The M\ossbauer cross section for ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{57}$ nuclei in metallic iron has been measured by determining the M\ossbauer absorption as a function of absorber thickness. The method used is independent of the recoilless fraction and the line width of the source. The effects of instrumental resolution and background radiation in the detector are also minimized. The measured cross section is in agreement with the value calculated from measured nuclear quantities and the Debye temperature of iron.