Guide to results of laboratory tests
All test have a reference range as a guide for normal results.
However, the range might sometimes vary depending on different factors, including the manufacturer of the test.
Some tests have different ranges for women compared to men. There is limited or no data on the ranges for transgender and non-binary people who are using gender affirming hormones. See: Laboratory tests with gender-specific reference ranges (excluding hormones) PDF (NHS Lothian March 2020) and Laboratory Monitoring in Transgender People (Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Medicine September 2020) [1, 2]
Target ranges can also be adjusted for age in children and adolescents and as we get older. Sometimes the time of day when you take the sample is also important.
Please ask your doctor to explain any results that are either higher or lower than the target range.
The table from 2003 was produced by the late US activist Bob Munk for the New Mexico AIDSInfonet to explain different US vs EU units. It was modified for UK use. Original PDF version.
| Lab test | Normal range (US units) |
Normal range (UK SI units) |
To convert US to SI units |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALT (alanine aminotransferase) | ♀ 7-30 units/L | ♀ 0.12-0.50 µkat/L | × 0.01667 |
| ♂ 10-55 units/L | ♂ 0.17-0.92 µkat/L | ||
| Albumin | 3.1 – 4.3 g/dL | 31 – 43 g/L | × 10 |
| ALP (alkaline phosphatase) | ♀ 30-100 units/L | ♀ 0.5-1.67 µkat/L | × 0.01667 |
| ♂ 45-115 units/L | ♂ 0.75-1.92 µkat/L | ||
| Amylase (serum) | 53-123 units/L | 0.88-2.05 nkat/L | × 0.01667 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) | ♀ 9-25 units/L | ♀ 0.15-0.42 µkat/L | × 0.01667 |
| ♂ 10-40 units/L | ♂0.17-0.67 µkat/L | ||
| Basophils | 0-3% of lymphocytes | 0.0-0.03 fraction of white blood cells | × 0.01 |
| Bilirubin – direct | 0.0-0.4 mg/dL | 0-7 µmol/L | × 17.1 |
| Bilirubin – total | 0.0-1.0 mg/dL | 0-17 µmol/L | |
| C peptide | 0.5-2.0 ng/mL | 0.17-0.66 nmol/L | × 0.33 |
| Calcium, serum | 8.5-10.5 mg/dL | 2.1-2.6 mmol/L | × 0.25 |
| Calcium, urine | 0-300 mg/24hr | 0.0-7.5 mmol/24hr | × 0.025 |
| Cholesterol: total | ×0.02586 | ||
| Desirable | <200 mg/dL | <5.17 mmol/L | |
| Marginal | 200–239 mg/dL | 5.17–6.18 mmol/L | |
| High | >239 mg/dL | >6.18 mmol/L | |
| Cholesterol: LDL (bad) | |||
| Desirable | <100 mg/dL | <2.59 mmol/L | |
| Marginal | 100–159 mg/dL | 2.59–4.14 mmol/L | |
| High | 160–189 mg/dL | 4.14–4.89 mmol/L | |
| Very High | >190 mg/dL | >4.91 mmol/L | |
| Cholesterol: HDL | |||
| Low (heart risk) | <40 | <1.03 | |
| Moderate | 40–60 | 1.03–1.55 | |
| Good (protective) | >60 | >1.55 | |
| Cortisol: serum | 0-25 µg/dL (depends on time of day) | 0-690 nmol/L | × 27.59 |
| Cortisol: free (urine) | 20-70 µg/dL | 55-193 nmol/24hr | × 2.759 |
| Creatine kinase | ♂ 60-400 units/L | ♂ 1.00-6.67 µkat/L | × 0.01667 |
| ♀ 40-150 units/L | ♀ 0.67-2.50 µkat/L | ||
| DHEA | ♂ 180-1250 ng/dL | ♂ 6.24-43.3 nmol/L | × 0.03467 |
| ♀ 130-980 ng/dL | ♀ 4.5-34.0 nmol/L | ||
| DHEA Sulfate | ♂ 10-619 µg/dL | ♂ 100-6190 µg/L | × 10 |
| ♀ Pre-menopause: 12-535 µg/dL |
♀ Pre-menopause: 120-5350 µg/L |
||
| ♀ Post-menopause: 30-260 µg/dL |
♀ Post-menopause: 300-2600 µg/L |
||
| Eosinophils | 0-8% of white blood cells | 0.0-0.8 fraction of white blood cells | × 0.01 |
| Folate | 3.1-17.5 ng/mL | 7.0-39.7 nmol/L | × 2.266 |
| Glucose, urine | <0.05 g/dL | <0.003 mmol/L | × 0.05551 |
| Glucose, plasma | 70-110 mg/dL | 3.9-6.1 mmol/L | |
| Hematocrit | ♂ 37.0% – 49.0% of red blood cells | ♂ 0.37-0.49 fraction of red blood cells | × 0.01 |
| ♀ 36.0% – 46.0% of red blood cells | ♀ 0.36-0.46 fraction of red blood cells | ||
| Hemoglobin | ♂ 13.0-18.0 g/dL | ♂ 8.1-11.2 mmol/L | × 0.6206 |
| ♀ 12.0-16.0 g/dL | ♀ 7.4-9.9 mmol/L | ||
