Ferritin: What Your Results Mean

Ferritin is a protein that stores iron inside your cells. A blood test for ferritin tells you how much iron your body has in reserve. Normal range is roughly 30–300 ng/mL for men and 12–150 ng/mL for women. Low ferritin is the earliest and most sensitive sign of iron deficiency — it drops long before hemoglobin does.

What Is Ferritin?

Ferritin acts as your body's iron savings account. While most iron circulates in hemoglobin (carrying oxygen in red blood cells) and some rides on transferrin (the transport protein), ferritin stores the surplus. When your body needs iron — to make new red blood cells, support muscle function, or run hundreds of enzymatic reactions — it draws from these ferritin reserves.

A single ferritin molecule can hold up to 4,500 iron atoms. Your liver, spleen, and bone marrow are the main storage sites. The ferritin level in your blood reflects how full those stores are.

This is why ferritin is often the first test doctors order when investigating fatigue, hair loss, or unexplained anemia. It catches iron depletion at the earliest stage, before it shows up in your CBC.

Reference Ranges

Classification	Range
Severely Low	Below 12 ng/mL
Low (Iron Deficiency)	12 – 29 ng/mL
Normal (Women)	12 – 150 ng/mL
Normal (Men)	30 – 300 ng/mL
Elevated	300 – 500 ng/mL
High	Above 500 ng/mL

Important: Ferritin is also an acute-phase reactant — it rises during inflammation, infection, and liver disease. A "normal" ferritin in someone with active inflammation may actually mask true iron deficiency. If CRP or ESR are elevated, the ferritin cutoff for deficiency should be raised to around 100 ng/mL.

What Causes Low Ferritin?

Blood loss — heavy periods, GI bleeding (ulcers, polyps, hemorrhoids), frequent blood donation
Inadequate dietary iron — vegetarian/vegan diets, restrictive eating
Malabsorption — celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, gastric bypass, H. pylori infection
Increased demand — pregnancy, rapid growth in adolescents, endurance athletes
Chronic conditions — hypothyroidism can impair iron absorption

Symptoms of low ferritin include fatigue, weakness, hair loss, brittle nails, restless legs, difficulty concentrating, and feeling cold. Many people with ferritin under 30 have symptoms even though their hemoglobin is still "normal."

What Causes High Ferritin?

Inflammation or infection — the most common cause of elevated ferritin
Liver disease — hepatitis, fatty liver, cirrhosis release stored ferritin
Hemochromatosis — genetic iron overload disorder (check transferrin saturation)
Alcohol use
Metabolic syndrome and obesity
Certain cancers — particularly lymphoma and leukemia

Ferritin vs. Other Iron Tests

Test	What It Measures
Ferritin	Iron in storage — earliest to drop in deficiency
Serum Iron	Iron circulating in blood right now (fluctuates daily)
Transferrin / TIBC	Iron transport capacity — rises when stores are low
Transferrin Saturation	% of transport protein loaded with iron
Hemoglobin	Iron in red blood cells — last to drop in deficiency

The classic iron deficiency progression: ferritin drops first → transferrin saturation falls → MCV shrinks (microcytic) → hemoglobin finally drops. By the time you're anemic, iron stores have been empty for a while.

Look Up Your Ferritin Value

Select your result below to see a detailed breakdown:

