Reference Ranges

Table of Contents

Below is a selection of reference ranges for various haematological and biochemical investigations. Always consult with your local laboratory, as ranges often differ between labs. This page is intended for educational purposes only and should never be used for clinical decision making.

Full blood count¹

Haemoglobin:

♂ 130–180 g/L
♀ 115–165 g/L

White cell count (WCC):

Total – 3.6–11.0 × 10⁹/L
Neutrophils – 1.8–7.5 × 10⁹/L
Lymphocytes – 1.0–4.0 × 10⁹/L
Monocytes – 0.2–0.8 × 10⁹/L
Eosinophils – 0.1–0.4 × 10⁹/L
Basophils – 0.02–0.10 × 10⁹/L

Platelet count – 140–400 × 10⁹/L

Red cell count (RCC):

♂ 4.5–6.5 × 10¹²/L
♀ 3.8–5.8 × 10¹²/L

Haematocrit:

♂ 0.4–0.54L/L
♀ 0.37–0.47L/L

Mean cell volume (MCV) – 80–100 fL

Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) – 27-32 (pg)/cell

Reticulocyte count – 0.2 – 2%

Coagulation¹

Prothrombin time (PT) – 10–14 seconds

Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) – 24–37 seconds

Fibrinogen – 1.50 – 4.50 g/L

Haematinics¹

Ferritin:

♂ 25–350 ng/mL
♀ 10-300 ng/mL

Vitamin B12 – 180-1000 pg/mL

Folate – >4.0 ng/mL

Biochemistry ¹

Na+ – 133–146 mmol/L

K+ – 3.5–5.3 mmol/L

Ca²⁺(adjusted) – 2.2-2.6 mmol/L

Mg²⁺ – 0.7–1.0 mmol/L

Urea – 2.5 – 7.8 mmol/L

Creatinine :

♂ 59–104 μmol/L
♀ 45–84 μmol/ L

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) – 30–130 U/L

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT):

♂ <41 U/L
♀<33 U/L

Bilirubin – <21 μmol/L

GGT:

♂ <60 U/L
♀<40 U/L

Albumin – 35–50 g/L

Creatine kinase (CK):

♂ 40–320 U/L
♀ 25–200 U/L

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) – 240–480 U/L

Lactate (plasma) – 0.5 – 2.2 mmol/L

Urate:
♂ 200–430 μmol/L
♀ 140–360 μmol/L

Amylase – 28–100 U/dL

Lipids

Cholesterol – < 5 mmol/L

Triglyceride – 0.55–1.90 mmol/L

LDL – < 3mmol/L

HDL – > 1 mmol/L

Cholesterol/HDL – < 4

Inflammatory markers

ESR

Male ♂:
- ≤49 years old = 1-7
- ≥50 years old = 2-10
Female ♀:
- ≤49 years old = 3-9
- ≥50 years old = 5-15

CRP – < 5mg/L

Endocrinology values

TSH – 0.4–4.0 mU/L²

Free T4 – 9 – 24 pmol/L

Free T3 – 3.5 – 7.8 pmol/L

Growth hormone (random):

♂< 5 ng/mL
♀< 10 ng/mL

Cortisol (random) – 137 – 429 nmol/L

Testosterone:

Male <50:
- 10-45 nmol/L
Male >50:
- 6.2-26 nmol/L

Blood glucose ³

Fasting blood glucose – 4.0 to 6.0 mmol/L

Postprandial (2 hours after eating) – up to 7.8 mmol/L

HbA1c – < 42 mmol/mol (6.0%)

Arterial blood gas

pH – 7.35 – 7.45

pO2 – 11 – 13 kPa (82.5 – 97.5 mmHg)

pCO2 – 4.7 – 6.0 kPa (35.2 – 45 mmHg)

HCO3 – 22 – 26 mmol/L

Base Excess – (-2 to +2 mmol/L)

References

1. East Sussex Healthcare Laboratory.

2. British Thyroid Foundation. Thyroid function tests. Available from: [LINK]

3. Diabetes UK. Blood sugar level ranges. Available from: [LINK]