MCHC

Measured in g/dL

How concentrated the hemoglobin is inside your red blood cells — a calculated value that sits in a narrow range and is easily skewed by lab artifacts.

What it is

MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration) describes how tightly packed the oxygen-carrying protein is inside your red blood cells — not how much there is overall, but how concentrated it is for the size of the cells. It's calculated from your hemoglobin and hematocrit and normally sits in a fairly narrow range, and it's reviewed alongside MCV, MCH, and RDW. It's the index most prone to being thrown off by technical issues in the lab — things like a lipemic (fatty) sample or red cells clumping in the tube can push it up artificially — so unexpected values are often confirmed rather than interpreted right away.

Typical range

  • Adults32–36 g/dL

Source · StatPearls (NCBI Bookshelf NBK604207) (2024)

Reference ranges vary between laboratories, and what is normal for you depends on your own history. Your own lab’s range is the one printed on your report.

Worth asking your clinician

  • Could a lab or sample-handling factor explain my MCHC, and would rechecking it be worthwhile?
  • Does my MCHC fit with the rest of my red-cell numbers, or does it stand out?
  • Is this a value I should be tracking, or is it not meaningful on its own for me?