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[Ramaraunt]

Is it possible for a map to have no iron? Did I do something to cause this? Could it have something to do with me disabling aquifers, or having high mineral density?

[Mishrak]

It's definitely possible to have a map with no iron.  Typically it's in the sedimentary layers of the soil.  Pretty close to the surface.  Usually you'll hit hematite or magnentite within the first 5-10 layers if you're gonna get it on your map.  Occasionally you can hit hematite in deeper layers but it's uncommon.

[Iamblichos]

If you set minerals to scarce it's more common than actually having iron.  Mine the goblins for goblinite.

[Dirst]

Is it possible for a map to have no iron? Did I do something to cause this? Could it have something to do with me disabling aquifers, or having high mineral density?

It is entirely possible for an embark site to have no iron in it, though note that it isn't called "iron" when it's in the ground.  You're looking for veins of Hematite, Limonite and Magnetite, which are the ores of iron.

If you are using DFHack, you can use the "prospect all" command to get a read-out of every material type in the embark site.  That command even works pre-embark to check out potential sites (though the values pre-embark are approximate).

[wierd]

Or place iron bars/ores on high priority for import from humans and dwarves. Be sure to put only those two things high.

Be prepared to give huge numbers of bulk garbage exports in trade.

[Meneth]

You can also make items with high melt-efficiency, like leggings or axe blades, to multiply the bars you already have and train up your blacksmiths.

[Kreydurst]

If you set minerals to scarce it's more common than actually having iron.  Mine the goblins for goblinite.

I prefer mining Elfenite or Humanite. But this man has the proper idea.

[Loud Whispers]

If you set minerals to scarce it's more common than actually having iron.  Mine the goblins for goblinite.

I prefer mining Elfenite or Humanite. But this man has the proper idea.

Elfenite is just cloth bins, cloth clothes and sticks though. How do you mine them?

[Tawa]

If you set minerals to scarce it's more common than actually having iron.  Mine the goblins for goblinite.

I prefer mining Elfenite or Humanite. But this man has the proper idea.

Elfenite is just cloth bins, cloth clothes and sticks though. How do you mine them?

[pun]With a less selective axe.[/pun]

[Yaur]

Could it have something to do with me disabling aquifers, or having high mineral density

Heh, I almost made a post about this yesterday since I just worked it out myself.  In short the answer is yes.

Iron is mainly found in sedimentary layers, which will either have iron, gold, or less commonly iron and gold. Igneous extrusive layers on the other hand are likely to have multiple metals. So if you are using the site finder to find sites with multiple shallow metals you are selecting for sites without a sedimentary layer and without iron.

Aquifers are also a signaling mechanism, since they can occur in soil or sedimentary layers but not in igneous extrusive layers.  So if you are searching for sites without an aquifer you are biasing the results against sites with iron. I doubt that disabling would have an effect one way or the other beyond your ability to use it as a discriminator, but these days I try to embark on a site with an aquifer because they aren't that hard to deal with, often come with iron and/or coal, and are a net positive once you learn how to deal with them.

You can also just use dfhack/prospect to check pre-embark depending on how you feel about that.

[Kreydurst]

If you set minerals to scarce it's more common than actually having iron.  Mine the goblins for goblinite.

I prefer mining Elfenite or Humanite. But this man has the proper idea.

Elfenite is just cloth bins, cloth clothes and sticks though. How do you mine them?

Usually they have one or two swords in their raiding party of 20. More fun and danger for less reward.

[MDFification]

If you set minerals to scarce it's more common than actually having iron.  Mine the goblins for goblinite.

I prefer mining Elfenite or Humanite. But this man has the proper idea.

Elfenite is just cloth bins, cloth clothes and sticks though. How do you mine them?

Usually they have one or two swords in their raiding party of 20. More fun and danger for less reward.

Hate to burst your bubble, but all elf gear is made of wood. Useless, useless wood. I smash the lot of it.
A good idea is to buy every item made of metal from dwarven caravans, and request a lot of metal goods, then melt it. You can end up getting a lot of metal crafts, trap components, anvils, armor and weapons brought in. Once it's all bought, melt the lot; you can easily generate almost a hundred bars in a single caravan if you're prepared to exchange enough value.

[FallenAngel]

As others have said, having no iron is very possible, especially if you set minerals to scarce or less during generation.
Of course, Frequent or Everywhere will at least give you a good chance of something you can use, even if it's the softy copper.
Everywhere seems to give every metal, so if you want at least the illusion of a challenge, go with Frequent for a good chance of iron.