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Chloride is an electrolyte in your blood. It helps control the amount of fluid and the balance between acids and bases in your body. A high level can point to dehydration or a kidney condition. A low level can point to a heart condition or a lung disease.[1]
On this page you can read what chloride is, what the guidelines say about a low or high level, what affects your level and which values are best to read alongside it.
Also called: serum chloride. At the lab: CL.
Chloride is an electrolyte. Electrolytes are minerals with an electric charge. They help control the amount of fluid and the balance between acids and bases in your body. You find them in your blood, your urine, your tissues and other body fluids.[1]
You take in chloride through your food, mainly through salt. What your body does not need, you pass in your urine. Chloride also helps keep your blood volume and your blood pressure healthy.[1]
Chloride is often measured as part of a routine blood test of your general health. This is usually done together with other electrolytes, such as potassium, sodium and bicarbonate.[1]
Together with those other electrolytes, chloride helps monitor conditions of the kidneys, heart and liver, and blood pressure problems. It also helps with questions about a disturbed fluid or acid balance.[1]
Your doctor may also request the test if you have symptoms that fit such an imbalance. Think of long-lasting vomiting, diarrhoea, tiredness, weakness, dehydration or difficulty breathing.[1]
Labplusarts, the lab BioProfile works with, uses a reference range of 98 to 107 mmol/l for chloride (CL). The lab calls a value within these limits normal.[2]
| Value | What it can mean | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 98 to 107 mmol/l[2] | Normal according to the lab | The lab does not name a separate group |
Source: Labplusarts, the lab BioProfile works with. Reference range for the chloride test (CL).[2]
A low chloride level is called hypochloraemia. According to MedlinePlus, it can point to a heart condition, a lung disease or a condition of the adrenal glands in which they make too little of certain hormones. It can also point to too much base in your blood. That can cause irritability, muscle twitching and tingling in your fingers and toes.[1]
A high chloride level is called hyperchloraemia. According to MedlinePlus, it can point to dehydration, a kidney condition or too much acid in your blood. Too much acid can cause nausea, vomiting and tiredness.[1]
BioProfile is working on its own zones for each value, from risk to optimal. A doctor reviews those zones before they appear in your result.
You take in chloride through your food, mainly through salt. Your body removes the excess through your urine.[1]
Drinking a very large amount can change your level. The same goes for losing fluid through vomiting or diarrhoea.[1]
Some medicines, such as stomach acid reducers, can give an abnormal result. Tell your doctor which medicines you take. Do not stop taking a medicine on your own. Only stop if your doctor tells you to.[1]
Chloride is included in BioProfile 87, 121 and 150.[3]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 10 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 10 October 2026. Every number on this page appears in one of those sources, with that source's number next to it. An expert has yet to check this page; after that check, the expert's name and the date of the check will appear at the top. This page offers explanation, not a diagnosis. Discuss a value outside the range with your GP.
