Ferritin test: normal levels, low and high ferritin, and what your result means

Ferritin is your iron savings account. Here's how to read the number, why it can look normal when iron is low, and when a high result needs a closer look.

Updated · Sources

Quick answer

What is a normal ferritin level?

A typical adult ferritin range is about 24 to 336 ng/mL for men and 11 to 307 ng/mL for women, though labs differ. Below 15 ng/mL means your iron stores are used up, and 15 to 30 is often low enough to cause symptoms. Ferritin also rises with inflammation, so doctors read it alongside your haemoglobin and iron tests.

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Range chart

Ferritin levels chart

Serum ferritin in adults. ng/mL and µg/L are the same number. Check the reference range printed on your own report.

ResultFerritin (ng/mL)Applies toWhat it usually means
Very lowBelow 15AdultsIron stores are used up (WHO). Iron deficiency, with or without anaemia.
Low15 to 30AdultsStores running low. Often enough to cause tiredness, hair shedding or restless legs.
Typical range24 to 336MenIron stores look healthy, unless inflammation is raising the number.
Typical range11 to 307WomenMany women sit at the lower end, especially with heavy periods or in pregnancy.
HighAbove 300 (men), above 200 (women)AdultsUsually inflammation, fatty liver or alcohol; sometimes iron overload. Needs a look.

Labs use slightly different ranges. Children run lower. When there's inflammation or infection, WHO treats a ferritin below 70 µg/L as possible iron deficiency, because inflammation pushes ferritin up.

Ferritin and the rest of the iron panel

Ferritin is usually read together with these tests. Typical adult ranges; your lab's will differ slightly.

TestWhat it showsTypical adult range
Haemoglobin (Hb)Whether you're anaemicMen 13 g/dL or more, women 12 or more (WHO)
Serum ironIron in your blood right now; changes through the day60 to 170 µg/dL
TIBC / transferrinHow much room there is to carry iron; rises when iron is low240 to 450 µg/dL
Transferrin saturationHow full the iron carriers are20% to 50%
CRPInflammation, which raises ferritinBelow 5 mg/L

Low ferritin with low transferrin saturation points to iron deficiency. High ferritin with transferrin saturation above 45% points to possible iron overload.

What is ferritin?

Ferritin is a protein that stores iron inside your cells, mostly in the liver, spleen and bone marrow. A small amount leaks into the blood, and that's what the test measures. The more ferritin there is, the more iron you have in storage.

Iron itself is what your body uses to make haemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen. When you don't take in enough iron or lose more than you take in, the body draws on its stores first. Ferritin falls long before haemoglobin does, which is why it's the earliest sign of running low.

So ferritin isn't the same as iron. Think of serum iron as the cash in your wallet and ferritin as your savings account.

What does low ferritin mean?

Low ferritin almost always means iron deficiency: your stores are running down or empty. It's very common, especially in:

  • women with heavy or long periods, and during pregnancy
  • people who eat little or no meat, fish or iron-fortified foods
  • regular blood donors and endurance athletes
  • children and teenagers growing fast
  • people with coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or after weight-loss surgery, where iron isn't absorbed well
  • anyone losing blood slowly from the gut, from an ulcer, polyps or, rarely, a cancer

Common signs are tiredness, being short of breath on stairs, pale skin, hair shedding, brittle nails, headaches, restless legs and craving ice. You can have these with low ferritin even when your haemoglobin is still normal: this is iron deficiency without anaemia.

Finding the cause matters as much as treating it. Low iron in a man, or in a woman after menopause, needs a check for bleeding from the gut.

What does high ferritin mean?

A high ferritin is usually not too much iron. Ferritin rises as part of the body's response to stress and inflammation, so the most common causes are:

  • inflammation or infection, from a cold to arthritis
  • fatty liver, being overweight, or type 2 diabetes
  • regular alcohol
  • liver disease or chronic kidney disease

Less often it reflects iron overload: haemochromatosis (an inherited condition that makes you absorb too much iron), repeated blood transfusions, or taking iron supplements you didn't need. Here the transferrin saturation is usually high too, above 45%.

Very high levels, above 1,000 ng/mL, need prompt review, because they can come with liver damage, some cancers or rare inflammatory conditions.

Why can ferritin look normal when iron is low?

Because inflammation pushes ferritin up, a person with both low iron and an inflammatory condition (rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease, a recent infection, heart failure) can have a ferritin that looks normal.

That's why doctors often check CRP and transferrin saturation at the same time. When inflammation is present, the WHO suggests treating a ferritin below 70 µg/L as possible iron deficiency, and many specialists use higher cut-offs again in kidney or heart disease.

Do you need to fast for a ferritin test?

  • It's a small blood sample from a vein. Ferritin itself doesn't need fasting.
  • If your doctor ordered a full iron panel (serum iron, TIBC, transferrin saturation), a morning sample is often preferred, sometimes after an overnight fast, because serum iron changes through the day.
  • If you take iron tablets, ask whether to skip them for a day before the test, as they raise serum iron for a few hours.
  • Testing during or just after an infection can push ferritin up; your doctor may repeat it later.
  • Results usually come back the same day or the next.

How can you raise low ferritin?

