Vitamins and minerals
High Ferritin Levels: What a Raised Result Means
Reviewed by a qualified clinician · analysed at UKAS-accredited UK labs (ISO 15189)
Last reviewed August 20265 min read
Every Helvy guide is written by our health editors, then checked by a qualified clinician before it goes live and re-checked as the science moves. We name clinical roles, not individuals, until each reviewer has agreed to be credited publicly. This is wellness guidance to help you understand your own data, not a diagnosis.
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A ferritin above about 300 µg/L in men, or 200 µg/L in women under 50, reads as high on most UK reports. Iron overload is only one cause. Inflammation, alcohol and liver strain all lift ferritin, so transferrin saturation is the marker that separates them.
Not sure which markers you need? Build your test →Your ferritin comes back at 480, with an H beside it. You searched the word and the first thing you found was haemochromatosis. Now you are worried about your liver.
Slow down. Ferritin is the protein that holds iron in reserve, so it does track your iron stores. It also rises for reasons that have nothing to do with iron, and those reasons are far more common.
1. What counts as a high ferritin in the UK?
The top of the range depends on your sex and age. North West London Pathology publishes these adult ranges.
| Group | Reference range |
|---|---|
| Men over 15 | 20 to 300 µg/L |
| Women 15 to 50 | 15 to 200 µg/L |
| Women over 50 | 20 to 300 µg/L |
The women's ceiling rises after 50 because periods stop taking iron out. Labs differ, so read your number against the range printed on your own report. Our guide to blood test reference ranges explains why those bands move.
2. Why high ferritin is usually not iron overload
Ferritin is what doctors call an acute phase protein. That means it climbs whenever your body is inflamed, whatever the reason. A chest infection, a flare of arthritis, a hard week of training, a recent operation. All of them push it up while your iron stores sit unchanged.
Alcohol lifts it too, and so does a liver under strain. Fatty liver is a common and quiet cause of a mildly raised ferritin in the UK. The NHS is direct about how wide the list is.
“A high level of iron in the body can have several causes other than haemochromatosis.”
— NHS, Haemochromatosis: Diagnosis
The NHS lists long-term liver disease, alcohol misuse, repeated blood transfusions, long-term dialysis, and too much iron from supplements or injections. So a single raised number does not settle anything. It asks a question.
3. When it does point to too much iron
One marker does most of the work here. Transferrin saturation shows how much of your iron transport protein is actually carrying iron. If ferritin is high because of inflammation, saturation usually stays normal. If your body is genuinely loading iron, saturation climbs with it.
That is why the NHS route for suspected iron overload measures both. A transferrin saturation test, a serum ferritin test, a full blood count and a liver test, then a genetic test if those point that way. Our full blood count guide covers what that first set of numbers shows.
None of this is something to work out alone. A raised ferritin with a raised transferrin saturation is the pattern a clinician follows up. A raised ferritin with normal saturation usually sends them looking for inflammation instead.
4. What to do with a high result
Four steps, in order.
- Stop any iron supplement you started yourself. Not one a clinician prescribed. Ask them first.
- Note anything recent. Illness, injury, a heavy training block or a drinking weekend all lift the number.
- Get transferrin saturation measured. It is the marker that separates iron loading from inflammation.
- Take the set to your GP. Ferritin, saturation, liver markers and an inflammation marker read together.
Inflammation is worth measuring properly rather than guessing at. Our guide to the inflammation blood test covers CRP, and the liver function test guide covers the enzymes that often move alongside a raised ferritin.
5. Which blood test reports your ferritin
The marker is ferritin, reported in µg/L. Take a morning sample and leave that day's iron supplement off, or you measure the dose rather than your baseline.
Helvy's Vitamins & Minerals panel (£159) reports ferritin with iron, transferrin, transferrin saturation and total iron binding capacity. That grouping is the point of this guide. Ferritin alone is ambiguous, and saturation is what makes it readable.
One honest limit. This is not a full anaemia screen and it is not a test for haemochromatosis. It shows how your iron markers sit, and the report says when a GP conversation is the sensible next step. To pick your own markers, the build-my-test tool walks you through it.
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See your ferritin next to the marker that explains it
Helvy's home blood tests report ferritin with transferrin saturation and the rest of the iron set, so one number is never read alone. Samples are processed by UKAS-accredited UK labs.
Frequently asked questions
What is a high ferritin level in the UK?
Above 300 µg/L in men and in women over 50, and above 200 µg/L in women aged 15 to 50, using the ranges published by North West London Pathology. Labs vary, so check your own report.
Does high ferritin always mean too much iron?
No. Ferritin rises with inflammation, infection, alcohol and liver strain as well as with iron stores. The NHS says a high iron level can have several causes other than haemochromatosis.
Is a ferritin of 400 something to worry about?
It is above the usual range and worth following up, not panicking over. The useful next number is transferrin saturation. Normal saturation with high ferritin usually points at inflammation rather than iron.
Can alcohol raise ferritin?
Yes. The NHS lists alcohol misuse among the causes of a high iron level, and heavy drinking also strains the liver, which lifts ferritin further. Cutting back before a repeat test is worth doing.
What blood tests go with a raised ferritin?
Transferrin saturation first. Then liver markers, an inflammation marker such as CRP, and a full blood count. The NHS route for suspected iron overload uses that set before any genetic test.
Should you stop iron tablets if ferritin is high?
Stop one you started yourself, and mention it to your GP. Do not stop anything a clinician prescribed without asking them. Leaving the dose off before a repeat test gives a cleaner reading either way.
Related guides
Ferritin Blood Test UK
What the test measures, and when it is worth doing.
Optimal Ferritin Levels UK
The other end of the range, and why low matters more often.
Transferrin Saturation Blood Test
The marker that separates iron loading from inflammation.
Inflammation Blood Test UK
CRP, and what a raised inflammation marker does to iron results.
Liver Function Test UK
The enzymes that often move alongside a raised ferritin.
Full Blood Count UK
The first set of numbers behind almost every iron question.