Ferritin 30 to 50: what your result means

How it works

A ferritin between 30 and 50 micrograms per litre clears the NICE deficiency threshold and still sits low within the reference range, and the literature associates this band with symptoms in some people, particularly where periods are heavy or dietary iron intake is low. Stores at this level leave little in reserve, which matters when demand rises.

Guideline positions

NICE iron deficiency guidance and BSG 2021: adult iron deficiency at ferritin below 30 micrograms per litre. WHO ferritin guidance: below 15 ug/L consistent with deficiency in apparently healthy adults, which is where many laboratory flags still sit, and above 500 ug/L in adults who are unwell may indicate iron overload or other disease. BSG 2021: transferrin saturation read alongside ferritin, with below 20 percent alongside a ferritin of 30 or more consistent with iron deficiency. Ferritin is a positive acute-phase reactant, so inflammation raises it independently of iron stores.

Practical framework

Transferrin saturation is the useful next number here, since a saturation below 20 percent alongside a ferritin in this band is the pattern that reveals iron deficiency the ferritin alone hides. If symptoms are present, that combination belongs in a GP conversation. If everything else is well, a retest in a few months shows which way stores are drifting.

You can read your own numbers against these thresholds with the free blood test result interpreter on this site. It runs entirely on your device, nothing is saved, and pasting your report fills the values in for you.