HDL Cholesterol 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 HDL Cholesterol, which differ for men and women:
- Female: Optimal 60 – 100 mg/dL (1.6 – 2.6 mmol/L); sufficient 50 – 120 mg/dL (1.3 – 3.1 mmol/L); out of range below 50 or above 120 mg/dL.
- Male: Optimal 60 – 100 mg/dL (1.6 – 2.6 mmol/L); sufficient 40 – 120 mg/dL (1 – 3.1 mmol/L); out of range below 40 or above 120 mg/dL.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mg/dL | Female | 60 – 100 | 50 – 120 | below 50 or above 120 |
| mg/dL | Male | 60 – 100 | 40 – 120 | below 40 or above 120 |
| mmol/L | Female | 1.6 – 2.6 | 1.3 – 3.1 | below 1.3 or above 3.1 |
| mmol/L | Male | 1.6 – 2.6 | 1 – 3.1 | below 1 or above 3.1 |
What the evidence says
Low HDL is read by sex: below 40 mg/dL in men and below 50 in women. Where the client's sex is not recorded, the men's figure is used. In mmol/L the women's floor is 1.3, the conversion of 50 mg/dL, where the NHS uses 1.2. The upper edges are not guideline thresholds: they reflect cohort data in which very high HDL was no longer protective.
Sources
- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know — MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, 2026 · Government / public-health guidanceHealthy adult levels: total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL, non-HDL less than 130, LDL less than 100, and HDL of 60 or more as best. HDL is low below 40 mg/dL in men and below 50 in women.
- Cholesterol levels — National Health Service (UK), 2026 · Government / public-health guidanceHealthy adult levels in mmol/L: total cholesterol below 5, non-HDL below 4, and HDL above 1.0 for men or above 1.2 for women.
- Extreme high high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is paradoxically associated with high mortality in men and women: two prospective cohort studies — Madsen CM, Varbo A, Nordestgaard BG — European Heart Journal, 2017 · Peer-reviewed publicationIn two Danish cohorts, all-cause mortality was lowest at an HDL of 73 mg/dL in men and 93 in women, and higher again from 116 mg/dL in men and 135 in women. The reason Sera's HDL bands have an upper edge at all. One population, observational.
What HDL Cholesterol measures
High-density lipoprotein, often called good cholesterol.
Higher HDL helps protect against heart disease.