Ferritin levels: what your number actually means
Ferritin is the blood test that shows how much iron your body has in storage. Australian guidance uses a ferritin under 30 micrograms per litre as the level that reliably picks up iron deficiency in adults, yet many labs only flag results under 15 to 25. Enter your number to see where yours sits.
Reviewed by Georgina Waugh, Clinical Nutritionist. Updated 13 September 2026.
General information for adults who are not pregnant, not medical advice. Your GP interprets your result alongside the rest of your bloods.
Where does your ferritin sit?
Find the ferritin line on your iron studies report and enter the number. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
Or drag the slider. It uses the same scale as the bar below.
Enter your ferritin above to see where it sits. The ring shows the national average for the age and sex picked below.
Under 15. This is below the World Health Organization's population cut-off, the one Australia's National Health Measures Survey used, where 5.6% of women and 0.9% of men fell under it. A result here is one to talk through with your GP, including what might be causing it.
15 to 29: the grey zone. Many laboratories only flag results under 15 to 25, so a number here can come back marked normal. But Australian Prescriber notes that a ferritin under 30 picks up iron deficiency with 92% sensitivity and 98% specificity. Ask your GP about the number itself, not just the flag beside it.
30 to 99. This is above the under-30 level Australian guidance uses for iron deficiency in adults. If you still feel flat, the rest of your iron studies and your full blood count are worth reading too, because ferritin is one number of several.
100 and above. Low iron stores are unlikely to be the explanation on their own. Lifeblood notes that ferritin also rises with inflammation, infection and liver disease, so a result your report flags as high belongs with your GP.
Because you ticked inflammation: ferritin rises when there is inflammation in the body, so Australian Prescriber uses a ferritin under 100, together with a transferrin saturation under 20%, for inflammatory states. A result in this range can still reflect low iron, and your GP will read it with your CRP.
Compare with the average for
The coloured bar is on a log scale, so each step is a multiple rather than a fixed amount. The averages come from the ABS National Health Measures Survey, 2022 to 24. Tired, and told everything came back fine? Book a free 15-minute call.
What ferritin actually measures
Ferritin is the protein your body stores iron in. According to the NHMRC, about a quarter of the body's iron sits in stores like this, mostly in the liver, while around two thirds is in the haemoglobin of your red blood cells.
That order matters. When iron runs short, the stores empty first, then the iron available to make red blood cells drops, and only after that does haemoglobin fall and anaemia show up. So a ferritin result can be low while your haemoglobin, and the full blood count most people think of as "my bloods", still looks completely fine.
Why a "normal" result can still be low
There are three different numbers in circulation, and they do not agree.
| Cut-off | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Under 15 µg/L | The World Health Organization's population threshold, used in Australia's National Health Measures Survey. By this measure, 5.6% of women and 0.9% of men had low ferritin in 2022 to 24. |
| Under 15 to 25 µg/L | Where most laboratories set the bottom of their reference range, according to a 2025 guide in the Australian Journal of General Practice. A result above this is usually reported without a flag. |
| Under 30 µg/L | The level Australian Prescriber and Lifeblood use for iron deficiency in adults. It picks it up with 92% sensitivity and 98% specificity. |
So there is a band, roughly 15 to 30, where a result can sit inside the reference range, be reported as normal, and still be under the level Australian guidance uses. Even Lifeblood describes 15 to 30 as the lower end of the normal range and asks female donors in it to wait six months before giving whole blood.
What I see in clinic. Reasonably often the ferritin is sitting at 22 or 26, inside the laboratory range, reported back as normal, and nobody raised it because nothing was flagged.
Sometimes that is the whole story and sometimes it is not. That is why I always ask for the number, not the word beside it.
Signs your iron might be running low
Low iron is easy to miss because the signs are so ordinary. Healthdirect lists feeling tired, listless and weak, and poor concentration. Australian Prescriber adds reduced exercise performance and difficulty concentrating, and notes that iron deficiency without anaemia has been linked with restless legs. Plenty of other things cause the same symptoms, which is exactly why the number matters.
Why ferritin runs low
Australian Prescriber groups the causes into four: not enough iron coming in, a higher need for it, trouble absorbing it, and blood loss. In practice that looks like:
- heavy periods, which Healthdirect names as a common cause of blood loss
- eating little meat, fish or poultry without planning plant iron around it
- a gut condition that affects absorption, such as coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease, or stomach surgery
- regular blood donation
- some medicines, including regular anti-inflammatories
If gut symptoms are part of your picture too, our page on gut health and bloating covers how those get looked at.
What the rest of your iron studies show
Ferritin is one line on an iron studies report. The others help your GP work out what a ferritin result means.
| Marker | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Ferritin | How much iron is in storage. Low in iron deficiency, but it can read normal or high when inflammation is present. |
| Transferrin saturation | How much iron is actually available in your blood. Under 20% suggests low iron availability, even when ferritin looks normal. |
| Haemoglobin | Part of a full blood count. Often still normal when iron stores are low, and falls once anaemia develops. |
| CRP | A marker of inflammation, usually a separate test. It helps show whether a ferritin result has been pushed up. |
These patterns follow Australian Prescriber and Lifeblood.
How to raise a low ferritin
Find the cause first. Australian Prescriber is clear that the reason for iron deficiency should always be looked for, because topping up stores without fixing a leak does not last.
Eat for iron. Iron from meat, fish and poultry, called haem iron, is more readily absorbed than iron from plants. According to the NHMRC, vitamin C, and meat, fish or poultry in the same meal, help your body absorb plant iron, while calcium and the phytates in legumes and grains can reduce it. Healthdirect adds that tea and coffee with a meal lower absorption. The builder below shows how quickly a day of food adds up.
