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MCHC measures how densely packed the hemoglobin is in your red blood cells. A low level may point to iron deficiency anaemia, and a high level to a form of anaemia in which red blood cells are broken down faster than they are made.[1]
On this page you can read what MCHC is, what the guidelines say about a low or high level, what affects your level and which values are best to look at alongside it.
Also known as: average hemoglobin concentration per red blood cell, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. At the lab: n/a.
Red blood cells are also called erythrocytes. Your bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside your large bones, makes them. They contain hemoglobin, an iron-containing protein that carries oxygen from your lungs to every cell in your body.[1]
MCHC stands for mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. It measures how concentrated the hemoglobin in your red blood cells is. The calculation also takes in the size and volume of your red blood cells.[1]
MCHC is one of the red blood cell indices, alongside MCV, MCH and RDW. Together they measure the size, shape and quality of your red blood cells.[1]
Your cells need oxygen to grow, divide and make energy. Hemoglobin in your red blood cells carries that oxygen around your body.[1]
There are different forms of anaemia. Each one affects the size, shape or quality of your red blood cells in its own way. That is why the red blood cell indices help your doctor see which form it might be.[1]
You may have this test as part of a routine check-up. Or because you have symptoms that fit with anaemia, such as shortness of breath, weakness or tiredness, headaches, dizziness, an irregular heartbeat, pale skin or cold hands and feet.[1]
Your doctor never looks at one value on its own. Your symptoms, your medical history and your other blood values all count.[1]
The lab lists its own reference range for MCHC with your result. The lab calls a value between the lower and upper limits normal.
| Result | Can point to | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Lower than normal[1] | Iron deficiency anaemia | No specific group mentioned |
| Lower than normal[1] | An inherited blood condition that makes your body produce fewer healthy red blood cells and less hemoglobin | No specific group mentioned |
| Higher than normal[1] | Anaemia in which red blood cells are broken down faster than they are replaced | No specific group mentioned |
| Higher than normal[1] | A rare inherited condition of the red blood cells that causes anaemia | No specific group mentioned |
Source: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, an explanation of red blood cell indices for a general audience. The source gives no figures: normal is your lab's range.[1]
An MCHC that is lower than normal may point to iron deficiency anaemia. This is the most common form of anaemia. It may also point to an inherited blood condition that makes your body produce fewer healthy red blood cells and less hemoglobin.[1]
An MCHC that is higher than normal may point to a form of anaemia in which red blood cells are broken down faster than they are replaced. It may also point to a rare inherited condition of the red blood cells that causes anaemia.[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.
Hemoglobin is an iron-containing protein. If your body has too little iron, iron deficiency anaemia can develop. This can lower your MCHC.[1]
Some blood conditions run in families. One of them can lower your MCHC, while a rare condition of the red blood cells can make it higher instead.[1]
If your red blood cells are broken down faster than your body can replace them, your MCHC may come out higher.[1]
You don't need to do anything special to prepare for this test.[1]
MCHC is included in all five packages, from BioProfile 31 to BioProfile 150.[2]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 3 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 3 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 review this page; once they have, the expert's name and the date of the review will appear at the top. This page explains and does not diagnose. Talk to your GP about a value outside the range.
