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Ferritin

The blood level of ferritin, the protein that stores iron inside cells. It is the usual first test of iron stores, because it falls before haemoglobin does — someone can be iron-depleted with a completely normal full blood count. The catch is that ferritin is also an acute-phase protein: it rises with inflammation, infection and liver injury, which can mask a genuine deficiency.

General information only — not a diagnosis, not treatment and not a substitute for your doctor. Reference ranges differ between laboratories, so the range printed on your own report is the one that counts, and only a clinician who knows your history can say what a result means for you. Never start, stop or change a medicine or supplement based on this page.

Usual adult reference range

The ranges below are typical adult reference intervals. Your own laboratory sets its own, printed next to your result, and that is the one to compare against.

Source: Typical adult reference interval published by clinical laboratories; the lower cut-off used to define depletion varies by guideline and by clinical context. · checked 2026-09-02

What a high result generally indicates

High ferritin is far more often inflammation than iron overload. Infection, liver disease, alcohol use, obesity and any acute illness raise it. Genuine iron overload — haemochromatosis, repeated transfusion — is diagnosed with transferrin saturation alongside ferritin, not with ferritin on its own.

What a low result generally indicates

A low ferritin means depleted iron stores, and it is fairly specific: little else lowers it. It is common in menstruating women, in pregnancy, in people who donate blood often, and where absorption is impaired (coeliac disease) or losses are hidden (gastrointestinal bleeding). Finding the cause matters as much as correcting the number.

These are general patterns, not a diagnosis. Many things cause a high or low result, and the same figure means different things in different people. What yours means is a question for the doctor who ordered the test.

What affects this result

• Any inflammation or infection in the preceding weeks raises it.
• Alcohol intake and fatty liver raise it independently of iron stores.
• Menstrual blood loss is the largest single influence in premenopausal women.
• Recent blood donation lowers it for weeks.
• Iron supplements raise it, so tests are usually spaced away from doses.
• Coeliac disease and gastric surgery reduce absorption.

Before the test

No fasting needed. Laboratories often ask that iron supplements be paused beforehand; that instruction comes from the requesting clinician.

Any preparation instruction that comes with your test slip overrides this general note — follow the one your clinician or laboratory gave you.

The one thing to take from this page

The range above is a typical interval for orientation. Your own laboratory's range, printed beside your result, is the one that applies to you — and a result is only meaningful alongside your symptoms, your history, your medicines and your other tests. That reading is a clinician's job. This page cannot diagnose anything, cannot tell you to change a medicine or a supplement, and is not a substitute for the person who ordered your test.

Frequently asked questions

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