Talk to your GP about treatment. Depending on the cause and how low your stores are, that might mean iron tablets or an iron infusion. Healthdirect notes that too much iron can be harmful too, which is why a test comes before tablets.
Build a day of iron-rich food
Tap what you would eat in a day. The bar fills towards the recommended dietary intake for the age and sex you picked above: 18 mg a day for women up to 50, and 8 mg for men and for women over 50. Foods tagged haem are the more readily absorbed kind.
0.0 mg of 18 mg
Tap foods to add them
Iron per serve from FSANZ AUSNUT 2023. The recommended intake drops from 18 to 8 mg at 51, so women aged 45 to 54 see the higher figure here. Food alone may not shift a low ferritin, which is a conversation for your GP.
What a high ferritin means
A high ferritin is not simply "lots of iron". Lifeblood notes that ferritin also rises with inflammation, infection and liver disease. That is why a high result belongs with your GP rather than being managed with diet, and why a ferritin that looks fine can hide low iron when inflammation is present.
When to see your GP
Book in with your GP if
- your ferritin is under 30, or flagged high, and you want to understand why
- your periods are heavy
- you have noticed blood in your poo or on the toilet paper
- you have ongoing gut symptoms, or a gut condition that affects absorption
- you are feeling tired, weak or foggy and it is not lifting
- you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, because iron needs and cut-offs are different
More on the causes and treatment of low iron is on Healthdirect's iron deficiency page.
Ferritin is one of the numbers we look at when someone is tired for no obvious reason. Our pages on fatigue and brain fog and on the nutrient deficiencies most common in Australia go further. Other free tools: the protein calculator, the caffeine calculator and the Bristol Stool Chart.
Tired, and told your bloods are fine?
Bring your last blood results, with the actual numbers if you have them. A free 15-minute call is usually enough to work out whether it is worth looking further, and what to ask your GP. No test is booked on the call.
Book a free 15-minute callFifteen minutes on the phone with a clinical nutritionist, at no cost.
The testing methods she used were comprehensive and clearly explained, which gave me confidence in the process and helped me understand what was actually going on in my body.
Common questions about ferritin levels
What is a normal ferritin level?
Laboratory ranges vary, and most only flag a result as low somewhere under 15 to 25 micrograms per litre. Australian guidance uses a ferritin under 30 as the level that reliably picks up iron deficiency in adults, so a result between 15 and 30 can be reported as normal while still being low.
What ferritin level is too low?
In adults without inflammation, Australian Prescriber and Lifeblood both use a ferritin under 30 micrograms per litre. When inflammation is present, ferritin rises with it, and a level under 100 with a transferrin saturation under 20% can still reflect iron deficiency. Your GP reads the number alongside the rest of your bloods.
How can I increase my ferritin?
Start with the cause, because low ferritin usually has one, such as heavy periods, low intake or poor absorption. Iron-rich foods help, especially meat, fish and poultry, and vitamin C helps your body absorb iron from plant foods. Whether you need iron tablets or an infusion is a decision for your GP, since too much iron can also be harmful.
What does a high ferritin level mean?
Ferritin rises with inflammation, infection and liver disease as well as with iron stores, according to Lifeblood. A high result is not something to manage with diet on your own. If your report flags it above range, talk it through with your GP.
When should I worry about my ferritin level?
Talk to your GP if your ferritin is under 30, if it is flagged high, or if you are tired, weak or foggy and it is not lifting. Heavy periods, blood in your poo, ongoing gut symptoms and pregnancy are all reasons to raise it sooner, because each changes what a result means or what is causing it.
Can I get a ferritin test without seeing a GP?
Yes. In Australia you can request iron studies, which include ferritin, without a GP referral, but there is no Medicare rebate when you do. Through your GP, the result is read with the rest of your health history.
Sources
- Balendran S, Forsyth C. Non-anaemic iron deficiency. Australian Prescriber, 2021;44:193-6. The under-30 threshold (92% sensitivity, 98% specificity), the under-100 threshold with transferrin saturation under 20% in inflammatory states, the iron studies pattern, symptoms and causes.
- Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. Iron deficiency anaemia, clinical guidance: investigation. Ferritin as the test of choice, its rise with inflammation, infection and liver disease, the role of CRP, and the adult threshold of 30.
- Patel and colleagues. Ferric carboxymaltose: a practical guide on the administration of iron infusions in general practice. Australian Journal of General Practice, 2025;54(5). Most laboratories use a lower cut-off of 15 to 25, while under 30 has high sensitivity and specificity.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Measures Survey, 2022-24. Share of adults under a ferritin of 15 (women 5.6%, men 0.9%) and average ferritin by age and sex.
- Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. Ferritin testing for donors. Describes 15 to 30 as the lower end of the normal range for female donors.
- NHMRC. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand: iron. Recommended dietary intakes, iron stored as ferritin, haem and non-haem iron, and what helps or hinders absorption.
- Healthdirect Australia. Iron deficiency. Symptoms, causes including heavy periods, iron studies, tea and coffee, vitamin C, treatment options, and iron being harmful in excess.
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand. AUSNUT 2023. Iron per 100 g and household serve weights for the foods in the builder.
Important: This page is general information for adults who are not pregnant, reviewed by a clinical nutritionist. It is not medical advice and does not replace care from your GP or another qualified health professional. The checker describes where a number sits against published cut-offs; it cannot tell you what your result means for you. Read our full disclaimer.
Reviewed by Georgina Waugh
Clinical Nutritionist, BHSc Nutritional Medicine
Last updated: 13 September 2026
Sources reviewed: Australian Prescriber, Lifeblood, the Australian Journal of General Practice, the ABS National Health Measures Survey, the NHMRC, Healthdirect and FSANZ