Heart health
Normal ApoB Levels: The Ranges and the Real Targets
Reviewed by a qualified clinician · analysed at UKAS-accredited UK labs (ISO 15189)
Last reviewed September 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.
QUICK ANSWER
UK labs report ApoB in g/L, and they do not agree on one range. South West London Pathology prints 0.66 to 1.33 g/L. Sheffield prints 0.55 to 1.40 for men. European guidelines set goals by risk instead: under 1.00, under 0.80, or under 0.65 g/L.
Not sure which markers you need? Build your test →You look up a normal ApoB range and get three answers. That is not you missing something. UK labs genuinely print different ranges, and the guidelines do not use a range at all.
ApoB, short for apolipoprotein B, is a protein that sits on the outside of every cholesterol particle that can lodge in an artery wall. One particle carries exactly one ApoB. So counting ApoB counts the particles.
1. What is a normal ApoB level in the UK?
There is no single UK normal. Different NHS laboratories publish different reference ranges for the same marker, and the gap between them is wide.
| Laboratory | Range |
|---|---|
| South West London Pathology | 0.66 to 1.33 g/L |
| Sheffield Laboratory Medicine, men | 0.55 to 1.40 g/L |
| Sheffield Laboratory Medicine, women | 0.55 to 1.25 g/L |
Read your own number against the range printed on your own report. A result of 1.30 g/L is inside the range at one lab and near the top of it at another.
There is a deeper problem with the whole idea. A reference range describes what is common in a population. It does not describe what is desirable. Our guide on blood test reference ranges covers why those two things drift apart.
2. The goals that matter more than the range
The 2019 European Society of Cardiology and European Atherosclerosis Society lipid guidelines skip the reference range. They set ApoB goals that fall as your cardiovascular risk rises.
| Risk level | Goal |
|---|---|
| Moderate risk | Under 1.00 g/L (100 mg/dL) |
| High risk | Under 0.80 g/L (80 mg/dL) |
| Very high risk | Under 0.65 g/L (65 mg/dL) |
One caveat before you use those. They are goals for people already under a clinician's care for cardiovascular risk. They are not a pass mark for a healthy adult with no risk factors.
UK practice is different again. NICE works to non-HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, not to ApoB. So your GP will very likely talk about those two numbers instead.
3. Converting mg/dL to g/L
This one is easy. Divide mg/dL by 100 to get g/L. Multiply g/L by 100 to go back.
- 65 mg/dL is 0.65 g/L.
- 80 mg/dL is 0.80 g/L.
- 100 mg/dL is 1.00 g/L.
- 130 mg/dL is 1.30 g/L.
UK reports use g/L. Most US sources and podcasts use mg/dL. That is the whole reason the same target appears as both 65 and 0.65.
4. Why ApoB beats LDL on its own
LDL cholesterol measures how much cholesterol your particles are carrying. ApoB counts the particles themselves. Two people can carry the same cholesterol load in very different numbers of particles.
“Because each atherogenic lipoprotein particle only contains one molecule of apoB, the plasma apoB measurement provides a measurement of the total number of atherogenic particles in plasma.”
— Apolipoprotein B: Bridging the Gap Between Evidence and Clinical Practice
How often do the two disagree? Often enough to matter. An analysis of UK Biobank participants without cardiovascular disease, and not taking statins, found that 18% had discordant ApoB and LDL cholesterol values.
That gap is widest in people carrying high triglycerides or the features of metabolic syndrome. Their LDL can read reassuringly while their particle count does not.
One more practical point from the same review: ApoB is unaffected by fasting state. You can measure it after breakfast. Our cholesterol blood test guide covers which of the other lipid markers do want a fast.
5. Which blood test reports your ApoB
ApoB is not part of a standard NHS cholesterol check. Some hospital labs run it weekly as a specialist request, which is why turnaround times of a week or more appear on their test pages.
Helvy's Advanced Heart Health panel (£159) reports ApoB alongside Lp(a), total, LDL, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, hs-CRP and HbA1c. Reading ApoB next to non-HDL is the useful comparison, because that is where discordance shows up.
One honest limit. Blood markers describe cardiovascular risk. No blood test can see plaque inside an artery, so a good ApoB is a better risk picture rather than an all-clear. To pick your own markers, the build-my-test tool walks you through it.
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Count the particles, not just the cholesterol
Helvy's home blood tests report ApoB in g/L with plain-English context, next to the cholesterol markers your GP works to. Samples are processed by UKAS-accredited UK labs.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal ApoB level in g/L?
It depends on the lab. South West London Pathology publishes 0.66 to 1.33 g/L. Sheffield Laboratory Medicine publishes 0.55 to 1.40 for men and 0.55 to 1.25 for women. Read your result against the range on your own report.
Is an ApoB of 1.0 g/L good?
It sits inside every UK reference range above. It also sits right on the European goal for someone at moderate cardiovascular risk, and above the goals for higher risk. Whether that is good for you depends on your own risk, which a qualified clinician reads in context.
Do you need to fast for an ApoB test?
No. The clinical review of ApoB states plainly that it is unaffected by fasting state. If your sample also measures triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, an overnight fast makes those two more accurate.
What is the difference between ApoB and LDL cholesterol?
LDL cholesterol measures the cholesterol your particles carry. ApoB counts the particles. In a UK Biobank analysis, 18% of people had values that disagreed, which is why one can look reassuring while the other does not.
How do you convert ApoB from mg/dL to g/L?
Divide by 100. So 80 mg/dL is 0.80 g/L, and 130 mg/dL is 1.30 g/L. UK reports use g/L, while US sources usually use mg/dL.
Does the NHS measure ApoB?
Some NHS laboratories offer it as a specialist biochemistry request, but it is not part of a routine cholesterol check. NICE guidance works to non-HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, so those are the numbers a GP will usually quote.
Related guides
ApoB Blood Test UK
What the test measures, and when it is worth doing.
ApoB vs LDL Cholesterol
Where the two markers agree, and where they part company.
Normal Lp(a) Levels UK
The inherited particle that carries an ApoB of its own.
Cholesterol Blood Test UK
What a standard lipid panel measures, and what it leaves out.
Heart Health Hub
Every heart marker guide in one place.
Blood Test Reference Ranges UK
Why normal on a lab report is a population range, not a target.