Serum iron 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 Serum iron, which differ for men and women:

Female: Optimal 85 – 130 μg/dL (15.2 – 23.3 μmol/L); sufficient 37 – 145 μg/dL (6.6 – 25.9 μmol/L); out of range below 37 or above 145 μg/dL.
Male: Optimal 85 – 130 μg/dL (15.2 – 23.3 μmol/L); sufficient 59 – 158 μg/dL (10.6 – 28.3 μmol/L); out of range below 59 or above 158 μg/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

Unit	Applies to	Optimal	Sufficient	Out of range
μg/dL	Female	85 – 130	37 – 145	below 37 or above 145
μg/dL	Male	85 – 130	59 – 158	below 59 or above 158
μmol/L	Female	15.2 – 23.3	6.6 – 25.9	below 6.6 or above 25.9
μmol/L	Male	15.2 – 23.3	10.6 – 28.3	below 10.6 or above 28.3
mg/dL	Female	0.085 – 0.13	0.037 – 0.145	below 0.037 or above 0.145
mg/dL	Male	0.085 – 0.13	0.059 – 0.158	below 0.059 or above 0.158

What the evidence says

The acceptable band follows published laboratory reference intervals: 59 to 158 µg/dL in men and 37 to 145 in women (MedlinePlus), with some UK laboratories using one interval of 11 to 32 µmol/L for everyone. Where the client's sex is not recorded, 60 to 170 µg/dL is used. The optimal band of 85 to 130 µg/dL has no published source. Serum iron varies through the day and falls with infection and inflammation, so read it with ferritin and transferrin saturation, not alone.

Sources

Serum iron test — MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2026 · Government / public-health guidanceNormal serum iron is 59 to 158 µg/dL (10.6 to 28.3 µmol/L) in males and 37 to 145 µg/dL (6.6 to 25.9 µmol/L) in females. The male lower limit matches Sera's 60; the female limit is much lower.
Iron and Total Iron-Binding Capacity, Serum (Test ID SFEC) — Mayo Clinic Laboratories, 2026 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceSerum iron reference values are 50 to 150 µg/dL in males and 35 to 145 µg/dL in females. Confirms a sex-specific interval with a women's lower limit near 35.
Iron - Clinical Biochemistry — Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 2025 · Laboratory / reference-interval sourceSerum iron reference range is 11 to 32 µmol/L for both sexes at all ages. Matches Sera's sufficient floor of 11 µmol/L and is close to its ceiling of 30.

What Iron (Serum) measures

The amount of iron moving around in your blood.

Low serum iron adds to fatigue and poor cell function. Part of a full iron panel.

Related blood cell health markers

See Serum iron in the full list of biomarker ranges

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.