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Labwise › Tests › Complete blood count (CBC)

Red Blood Cell CountM/uL

The number of red blood cells per microliter of blood. Read together with hemoglobin and hematocrit.

See your own Red Blood Cell Count on its range.

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What Red Blood Cell Count measures

The number of red blood cells per microliter of blood. Read together with hemoglobin and hematocrit.

If your Red Blood Cell Count is low

Fewer red cells than the range is one of the values that make up anemia; it is read with hemoglobin, hematocrit and the red cell indices.

Commonly associated with

Worth asking your clinician: Whether iron studies or vitamin levels would help explain the picture.

If your Red Blood Cell Count is high

More red cells than the range is commonly related to concentration of the blood (dehydration), living at altitude, smoking, or sometimes conditions that raise red cell production.

Commonly associated with

Worth asking your clinician: Whether hemoglobin and hematocrit tell the same story and whether a repeat is useful.

Typical reference range

GroupTypical range
Women3.77 – 5.28 M/uL
Men4.14 – 5.8 M/uL

Typical adult values used by many US labs. Your own report prints the range your lab validated for its method, and that range is the one that counts. Labwise always uses the printed range first.

If it is within range

Your red blood cell count is within the range printed by your lab.

Also listed as

RBC, RBC Count, Erythrocytes

Related tests

This page is general information about what a laboratory test measures and what results outside a reference range are commonly associated with. It is not medical advice, does not diagnose any condition and does not replace your clinician. Discuss your results with your healthcare provider.