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Make sense of ferritin and iron results

Compare ferritin with your laboratory range and understand how haemoglobin, iron saturation and inflammation affect the next questions.

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Start with your report

Copy the exact test and unit. Use a decimal point if needed (3.8), and enter one thousand as 1000.

Add report limits and related tests (optional)

Use limits printed on this report, in µg/L. A laboratory range is not necessarily your personal treatment target.

For understanding and clinical discussion. No diagnosis, medication changes or supplement doses. If you feel acutely unwell, seek medical care.

Conceptual ferritin protein beside a blood sample used to measure iron stores

What this result can tell you

Ferritin gives information about stored iron, but it can also rise with inflammation or illness. A low or high result needs context. This tool organises your report without prescribing iron or assuming that food is the cause.

Iron stores and anaemia are different

Haemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. Ferritin and haemoglobin answer different questions, so haemoglobin within range does not by itself establish adequate iron stores.

High ferritin does not prove iron overload

Inflammation, liver conditions and other factors can increase ferritin. Transferrin saturation, often labelled TSAT, can help a clinician interpret the pattern.

Food is support, not the whole investigation

If iron deficiency is confirmed, the cause matters. Dietary intake, absorption and blood loss are different problems. Do not start iron tablets or arrange blood donation solely from this tool.

Food and everyday habits

Food ideas to discuss if low iron stores are confirmed. A normal or high ferritin value is not a reason to increase iron; the cause and any treatment need clinical review.

Include an iron-containing food

Food can support iron intake while the cause of a low result is assessed. It may not replace treatment. Add lentils, beans, tofu or a suitable portion of lean meat to a meal you already enjoy. Source

Pair plant iron with vitamin C

Vitamin C helps absorption of iron from plant foods. Add peppers or tomatoes to a bean dish, or have citrus alongside an iron-containing meal. Source

Common questions

Can I have low ferritin with normal haemoglobin?

Yes, iron stores and haemoglobin are not the same measurement. Your clinician can interpret them together and decide whether treatment or investigation is needed.

Does high ferritin mean I should avoid iron-rich food?

Not automatically. High ferritin has several possible explanations. Discuss the cause before restricting your diet or changing supplements.

Are ng/mL and µg/L different ferritin values?

For ferritin these units are numerically equivalent: 18 ng/mL equals 18 µg/L. Do not substitute a serum-iron result, which is a different test.

Check the evidence

The sources below support the explanations and rules. Their publishers do not endorse this tool.

  1. Ferritin blood test (opens in a new tab)

    MedlinePlus / NIH

  2. Iron: food sources and safety (opens in a new tab)

    NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

  3. Iron tests and interpretation together (opens in a new tab)

    MedlinePlus / NIH

Method

Ferritin ng/mL = ferritin µg/L. Compare the original value with entered laboratory limits; interpret optional haemoglobin and TSAT without diagnosing a cause.

Preserve the reported number. Compare before rounding. Round converted units only for display; average complete BP pairs separately and round only at the end.