Ferritin

The protein iron is stored in, and the single most useful marker of iron stores. It also rises with inflammation, which can mask genuinely low stores.

Ferritin in the Biomarker Guide — what it is, why it is tested, and what moves the number.

Add-on markers can only be added to venous samples.

Timing

No fasting needed. Ferritin is not moved about by a meal the way serum iron is, which is why the iron profile asks for a fasted morning sample and this does not. Recent illness matters more. Ferritin rises with any inflammation, so it can read normal in the fortnight after an infection even when stores are low.

Turnaround: the lab reports this test within 24 hours of receiving your sample, counted in working days. Most samples reach them within about 3 days of posting. Full detail on our Turnaround Times page.

We do not interpret results. Not medical advice or a diagnosis.