What is the normal blood iron level?

Serum iron is roughly 11–31 µmol / L in men and 9–30 in women. But iron fluctuates through the day, so ferritin (stores) and transferrin saturation matter more. The calculator checks values against the norm for your sex.

What is ferritin and what’s normal?

Ferritin is a protein reflecting iron stores. The norm is 30–400 µg / L in men and 15–150 in women. Low ferritin is the earliest sign of iron deficiency, before hemoglobin falls.

What does low ferritin with normal hemoglobin mean?

It’s latent (hidden) iron deficiency: stores are depleted but hemoglobin still holds. A common cause of fatigue, hair loss and brittle nails. Discuss iron replenishment with a doctor.

How is transferrin saturation calculated?

By iron / TIBC × 100%. The norm is 20–45%. Below 20% suggests iron deficiency, above 45% possible overload. The calculator computes it if you enter iron and TIBC.

Why is ferritin sometimes high without excess iron?

Ferritin is also an inflammation protein: it rises with infection, inflammation and liver disease regardless of iron stores. That’s why it’s assessed together with C-reactive protein and other markers.

Blood iron norms

Enter your iron-metabolism markers from a blood test — serum iron, ferritin, TIBC — and the calculator checks each against the norm for your sex and computes transferrin saturation from iron and TIBC. You don’t have to fill every field. Units: iron and TIBC in µmol / L, ferritin in µg / L.

Check iron, ferritin and TIBC

Enter your sex and at least one marker — the result appears instantly.

Iron metabolism norms

Approximate adult reference values; ferritin and iron are lower in women. Ferritin is the key marker of iron stores.

Marker	Norm
Iron, men	11–31 µmol / L
Iron, women	9–30 µmol / L
Ferritin, men	30–400 µg / L
Ferritin, women	15–150 µg / L
TIBC	45–77 µmol / L
Transferrin saturation	20–45%

Ferritin — the key marker of iron stores

Ferritin reflects the body’s iron stores and falls first — before hemoglobin drops. So low ferritin with normal hemoglobin is latent (hidden) iron deficiency, a common cause of fatigue, hair loss and brittle nails.

Ferritin norms depend on sex: women’s stores are lower due to menstrual losses. Note: ferritin rises with inflammation, so it’s assessed together with C-reactive protein.

Iron, TIBC and transferrin saturation

Serum iron fluctuates a lot through the day and after meals, so it can’t be judged alone. TIBC (total iron-binding capacity) rises in iron deficiency — the body “prepares more transport” for the scarce iron.

Transferrin saturation = iron / TIBC × 100% shows how full the transport protein is. The norm is 20–45%: below 20% suggests deficiency, above 45% possible iron overload (e.g. in hemochromatosis).

What to do about abnormal values

Low ferritin and saturation are a reason to find the cause of deficiency (diet, blood loss, malabsorption) and, if needed, replenish iron under a doctor’s supervision. High values require ruling out iron overload. Either way, markers are assessed together, not by a single number.

Frequently asked questions

Serum iron is roughly 11–31 µmol / L in men and 9–30 in women. But iron fluctuates through the day, so ferritin (stores) and transferrin saturation matter more. The calculator checks values against the norm for your sex.
Ferritin is a protein reflecting iron stores. The norm is 30–400 µg / L in men and 15–150 in women. Low ferritin is the earliest sign of iron deficiency, before hemoglobin falls.
It’s latent (hidden) iron deficiency: stores are depleted but hemoglobin still holds. A common cause of fatigue, hair loss and brittle nails. Discuss iron replenishment with a doctor.
By iron / TIBC × 100%. The norm is 20–45%. Below 20% suggests iron deficiency, above 45% possible overload. The calculator computes it if you enter iron and TIBC.
Ferritin is also an inflammation protein: it rises with infection, inflammation and liver disease regardless of iron stores. That’s why it’s assessed together with C-reactive protein and other markers.

Decode your full iron panel

Upload the report — AI explains iron, ferritin, TIBC and saturation together with hemoglobin and what any deviations mean.

Decode my blood test

This calculator is for reference and information only and is not a diagnosis. Iron deficiency or overload is assessed by a doctor from the full set of markers.