How Serum Iron appears on your report
Look for Serum Iron. The result is normally shown in µmol/L, next to the reference interval used by the laboratory that ran the test.
Note the collection date before you compare it with anything, along with the context that matters for this marker: meals, supplements, time of day, inflammation and recent blood loss can affect it. It is not a measure of iron stores on its own.
Serum Iron range in Australia
Vector tracks Serum Iron against an optimal range of 11.0–28.0 µmol/L. Australia has no nationally harmonised reference interval for this marker, so the interval printed on your report varies with the laboratory and the assay it used.
Vector’s optimal range is the band the app tracks against and the one printed in the doctor report. Why the two differ.
What to read alongside Serum Iron
A single marker rarely explains itself. These results are commonly interpreted together with Serum Iron, and Vector keeps them within reach of each other as your record grows.
Tracking Serum Iron over time
One Serum Iron result is a single point. Import the report into Vector, check the extracted value, unit and collection date, and it becomes the start of a series instead — with each later report adding a dated point you can actually compare against.
Further reading
Serum Iron is read the same way every other result on the report is. These two guides cover that method rather than this marker:
- How to read an Australian pathology report — A practical guide to dates, units, reference intervals and the context that belongs beside an Australian pathology result.
- Pathology report reference ranges: what they mean — Understand the laboratory interval, Australian guidance and the product context Vector adds to a result over time.
Common questions
What is a normal Serum Iron range in Australia?
Australia has no nationally harmonised reference interval for Serum Iron, so the range printed on your report varies with the laboratory and the assay it used — always read your result against the interval beside it. Vector tracks Serum Iron against an optimal range of 11.0–28.0 µmol/L, which is deliberately tighter than a population reference interval.
What is the optimal Serum Iron level?
Vector treats 11.0–28.0 µmol/L as the optimal range for Serum Iron. An optimal range is a target the app tracks against, not a clinical threshold, and it can differ from the interval your laboratory prints.
What unit is Serum Iron reported in on Australian pathology reports?
Serum Iron is usually reported in µmol/L on Australian pathology reports. The performing laboratory prints a reference interval in the same unit beside the result, and that interval is the one that governs your individual result.
What can change your Serum Iron result?
Meals, supplements, time of day, inflammation and recent blood loss can affect it. It is not a measure of iron stores on its own.
Sources
- RCPA Manual: Iron studies: serum ironAustralian pathology reference for this test and related result context.
- Healthdirect: vitaminsGeneral consumer context for nutrient testing and supplementation.
Published 2 August 2026 · Updated 3 August 2026 · Author Vector