Gamma Globulin optimal range and reference range

Compiled by Alina Radu, founder of Sera, from the published sources below · Last reviewed November 9, 2026

Sera's bands for Gamma Globulin:

  • Optimal 0.7 – 1.6 g/dL (7 – 16 g/L); out of range below 0.7 or above 1.6 g/dL.

Evidence grade: Published reference interval. A band that primarily reflects a published adult laboratory or population reference interval. It is not necessarily applicable to every assay or laboratory.

All units

UnitOptimalSufficientOut of range
g/dL0.7 – 1.6—below 0.7 or above 1.6
g/L7 – 16—below 7 or above 16

No separate Sufficient band is currently defined for this marker.

What the evidence says

A broad polyclonal rise reflects chronic infection, autoimmune disease or liver disease. A narrow discrete peak is monoclonal and is a different matter, warranting immunofixation and referral. Sera holds the quantity only: the shape of the peak lives on the densitometry trace and cannot be inferred from the number, so a normal gamma does not exclude a small paraprotein. The lower edge of 0.7 g/dL (7 g/L) is the University of Michigan lower limit. The upper edge of 1.6 g/dL falls between published limits: ARUP, Iowa and Michigan end at about 1.5, MedlinePlus and Labcorp at 1.8; 7 to 16 g/L is the published normal range for IgG, which makes up most of this fraction. A low gamma suggests antibody deficiency and is followed with immunoglobulins.

Assay: Results differ meaningfully between platforms and methods. Compare against the interval printed by the issuing laboratory before acting on a borderline value.

Sources

  • Protein electrophoresis - serum — MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, US National Library of Medicine, 2026 · Government / public-health guidanceNormal gamma globulin is 0.8 to 1.8 g/dL (8 to 18 g/L), higher than Sera's 0.7 to 1.6 at both ends. Reviewed 1/29/2026.
  • Protein Electrophoresis, Serum (test 001487) sample report — Labcorp, 2016 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceLabcorp's sample report prints gamma globulin 0.4 to 1.8 g/dL. Upper limit 1.8, above Sera's 1.6; lower limit well below Sera's 0.7. Report dated 2016.
  • Protein Electrophoresis, Serum (0050640) — ARUP Laboratories, 2026 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceGamma 0.62 to 1.51 g/dL. Upper limit 1.5, just below Sera's 1.6. The page is undated; opened October 2026.
  • Protein Electrophoresis, Serum — Michigan Medicine Laboratories (MLabs), University of Michigan, 2026 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceGamma globulin 0.70 to 1.47 g/dL. The lower limit matches Sera's 0.7; the upper is below Sera's 1.6. The page is undated; opened October 2026.
  • Protein Electrophoresis (Serum) — University of Iowa Health Care, Laboratory Services Handbook, 2023 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceGamma 0.6 to 1.5 g/dL. Upper limit 1.5, just below Sera's 1.6. Capillary electrophoresis; the page says its reference ranges changed on 10/17/2023.
  • Quantitative immunoglobulins — MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, US National Library of Medicine, 2026 · Government / public-health guidanceNormal IgG is 700 to 1600 mg/dL (7 to 16 g/L). These are the same numbers as Sera's gamma band, but IgG is a nephelometric immunoglobulin measurement, not the electrophoresis gamma fraction. Reviewed 1/29/2026.

What Gamma Globulin measures

The gamma fraction from serum protein electrophoresis — the immunoglobulins.

A broad rise is polyclonal and reflects chronic infection, autoimmune disease or liver disease. A narrow discrete peak is monoclonal and is a different matter entirely, warranting immunofixation and referral. Sera stores the quantity only: the shape of the peak is on the trace and cannot be inferred from the number.

Related liver & pancreas health markers

See Gamma Globulin in the full list of biomarker ranges

About the author

Alina Radu is the founder of Sera and a software engineer. The idea started with her own Hashimoto's tests, scattered across years without the big picture. She is not a clinician: these ranges are compiled from the published sources linked on each page, with every source named. Alina Radu on LinkedIn

This page is a reference for practitioners, not medical advice. Sera's bands are practitioner targets for structured review, not diagnostic thresholds, and Sera does not diagnose or recommend treatment. Read a result alongside the interval printed by the issuing laboratory and the client's history and symptoms. Range set: Sera Production, version 1.0, last reviewed November 9, 2026.