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To investigate the value of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) for characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and dysplastic nodule (DN).Sixty-eight cirrhotic patients with 89 hepatocellular nodules underwent SWI. The radiological features of hepatocellular nodules on SWI were classified into three types: type A (iso- or hypointensity, and background liver siderosis), type B (hyperintensity, and background liver siderosis), or type C (hyperintensity, and no background liver siderosis). Intranodular and background liver iron content was quantified and correlated with SWI pattern. Prussian blue staining was performed to quantify intranodular and background liver iron content.Type A pattern (n = 12) contained 11 (91.7%) DNs and 1 (8.3%) HCC, Type B pattern (n = 66) comprised 1 (1.5%) DN and 65 (98.5%) HCCs (including 12 DN-HCCs and 53 overt HCCs), and type C pattern (n = 11) was exclusively seen in HCCs. The iron scores of DN-HCCs and overt HCCs were significantly lower than those of background livers [(0.091±0.30) VS (2.18±0.87), P = 0.000; (0.11±0.41) VS (2.16±0.97), P = 0.000; respectively]. There was no significant difference between iron scores of DNs and those of background livers [(1.92±0.29) VS (2.17±039), P = 0.191]. For lesion-based and patient-based analysis of HCCs (DN-HCCs and overt HCCs), type B pattern showed a sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predicative value (PPV), and negative predicative value (NPV) of 84.4% and 84.4%, 91.7% and 75%, 85.4% and 83.8%, 98.5% and 98.2%, 47.8% and 23.1%, respectively.SWI can provide valuable information for characterization of HCC and DN based on endogenous iron reduction during hepatocarcinogenesis.