  • Find the cause first. Your doctor will ask about periods, diet, digestion and bleeding, and may check for coeliac disease or blood in the stool.
  • Iron-rich foods help maintain stores: red meat, chicken, fish and eggs (iron that's easily absorbed), and lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and fortified cereals.
  • Pair plant iron with vitamin C (citrus, tomatoes, peppers, amla) to help absorption.
  • Keep tea and coffee away from meals by an hour or two; they block iron absorption. Calcium supplements do too.
  • Iron tablets or infusions are your doctor's decision. Don't start iron supplements without a test: too much iron is harmful, and they can hide a cause that needs finding. Keep them away from children, as an overdose is dangerous.
  • Give it time. With treatment, haemoglobin usually improves within a few weeks, but refilling ferritin stores often takes about three months. Your doctor will recheck.

When to see a doctor

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  • Your ferritin is below 30 ng/mL, with tiredness, breathlessness or hair loss: see a general physician within 1 to 2 weeks to find the cause and plan treatment.
  • You're a man, or a woman after menopause, and your ferritin is low: see a general physician within 2 weeks, as the cause may be slow bleeding from the gut.
  • Your ferritin is above 300 (men) or 200 (women) and you don't know why: see a general physician within a few weeks for a transferrin saturation and liver tests.
  • Your ferritin is above 1,000 ng/mL: see a doctor within a few days.

Get emergency help now (call your local emergency number) if someone has:

  • black, tarry stools or is vomiting blood
  • chest pain, severe breathlessness, or has fainted
  • very heavy bleeding, such as soaking a pad or tampon every hour for several hours

A ferritin number on its own is never an emergency. These signs are.

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Questions people ask

  • Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in your body, mostly in the liver, spleen and bone marrow. A blood ferritin test shows how much iron you have in storage. It falls first when you're running low on iron, long before anaemia appears, which makes it the most useful single test for iron deficiency.

  • Typical adult ranges are about 24 to 336 ng/mL for men and 11 to 307 ng/mL for women, though each lab prints its own range. Below 15 ng/mL means iron stores are empty, and 15 to 30 is often low enough to cause symptoms. ng/mL and µg/L are the same number.

  • No. Ferritin is the protein that stores iron; serum iron is the iron moving in your blood right now. Serum iron goes up and down through the day and after meals, while ferritin shows your longer-term reserves. A low ferritin is a more reliable sign of iron deficiency than a low serum iron.

  • Low ferritin means your iron stores are running down or used up, which is iron deficiency. Common causes are heavy periods, pregnancy, a diet low in iron, blood donation, poor absorption (as with coeliac disease) or slow bleeding from the gut. It can cause tiredness, hair loss and breathlessness even before haemoglobin drops.

  • High ferritin usually reflects inflammation, infection, fatty liver, being overweight or regular alcohol, rather than too much iron. Less often it means iron overload, such as haemochromatosis, especially when transferrin saturation is above 45%. A doctor looks at your other results and history to tell which, and may recheck it after an infection settles.

  • Below 15 ng/mL means your iron stores are empty, according to the WHO. Many doctors also treat 15 to 30 ng/mL as low, especially if you have symptoms. If you have an inflammatory condition, a ferritin below 70 can still mean low iron, because inflammation raises the number.

  • Yes. This is iron deficiency without anaemia: your stores are low but haven't yet run down far enough to lower haemoglobin. It's common in women with heavy periods and can still cause tiredness, poor concentration, hair shedding and restless legs. It's worth finding the cause and treating it before anaemia develops.

  • There's no single cut-off, but a ferritin above 1,000 ng/mL needs a doctor within a few days, as it can come with liver damage, iron overload or serious inflammatory conditions. Levels between about 300 and 1,000 are common with fatty liver, alcohol or inflammation and are usually checked over a few weeks.

  • Ferritin itself doesn't need fasting. If your doctor has ordered a full iron panel, a morning sample is often preferred, sometimes after an overnight fast, because serum iron changes through the day. If you take iron tablets, ask whether to skip them the day before, since they raise serum iron for a few hours.

  • With treatment, haemoglobin usually starts to improve within two to four weeks, but refilling ferritin stores often takes about three months, and longer if the cause, such as heavy periods, continues. Your doctor will recheck your levels. Diet alone raises ferritin slowly, which is why low stores are often treated with iron your doctor prescribes.

  • Yes. Ferritin rises as part of the body's response to infection and inflammation, so a ferritin taken during a cold, a flare of arthritis or after surgery can look normal or high even when iron is low. Doctors check CRP alongside it and may repeat the test once the inflammation has settled.

  • Red meat, chicken, fish and eggs contain iron that's easily absorbed. Lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and fortified cereals add plant iron, which is absorbed better with vitamin C foods such as citrus, tomatoes or amla. Keep tea and coffee away from meals, as they block absorption.

  • Haemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells; a low haemoglobin means anaemia. Ferritin shows the iron stored to make that haemoglobin. Ferritin drops first, so you can have low ferritin with normal haemoglobin. When both are low, it's usually iron-deficiency anaemia.

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Sources

  1. MedlinePlus: Ferritin blood test
  2. WHO guideline on using ferritin concentrations to assess iron status (2020)
  3. NHS: Iron deficiency anaemia
  4. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Iron fact sheet
  5. Mayo Clinic: Ferritin test
  6. Ko CW et al. AGA clinical practice guidelines on the gastrointestinal evaluation of iron deficiency anemia. Gastroenterology 2020
  7. EASL clinical practice guidelines on haemochromatosis. J Hepatol 2022

Updated . Health information, not medical advice. Your doctor knows your full picture; ask them about your result.