, with the chemical symbol Fe and atomic number 26, is a metallic element in the first transition series. The name derives from the Latin ferrum. Iron is one of the most abundant elements in Earth's crust and forms a large portion of the planet's core as part of an iron–nickel alloy. It is valued for its strength, density, and magnetic properties.

Iron is a metal at room temperature with a density of about 7.87 g/cm3 and a melting point of 1,538 degrees Celsius. It exists in several allotropes, including body-centered cubic alpha iron at ambient conditions and a face-centered cubic form at higher temperatures. It is ferromagnetic below the Curie temperature of about 770 °C and corrodes in moist air to form iron oxides.

Iron is mainly obtained from ores such as hematite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4). In traditional steelmaking, iron ore is reduced with coke in a blast furnace to produce pig iron, which is then refined to steel by removing excess carbon and other impurities. Steel alloys may include chromium, nickel, vanadium, and other elements to impart specific properties; stainless steels include chromium.

Iron has widespread industrial uses in construction, transportation, machinery, and consumer goods. In biology, iron is an essential nutrient, a central component of hemoglobin and myoglobin that transports and stores oxygen in living organisms. Human iron requirements are met through diet, and chronic deficiency can cause anemia. The metal's importance has shaped technological development since ancient times.