Below are the reference intervals as published in the twelfth edition of Dacie and Lewis Practical Haematology.1
Red Blood Cell Count
- Men: 5.0 ± 0.5 × 10^12/l
- Women: 4.3 ± 0.5 × 10^12/l
Haemoglobin Concentration
- Men: 150 ± 20 g/l
- Women: 135 ± 15 g/l
Packed Cell Volume (PCV) or Haematocrit (Hct)
- Men: 0.45 ± 0.05 l/l
- Women: 0.41 ± 0.05 l/l
Mean Cell Volume (MCV)
- Men and Women: 92 ± 9 fl
Mean Cell Haemoglobin (MCH)
- Men and Women: 29.5 ± 2.5 pg
Mean Cell Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
- Men and Women: 330 ± 15 g/l
Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW)
- As Coefficient of Variation (CV): 12.8% ± 1.2%
Red Cell Diameter (Mean Values)
- Dry Films: 6.7–7.7 μm
Red Cell Density
- 1092–1100 g/l
Reticulocyte Count
- 50–100 × 10^9/l (0.5–2.5%)
White Blood Cell Count
- 4.0–10.0 × 10^9/l
Differential White Cell Count
- Neutrophils: 2.0–7.0 × 10^9/l (40–80%)
- Lymphocytes: 1.0–3.0 × 10^9/l (20–40%)
- Monocytes: 0.2–1.0 × 10^9/l (2–10%)
- Eosinophils: 0.02–0.5 × 10^9/l (1–6%)
- Basophils: 0.02–0.1 × 10^9/l (< 1–2%)
Lymphocyte Subsets (Approximations from Published Data)
- CD3: 0.6–2.5 × 10^9/l (60–85%)
- CD4: 0.4–1.5 × 10^9/l (30–50%)
- CD8: 0.2–1.1 × 10^9/l (10–35%)
- CD4/CD8 Ratio: 0.7–3.5
Platelet Count
- 280 ± 130 × 10^9/l
Bleeding Time
- Ivy Method: 2–7 min
- Template Method: 2.5–9.5 min
Thrombin Time
- 15–19 s
Plasma Fibrinogen Concentration
- 1.8–3.6 g/l
Plasminogen Concentration
- 0.75–1.60 u/ml
Antithrombin Concentration
- 0.75–1.25 u/ml
Protein C Concentration
- Functional: 0.70–1.40 u/ml
- Antigen: 0.61–1.32 u/ml
Protein S Concentration
- Total Antigen: 0.78–1.37 u/ml
- Free Antigen: 0.68–1.52 u/ml
- Premenopausal Women: 0.55–1.55 u/ml
- Functional: 0.60–1.35 u/ml
Heparin Cofactor II Concentration
- 0.55–1.45 u/ml
Median Red Cell Fragility (MCF) (g/l NaCl)
- Fresh Blood: 4.0–4.45 g/l NaCl
- After 24 h at 37°C: 4.65–5.9 g/l NaCl
Cold Agglutinin Titre (4°C)
- < 64
Blood Volume (Normalised to ‘Ideal Weight’)
- Red Cell Volume (Men): 30 ± 5 ml/kg
- Red Cell Volume (Women): 25 ± 5 ml/kg
- Plasma Volume: 45 ± 5 ml/kg
- Total Blood Volume: 70 ± 10 ml/kg
Red Cell Lifespan
- 120 ± 30 days
Serum Iron
- Men and Women: 10–30 μmol/l (0.6–1.7 mg/l)
Total Iron-Binding Capacity
- 47–70 μmol/l (2.5–4.0 mg/l)
Transferrin Saturation
- 16–50%
Serum Ferritin Concentration
- Men: 15–300 μg/l (median 100 μg/l)
- Women: 15–200 μg/l (median 40 μg/l)
Serum Vitamin B12 Concentration
- 180–640 ng/l
Serum Folate Concentration
- 3–20 μg/l (6.8–45 nmol/l)
Red Cell Folate Concentration
- 160–640 μg/l (0.36–1.45 μmol/l)
Plasma Haemoglobin Concentration
- 10–40 mg/l
Serum Haptoglobin Concentration
- Radial Immunodiffusion: 0.8–2.7 g/l
- Haemoglobin Binding Capacity: 0.3–2.0 g/l
Haemoglobin A2
- 2.2–3.5%
Haemoglobin F
- < 1.0%
Methaemoglobin
- < 2.0%
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (mm in 1 h at 20°C ± 3°C)
- Men (17–50 years): ≤ 10
- Men (51–60 years): ≤ 12
- Men (61–70 years): ≤ 14
- Men (> 70 years): ≤ 30
- Women (17–50 years): ≤ 12
- Women (51–60 years): ≤ 19
- Women (61–70 years): ≤ 20
- Women (> 70 years): ≤ 35
Plasma Viscosity
- 25°C: 1.50–1.72 mPa/s
- 37°C: 1.16–1.33 mPa/s
Footnotes
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Bates I. Reference Ranges and Normal Values. In: Dacie and Lewis Practical Haematology [Internet]. Elsevier; 2017 [cited 2025 Mar 10]. p. 8–17. Available from: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/B9780702066962000023 ↩