Ferritin blood test: what it means
What it measures
A ferritin blood test measures the level of ferritin in your blood. Ferritin is a protein that binds to and stores iron in your body, so the test indirectly reflects how much iron you have stored.
Why it’s ordered
A clinician may order a ferritin test to help check the body's iron stores when there are signs or symptoms that iron may be too low (such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness, or shortness of breath) or too high (such as joint pain or fatigue), or for people at higher risk of low iron, including those who are underweight, who have heavy menstrual bleeding, who are pregnant, or who have conditions that affect how iron is absorbed. A blood sample is used, and your provider may ask you to fast (often about 12 hours) before the test.
General reference range
As a general guide, MedlinePlus lists approximate ferritin ranges of about 30 to 400 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) for men and about 13 to 150 ng/mL for women. These are general reference values only. Normal ranges vary by laboratory and also differ by age, sex, and the testing method used. The reference range printed on your own lab report is the one that applies to your result, and only your clinician can interpret what your number means for you.
If it’s high
A higher-than-normal ferritin level does not by itself diagnose any condition, and this is not a complete list. Higher ferritin can be seen with a number of situations, including hemochromatosis (too much iron in the body), inflammation from infection or surgery, liver disease (including from alcohol use), autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, an overactive thyroid, and repeated blood transfusions. Because ferritin can also rise with general inflammation, an elevated result may need to be considered alongside other tests.
If it’s low
A lower-than-normal ferritin level may suggest low iron stores. It can be seen with iron deficiency or iron-deficiency anemia — for example, from too little iron in the diet, heavy bleeding (including from menstruation or injury), poor absorption of iron from food, medicines, or supplements, or bleeding in the digestive tract. This is a general association, not a diagnosis or a complete list.
A result is not a diagnosis
Reference ranges vary by laboratory, age, sex, and method — the range on your own report is what applies to you. A single value out of range doesn’t confirm any condition; your clinician interprets it alongside your symptoms, history, and other results. This page is general information, not medical advice.
Medicines that can move this result
Oral iron tablets add iron to the body, and once the shortfall is covered the surplus goes into storage — the stored iron that a ferritin test measures. NHLBI's own guidance uses a low ferritin as the marker of the deficiency these tablets are given to correct.
Source ↗This is iron given straight into a vein, so it refills iron stores far faster than tablets. In the heart-failure trials in its own label, average serum ferritin was 269 ng/mL higher than baseline at week 24.
Source ↗This is an iron chelator — a drug that grabs excess iron and carries it out of the body — and the dose is deliberately adjusted against ferritin, with the label telling prescribers to interrupt treatment if the number drops below 500 mcg/L.
Source ↗Another iron chelator for people overloaded with iron from repeated transfusions; a falling ferritin is the specific result its FDA approval was based on.
Source ↗An injected iron chelator whose label describes it pulling iron out of ferritin and hemosiderin — the body's two iron-storage forms — so the stored-iron burden a ferritin test reflects comes down as treatment continues.
Source ↗This injection tells the bone marrow to build red blood cells at speed, and each new cell needs iron — so stored iron gets drawn down and ferritin falls unless iron is replaced. Its label tells prescribers to check iron before and during treatment and says most kidney-disease patients end up needing iron as well.
Source ↗Do not stop a prescribed medicine over a lab number. These are recognised associations, not a finding about your result — your value may have nothing to do with any medicine you take, and the list is not complete. Bring it to whoever prescribed the drug; they can weigh it against why you are taking it.
Frequently asked
- What does the Ferritin blood test measure?
- A ferritin blood test measures the level of ferritin in your blood. Ferritin is a protein that binds to and stores iron in your body, so the test indirectly reflects how much iron you have stored.
- What is a normal Ferritin blood test range?
- As a general guide, MedlinePlus lists approximate ferritin ranges of about 30 to 400 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) for men and about 13 to 150 ng/mL for women. These are general reference values only. Normal ranges vary by laboratory and also differ by age, sex, and the testing method used. The reference range printed on your own lab report is the one that applies to your result, and only your clinician can interpret what your number means for you.
- What does a high result mean?
- A higher-than-normal ferritin level does not by itself diagnose any condition, and this is not a complete list. Higher ferritin can be seen with a number of situations, including hemochromatosis (too much iron in the body), inflammation from infection or surgery, liver disease (including from alcohol use), autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, an overactive thyroid, and repeated blood transfusions. Because ferritin can also rise with general inflammation, an elevated result may need to be considered alongside other tests.
- What does a low result mean?
- A lower-than-normal ferritin level may suggest low iron stores. It can be seen with iron deficiency or iron-deficiency anemia — for example, from too little iron in the diet, heavy bleeding (including from menstruation or injury), poor absorption of iron from food, medicines, or supplements, or bleeding in the digestive tract. This is a general association, not a diagnosis or a complete list.
Other lab tests
Sources
General reference, not medical advice, and not a substitute for your clinician. Lab reference ranges and interpretation depend on the laboratory and on your individual situation — discuss your results with a licensed healthcare professional.