UNDER REVIEW AND EDITING: VALUES NOT CONFIRMED
A reference range is a set of values used by a health professional to interpret a set of medical test results. The range is usually defined as the set of values 95% of the normal population falls within.
The reference range will vary, depending on the age, sex and race of a population, and even the instruments the laboratory uses to perform the tests. Furthermore, by definition, 5% of the normal population will fall outside the reference range.
| Category | Test | Low | High | Unit | Comments |
| Red blood cells | Haemoglobin (Hb) (male) | 140 | 180 | g/L | Higher in neonates, lower in children. |
| Haemoglobin (Hb) (female) | 115 | 160 | g/L | Sex difference negligible until adulthood. | |
| Haematocrit (Hct) (male) | 0.38 | 0.52 | |||
| Haematocrit (Hct) (female) | 0.35 | 0.47 | |||
| Mean cell volume (MCV) | 80 | 98 | fL | Cells are larger in neonates, though smaller in other children. | |
| Mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) | 26 | 34 | pg | ||
| Red cell count (male) | 4.5 | 6.5 | x1012/L | ||
| Red cell count (female) | 3.8 | 5.8 | x1012/L | ||
| Reticulocytes | 10 | 100 | x109/L | ||
| erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) | n/a | 20 | mm/hr | Females tend to have a higher ESR. ESR increases with age. | |
| White blood cells | The Total white blood cells | 4 | 11 | x109/L | Higher in neonates and infants. |
| Neutrophil granulocytes | 2 | 7.5 | x109/L | 45-74%. Also known as granulocytes (grans), polys, PMNs, or segs. | |
| Lymphocytes | 1.3 | 4 | x109/L | 16-45% | |
| Monocytes | 0.2 | 0.8 | x109/L | 4.0-10% | |
| Eosinophil granulocytes | 0.04 | 0.4 | x109/L | 0.0-7.0% | |
| Basophil granulocytes | 0.01 | 0.1 | x109/L | 0.0-2.0% | |
| Coagulation | Platelets | 150 | 400 | x109/L | Platelets are part of the formation of blood clots |
| Prothrombin time (PT)[11] | 11 | 13.5 | s | PT reference varies between laboratory kits – INR is standardised | |
| INR | 0.9 | 1.2 | The INR is a corrected ratio of a patients PT to normal | ||
| Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) | 29 | 41 | s | ||
| Thrombin clotting time (TCT) | 11 | 18 | s | ||
| Fibrinogen | 1.8 | 4 | g/L | ||
| Bleeding time | 2 | 9 | minutes |