| Lactic acid | 0.5-2.2 mmol/L | 0.5-2.2 mmol/L | No conversion |
| Leukocytes (WBC) | 4.5-11.0×103/mm3 | 4.5-11.0×109/L | × 106 |
| Lymphocytes | 16-46% of white blood cells | 0.16-0.46 fraction of white blood cells | × 0.01 |
| Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) | 25.0-35.0 pg/cell | 25.0-35.0 pg/cell | No conversion |
| Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) | 31.0-37.0 g/dL | 310-370 g/L | × 10 |
| Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) | ♂ 78-100 µm3 | ♂ 78-100 fl | No conversion |
| ♀ 78-102 µm3 | ♀ 78-102 fl | ||
| Monocytes | 4-11% of white blood cells | 0.04-0.11 fraction of white blood cells | × 0.01 |
| Neutrophils | 45-75% of white blood cells | 0.45-0.75 fraction of white blood cells | × 0.01 |
| Potassium | 3.4-5.0 mmol/L | 3.4-5.0 mmol/L | No conversion |
| Sodium | 135-145 mmol/L | 135-145 mmol/L | No conversion |
| Testosterone (Total) morning sample [3] | ♂ 250–836 ng/dL | ♂ 8.7–29.0 nmol/L | × 0.03467 |
| ♀ 6-86 ng/dL | ♀ Age 20–49: 0.29–1.67, Age 50+: 0.1–1.42 |
||
| Testosterone (Free/Unbound) [3] | Age 20–40 ♂ 15.0-40.0, ♀ 0.6-3.1 pg/mL |
Age 20–40 ♂ 520-1387, ♀ 20.8-107.5 pmol/L |
× 34.67 |
| Age 41–60 ♂ 13.0-35.0, ♀ 0.4-2.5 pg/mL |
Age 41–60 ♂ 451-1213, ♀ 13.9-86.7 pmol/L |
||
| Age 61–80 ♂ 12.0-28.0, ♀ 0.2-2.0 pg/mL |
Age 61–80 ♂ 416-971, ♀ 6.9-69.3 pmol/L |
||
| Triglycerides (fasting) | × 0.01129 | ||
| Normal | 40-150 mg/dL | 0.45-1.69 mmol/L | |
| Borderline | 150-200 mg/dL | 1.69 – 2.26 mmol/L | |
| High | 200-500 mg/dL | 2.26 – 5.65 mmol/L | |
| Very High | >500 mg/dL | >5.65 mmol/L | |
| Urea, plasma (BUN) | 8-25 mg/dL | 2.9-8.9 mmol/L | × 0.357 |
| Urinalysis | n/a | ||
| pH | 5.0-9.0 | 5.0-9.0 | |
| Specific gravity | 1.001-1.035 | 1.001-1.035 | |
| WBC (White blood cells, Leukocytes) | 4.5-11.0×103/mm3 | 4.5-11.0×109/L | × 106 |
This online paper also includes normal ranges of other CD counts including CD3, CD19and CD56: journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/cvi.00476-12 (PDF)
Terminology: some units of measurement include the following fractions and multipliers:
| mega (M): 109 or x1,000,000 | milli (m): 10-3 or ÷1,000 |
| kilo (k): 103 or x1,000 | micro (µ): 10-6 or ÷1,000,000 |
| deca or deka: 101 or x10 | nano (n): 10-9 or ÷1,000,000,000 |
| deci (d): 10-1 or ÷10 | pico (p): 10-12 or ÷1,000,000,000,000 |
L: litre.
gram: common measurement of weight. Used in this table: pg (picograms), g (grams), mg (milligrams), etc. per liter
katal (kat): a unit of catalytic activity, used especially in the chemistry of enzymes. Used in this table: µkat (microkatals), nkat (nanokatals) per liter
micrometer (µm): a unit of length. Mean Corpuscular Volume is expressed in cubic micrometers
mole: also gram molecular weight, a quantity based on the atomic weight of the substance. Many test results in the Systéme Internationale are expressed as the number of moles per litre. In US units, these measurements are usually in grams per litre. Used in this table: mmol (millimoles), µmol, (micromoles), nmol (nanomoles), pmol (picomoles) per litre.<
References
- Laboratory tests with gender-specific reference ranges (excluding hormones)
NHS Lothian Laboratories (March 2020).
apps.nhslothian.scot/files/sites/2/Gender-specific-reference-ranges-for-blood-tests-1.pdf - Association for Diagnostics and Laboratory Measurments (ADLM). Laboratory Monitoring in Transgender People: Quality care depends on understanding interactions among hormones and pharmacotherapies. (01 Sep 2020).
www.myadlm.org/cln/articles/2020/september/laboratory-monitoring-in-transgender-people - Smith J. What’s the difference between total and free testosterone? (June 2024)
www.medichecks.com/blogs/testosterone/what-s-the-difference-between-total-and-free-testosterone#what-is-testosterone
Last updated: 6 August 2025.