Ferritin 1 Ferritin 10 Ferritin 100 Ferritin 101 Ferritin 102 Ferritin 103 Ferritin 104 Ferritin 105 Ferritin 106 Ferritin 107 Ferritin 108 Ferritin 109 Ferritin 11 Ferritin 110 Ferritin 111 Ferritin 112 Ferritin 113 Ferritin 114 Ferritin 115 Ferritin 116 Ferritin 117 Ferritin 118 Ferritin 119 Ferritin 12 Ferritin 120 Ferritin 121 Ferritin 122 Ferritin 123 Ferritin 124 Ferritin 125 Ferritin 126 Ferritin 127 Ferritin 128 Ferritin 129 Ferritin 13 Ferritin 130 Ferritin 131 Ferritin 132 Ferritin 133 Ferritin 134 Ferritin 135 Ferritin 136 Ferritin 137 Ferritin 138 Ferritin 139 Ferritin 14 Ferritin 140 Ferritin 141 Ferritin 142 Ferritin 143 Ferritin 144 Ferritin 145 Ferritin 146 Ferritin 147 Ferritin 148 Ferritin 149 Ferritin 15 Ferritin 150 Ferritin 151 Ferritin 152 Ferritin 153 Ferritin 154 Ferritin 155 Ferritin 156 Ferritin 157 Ferritin 158 Ferritin 159 Ferritin 16 Ferritin 160 Ferritin 161 Ferritin 162 Ferritin 163 Ferritin 164 Ferritin 165 Ferritin 166 Ferritin 167 Ferritin 168 Ferritin 169 Ferritin 17 Ferritin 170 Ferritin 171 Ferritin 172 Ferritin 173 Ferritin 174 Ferritin 175 Ferritin 176 Ferritin 177 Ferritin 178 Ferritin 179 Ferritin 18 Ferritin 180 Ferritin 181 Ferritin 182 Ferritin 183 Ferritin 184 Ferritin 185 Ferritin 186 Ferritin 187 Ferritin 188 Ferritin 189 Ferritin 19 Ferritin 190 Ferritin 191 Ferritin 192 Ferritin 193 Ferritin 194 Ferritin 195 Ferritin 196 Ferritin 197 Ferritin 198 Ferritin 199 Ferritin 2 Ferritin 20 Ferritin 200 Ferritin 201 Ferritin 202 Ferritin 203 Ferritin 204 Ferritin 205 Ferritin 206 Ferritin 207 Ferritin 208 Ferritin 209 Ferritin 21 Ferritin 210 Ferritin 211 Ferritin 212 Ferritin 213 Ferritin 214 Ferritin 215 Ferritin 216 Ferritin 217 Ferritin 218 Ferritin 219 Ferritin 22 Ferritin 220 Ferritin 221 Ferritin 222 Ferritin 223 Ferritin 224 Ferritin 225 Ferritin 226 Ferritin 227 Ferritin 228 Ferritin 229 Ferritin 23 Ferritin 230 Ferritin 231 Ferritin 232 Ferritin 233 Ferritin 234 Ferritin 235 Ferritin 236 Ferritin 237 Ferritin 238 Ferritin 239 Ferritin 24 Ferritin 240 Ferritin 241 Ferritin 242 Ferritin 243 Ferritin 244 Ferritin 245 Ferritin 246 Ferritin 247 Ferritin 248 Ferritin 249 Ferritin 25 Ferritin 250 Ferritin 251 Ferritin 252 Ferritin 253 Ferritin 254 Ferritin 255 Ferritin 256 Ferritin 257 Ferritin 258 Ferritin 259 Ferritin 26 Ferritin 260 Ferritin 261 Ferritin 262 Ferritin 263 Ferritin 264 Ferritin 265 Ferritin 266 Ferritin 267 Ferritin 268 Ferritin 269 Ferritin 27 Ferritin 270 Ferritin 271 Ferritin 272 Ferritin 273 Ferritin 274 Ferritin 275 Ferritin 276 Ferritin 277 Ferritin 278 Ferritin 279 Ferritin 28 Ferritin 280 Ferritin 281 Ferritin 282 Ferritin 283 Ferritin 284 Ferritin 285 Ferritin 286 Ferritin 287 Ferritin 288 Ferritin 289 Ferritin 29 Ferritin 290 Ferritin 291 Ferritin 292 Ferritin 293 Ferritin 294 Ferritin 295 Ferritin 296 Ferritin 297 Ferritin 298 Ferritin 299 Ferritin 3 Ferritin 30 Ferritin 300 Ferritin 301 Ferritin 302 Ferritin 303 Ferritin 304 Ferritin 305 Ferritin 306 Ferritin 307 Ferritin 308 Ferritin 309 Ferritin 31 Ferritin 310 Ferritin 311 Ferritin 312 Ferritin 313 Ferritin 314 Ferritin 315 Ferritin 316 Ferritin 317 Ferritin 318 Ferritin 319 Ferritin 32 Ferritin 320 Ferritin 321 Ferritin 322 Ferritin 323 Ferritin 324 Ferritin 325 Ferritin 326 Ferritin 327 Ferritin 328 Ferritin 329 Ferritin 33 Ferritin 330 Ferritin 331 Ferritin 332 Ferritin 333 Ferritin 334 Ferritin 335 Ferritin 336 Ferritin 