Ferritin optimal range and reference range

Compiled by Alina Radu, founder of Sera, from the published sources below · Last reviewed November 9, 2026

Sera's bands for Ferritin, which differ for men and women:

Female: Optimal 50 – 150 ng/mL (50 – 150 μg/L); sufficient 30 – 200 ng/mL (30 – 200 μg/L); out of range below 30 or above 200 ng/mL.
Male: Optimal 50 – 150 ng/mL (50 – 150 μg/L); sufficient 30 – 300 ng/mL (30 – 300 μg/L); out of range below 30 or above 300 ng/mL.

Evidence grade: Established clinical threshold. A band edge that corresponds to a recognised diagnostic, risk or treatment threshold from a major clinical guideline or public-health body.

All units

Unit	Applies to	Optimal	Sufficient	Out of range
ng/mL	Female	50 – 150	30 – 200	below 30 or above 200
ng/mL	Male	50 – 150	30 – 300	below 30 or above 300
μg/L	Female	50 – 150	30 – 200	below 30 or above 200
μg/L	Male	50 – 150	30 – 300	below 30 or above 300
pmol/L	Female	112 – 337	67 – 450	below 67 or above 450
pmol/L	Male	112 – 337	67 – 674	below 67 or above 674

What the evidence says

Ferritin is an acute-phase protein: inflammation raises it independently of iron stores, so a normal-looking ferritin can mask deficiency. Read alongside transferrin saturation and an inflammatory marker. The acceptable band starts at 30 ng/mL, where the American Society of Hematology (2026) diagnoses iron deficiency in adults; the WHO threshold of 15 is lower and more specific. The optimal band starts at 50, the ASH threshold for higher-risk groups such as people with heavy menstrual bleeding. With inflammation, ASH considers iron deficiency possible up to 100 ng/mL. The acceptable band ends where European liver guidelines prompt a check for iron overload when transferrin saturation is also raised: above 200 in women and above 300 in men. The optimal ceiling of 150 is a functional target with no outcome evidence behind it.

Sources

ASH Sets New Standards for Diagnosing Iron Deficiency — American Society of Hematology, 2026 · Professional societyASH's 2026 guideline diagnoses iron deficiency at a ferritin of 30 ng/mL or lower in adults, and 50 ng/mL or lower in higher-risk groups such as people with heavy menstrual bleeding. With inflammation, ferritin under 100 ng/mL or transferrin saturation under 20% may indicate deficiency. Matches Sera's sufficient floor of 30 and optimal floor of 50.
American Society of Hematology 2026 guidelines for diagnosis of iron deficiency — Powers JM, Lim MY, Achebe MO, et al. — Blood Advances, 2026 · Clinical guidelineThe guideline itself, open access. Suggests a ferritin threshold of 30 ng/mL or lower to diagnose iron deficiency in adults, including menstruating people; 50 ng/mL or lower for people with symptoms or ongoing risk factors such as heavy menstrual bleeding; and, in adults with anaemia of inflammation, a ferritin under 100 ng/mL or transferrin saturation under 20%. These are the edges Sera's ferritin bands follow.
British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines for the management of iron deficiency anaemia in adults — Snook J, Bhala N, Beales ILP, et al. — Gut, 2021 · Clinical guidelineFerritin below 15 µg/L indicates absent iron stores and below 30 µg/L generally indicates low stores; a 45 µg/L cut-off is suggested as the best trade-off, and a value above 150 µg/L is unlikely with absolute iron deficiency. Supports the sufficient floor of 30.
EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on haemochromatosis — European Association for the Study of the Liver — Journal of Hepatology, 2022 · Clinical guidelineTesting for haemochromatosis is prompted by ferritin above 200 µg/L with transferrin saturation above 45% in females, and ferritin above 300 µg/L with saturation above 50% in males and postmenopausal women. Supports a ceiling of 200 for women and 300 for men.
Ferritin blood test — MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2026 · Government / public-health guidanceNormal ferritin range is 30 to 400 ng/mL in males and 13 to 150 ng/mL in females. Shows that laboratory intervals are sex-specific and that the male interval extends well above 200.
WHO Guideline on Use of Ferritin Concentrations to Assess Iron Status — World Health Organization, 2020 · Government / public-health guidanceIron deficiency in adults below 15 µg/L, and that inflammation raises ferritin independently of iron stores. Sera's higher floor is a practitioner target, not a WHO figure.

What Ferritin measures

The protein that stores iron and shows how much iron your body has in reserve.

Low ferritin slows energy production and oxygen transport, causing fatigue, hair loss, and poor exercise tolerance.

Related blood cell health markers

See Ferritin in the full list of biomarker ranges

This page is a reference for practitioners, not medical advice. Sera's bands are practitioner targets for structured review, not diagnostic thresholds, and Sera does not diagnose or recommend treatment. Read a result alongside the interval printed by the issuing laboratory and the client's history and symptoms. Range set: Sera Production, version 1.0, last reviewed November 9, 2026.