About this site

A retired UK podiatrist with over thirty years of clinical practice built this site after getting frustrated trying to interpret his own blood test results.

When my results came through the NHS App, one of the values was flagged as "Abnormal" with a number next to it and nothing else. No context, no range, no sense of whether the number was a little outside the typical range or a long way outside it. I'm a healthcare professional — I know how to read pathology results in my own field, I'm comfortable with medical terminology, I know how to find information. And it still took me close to an hour to work out what the number meant: searching, comparing different sources, double-checking units (NHS labs in the UK use different units to laboratories elsewhere), and trying to find a clear typical range for a UK adult.

For someone without a clinical background, that experience must be considerably worse. There are plenty of websites that explain what each blood test is and what it measures. There are AI tools that will scan your whole report and produce a multi-page "health insight document." What I couldn't find was the simplest thing: a tool where you type in a value and the units, and instantly see whether it falls within the typical UK adult range.

So I made one. This is it.

What this site is

A free reference tool. It shows you the typical UK adult reference range for common blood tests, with your value plotted on a visual scale. It draws on published reference ranges from established UK clinical biochemistry sources.

What this site is not

It is not a diagnostic tool. It does not give medical advice. It does not replace your GP, your laboratory's reference range (which is the one that actually applies to your result), or any conversation you should be having with a clinician about what your results mean for you specifically.

About me

I qualified as a podiatrist in the UK and practised for over thirty years before retiring. I'm no longer registered with the HCPC and I'm not currently practising. This site is a personal project built for the public good. If you'd like to suggest a test to add, correct a reference range, or flag an error, please get in touch.

Sources

The reference ranges shown on this site are drawn from published UK clinical biochemistry sources. Where ranges vary between labs, we use the most commonly cited typical adult range.

Primary sources

• Pathology Harmony — the UK initiative that standardised reference intervals across NHS laboratories for common biochemistry and haematology tests.
• Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (ACB) — publishes UK clinical biochemistry guidance and reference range information.
• Lab Tests Online UK — the public-facing reference site run jointly by the Institute of Biomedical Science and the ACB.
• NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) — clinical guidance referencing diagnostic thresholds (used for tests like HbA1c where the diagnostic cut-off is itself defined by guidance).
• Royal College of Pathologists — guidance documents on specific test categories.

How reference ranges work

A reference range is typically defined as the range of values within which 95 percent of a healthy adult population falls. That means around 5 percent of perfectly healthy people will have results outside the "normal" range by definition. A result outside the range is not the same as a result that means something is wrong.

Different laboratories use different equipment and slightly different methods, so reference ranges vary between labs. The range printed on your own lab report is the one that strictly applies to your result. The ranges shown here are typical UK adult values, useful for orientation, but not a substitute for your lab's own range.

When ranges were last reviewed

The reference data on this site was last reviewed on 23 May 2026. Reference ranges change over time as analytical methods evolve. If you spot an error or an outdated range, please get in touch.

Articles

Plain-English explainers on how blood tests and reference ranges work. General information only — not medical advice, and not an interpretation of your own results.

• What Is a Blood Test Reference Range?How ranges are set from a healthy population, and why around 1 in 20 healthy people fall outside one.
• Why UK Labs Use Different UnitsWhy the same test can be reported in different units, and why online numbers often don’t line up with your report.
• What “Abnormal” Means on the NHS AppWhat an automatic flag does and doesn’t mean, and why it’s a prompt for context, not a diagnosis.
• How Common Blood Tests Are GroupedFull blood count, U&Es, liver function and the other common UK panels, described in general terms.
• Why Your Own Lab’s Range Is the One That AppliesWhy ranges vary between laboratories and over time, so your report’s range is what counts.

Disclaimer

This site provides general health information only. It is not medical advice and must not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

What this means in practice

The reference ranges shown on this site are typical UK adult values for orientation purposes. They are not specific to your laboratory, your age, your ethnicity, your medical history, your medications, or any condition you may have. A result that falls inside the typical range may still be abnormal for you, and a result that falls outside the typical range may be entirely expected for your circumstances.

Always interpret your results in the context of:

• The reference range printed on your own laboratory report
• Your full medical history and current medications
• Any symptoms you are experiencing
• Advice from a qualified clinician who knows your case

If your result concerns you

Speak to your GP. In the UK you can also call NHS 111 for non-emergency health advice, or 999 in an emergency.

Limitation of liability

The author of this site accepts no liability for any action taken or not taken on the basis of information provided here. While reasonable effort is made to ensure accuracy, no warranty is given that the information is complete, current, or fit for any particular purpose.

Contact

To report an error, suggest a test, or get in touch, email: contact@bloodtestranges.co.uk.

Privacy

This site is designed to collect as little information about you as possible.

Information we do not collect

• We do not require you to create an account.
• We do not store the test values you enter — they exist only in your browser and disappear when you close the page.
• We do not ask for your name, email address, date of birth, or any other personal information to use the tool.
• We do not track you across other websites.

Information we do collect

Like most websites, our hosting provider records basic information such as your IP address and which pages you visit, for the purposes of running the site and preventing abuse. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand how the site is used in aggregate. It does not use cookies and does not track individuals.

Your rights under UK GDPR

You have the right to know what information is held about you, to have it corrected if it is wrong, to have it deleted in certain circumstances, and to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your rights have been infringed.

Contact

For any privacy-related questions, email: contact@bloodtestranges.co.uk.