337 Ferritin 338 Ferritin 339 Ferritin 34 Ferritin 340 Ferritin 341 Ferritin 342 Ferritin 343 Ferritin 344 Ferritin 345 Ferritin 346 Ferritin 347 Ferritin 348 Ferritin 349 Ferritin 35 Ferritin 350 Ferritin 351 Ferritin 352 Ferritin 353 Ferritin 354 Ferritin 355 Ferritin 356 Ferritin 357 Ferritin 358 Ferritin 359 Ferritin 36 Ferritin 360 Ferritin 361 Ferritin 362 Ferritin 363 Ferritin 364 Ferritin 365 Ferritin 366 Ferritin 367 Ferritin 368 Ferritin 369 Ferritin 37 Ferritin 370 Ferritin 371 Ferritin 372 Ferritin 373 Ferritin 374 Ferritin 375 Ferritin 376 Ferritin 377 Ferritin 378 Ferritin 379 Ferritin 38 Ferritin 380 Ferritin 381 Ferritin 382 Ferritin 383 Ferritin 384 Ferritin 385 Ferritin 386 Ferritin 387 Ferritin 388 Ferritin 389 Ferritin 39 Ferritin 390 Ferritin 391 Ferritin 392 Ferritin 393 Ferritin 394 Ferritin 395 Ferritin 396 Ferritin 397 Ferritin 398 Ferritin 399 Ferritin 4 Ferritin 40 Ferritin 400 Ferritin 401 Ferritin 402 Ferritin 403 Ferritin 404 Ferritin 405 Ferritin 406 Ferritin 407 Ferritin 408 Ferritin 409 Ferritin 41 Ferritin 410 Ferritin 411 Ferritin 412 Ferritin 413 Ferritin 414 Ferritin 415 Ferritin 416 Ferritin 417 Ferritin 418 Ferritin 419 Ferritin 42 Ferritin 420 Ferritin 421 Ferritin 422 Ferritin 423 Ferritin 424 Ferritin 425 Ferritin 426 Ferritin 427 Ferritin 428 Ferritin 429 Ferritin 43 Ferritin 430 Ferritin 431 Ferritin 432 Ferritin 433 Ferritin 434 Ferritin 435 Ferritin 436 Ferritin 437 Ferritin 438 Ferritin 439 Ferritin 44 Ferritin 440 Ferritin 445 Ferritin 45 Ferritin 450 Ferritin 455 Ferritin 46 Ferritin 460 Ferritin 465 Ferritin 47 Ferritin 470 Ferritin 475 Ferritin 48 Ferritin 480 Ferritin 485 Ferritin 49 Ferritin 490 Ferritin 495 Ferritin 5 Ferritin 50 Ferritin 500 Ferritin 505 Ferritin 51 Ferritin 510 Ferritin 515 Ferritin 52 Ferritin 520 Ferritin 525 Ferritin 53 Ferritin 530 Ferritin 535 Ferritin 54 Ferritin 540 Ferritin 55 Ferritin 550 Ferritin 56 Ferritin 560 Ferritin 57 Ferritin 570 Ferritin 58 Ferritin 580 Ferritin 59 Ferritin 6 Ferritin 60 Ferritin 61 Ferritin 62 Ferritin 63 Ferritin 64 Ferritin 65 Ferritin 66 Ferritin 67 Ferritin 68 Ferritin 69 Ferritin 7 Ferritin 70 Ferritin 71 Ferritin 72 Ferritin 73 Ferritin 74 Ferritin 75 Ferritin 76 Ferritin 77 Ferritin 78 Ferritin 79 Ferritin 8 Ferritin 80 Ferritin 81 Ferritin 82 Ferritin 83 Ferritin 84 Ferritin 85 Ferritin 86 Ferritin 87 Ferritin 88 Ferritin 89 Ferritin 9 Ferritin 90 Ferritin 91 Ferritin 92 Ferritin 93 Ferritin 94 Ferritin 95 Ferritin 96 Ferritin 97 Ferritin 98 Ferritin 99

Frequently Asked Questions

What ferritin level is considered iron deficient?

A ferritin below 30 ng/mL is widely considered iron deficient. Many clinicians use 12 ng/mL as the cutoff, but research shows symptoms and impaired function begin well above that. If you have inflammation, a ferritin under 100 ng/mL may indicate true deficiency.

Can ferritin be low even if my CBC is normal?

Yes. Ferritin drops long before hemoglobin does. You can have a completely normal CBC with a ferritin of 8. This is called iron depletion without anemia, and it still causes symptoms like fatigue and hair loss.

How do I raise low ferritin?

Iron-rich foods (red meat, liver, spinach, lentils), iron supplements (take with vitamin C, away from coffee/tea), and treating the underlying cause of iron loss. Severely low ferritin may require IV iron infusion. Recheck levels after 3 months of supplementation.