Blood
Creatinine
Also known as: Cr, Creat, sCr
CONVERT & COMPARE
mg/dL
=
88.4
µmol/L
=
88.4
umol/L
=
88.4
mcmol/L
Reference ranges by source
Published adult intervals: 22, from 8 named sources, shown in mg/dL.
SOURCE
SEX
AGE
RANGE
VISUAL
CITE
J
JSCC / JAMT Japan
Male
≥18y
0.65 – 1.07 mg/dL
J
JSCC / JAMT Japan
Female
≥18y
0.46 – 0.79 mg/dL
T
Turkey Nationwide Reference Intervals
Male
≥18y
0.66 – 1.04 mg/dL
T
Turkey Nationwide Reference Intervals
Female
≥18y
0.56 – 0.8 mg/dL
J
JSCC / JAMT Japan
Male · ≥18y
0.65 – 1.07 mg/dL
J
JSCC / JAMT Japan
Female · ≥18y
0.46 – 0.79 mg/dL
T
Turkey Nationwide Reference Intervals
Male · ≥18y
0.66 – 1.04 mg/dL
T
Turkey Nationwide Reference Intervals
Female · ≥18y
0.56 – 0.8 mg/dL
Ages 0–17 (CALIPER)
12 age- and sex-stratified entries from the Canadian Laboratory Initiative on Pediatric Reference Intervals.
SOURCE
SEX
AGE
RANGE
VISUAL
CITE
About Creatinine
This test measures creatinine levels in a sample of your blood and/or urine (pee). Creatinine is a normal waste product in your body. It's made when you use your muscles and some of the muscle tissue breaks down. Daily creatinine production stays fairly constant unless there's significant muscle injury.
Normally, your kidneys filter creatinine from your blood and remove it from your body in your urine. If there is a problem with your kidneys, creatinine can build up in your blood and less may be released in urine. If blood and/or urine creatinine levels are not normal, it may be a sign of kidney disease.
Creatinine in blood may be measured by itself or as part of a group of tests called a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) or a basic metabolic panel (BMP). Your health care provider may order these tests as part of a routine checkup.
Main source: MedlinePlus ↗
Useful for
Check the health of your kidneys
Diagnose kidney disease
Monitor known kidney problems and see how well treatment is working
Check for side effects from medicines that may affect your kidneys
Calculate an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which uses your blood creatinine along with your age, weight, height, and sex to estimate how fast your kidneys filter waste. This is a more accurate way to measure kidney health than creatinine alone, and helpful for showing how serious kidney disease may be
Calculate a creatinine clearance by comparing creatinine in blood and urine, which can help identify the cause of high or low blood creatinine in people who have very high muscle mass or a loss of muscle mass from age, illness, or the loss of an arm and/or leg
Calculate a urine albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR), sometimes called a microalbumin creatinine ratio, to give a more accurate measurement of how much albumin is in your urine. Larger amounts of albumin in urine may be a sign of kidney damage
Compare blood creatinine with BUN (blood urea nitrogen) when both are measured as part of a CMP or BMP, which can help find out the cause of a kidney problem
Main source: MedlinePlus ↗
Interpretation
Creatinine levels considered normal for you depend on how much muscle you have, what you eat, your age, and how active you are. If you're healthy, your levels are usually fairly stable over time.
Higher than normal creatinine often means your kidneys are not filtering as well as they should. The change in creatinine is more meaningful at lower levels: a small rise from a normal number can reflect a big drop in kidney function, while a similar rise at very high levels reflects a smaller change.
Lower than usual creatinine is less common. It can be seen in people with very little muscle (for example, after a long illness or with conditions that cause muscle loss), in pregnancy, or with certain liver problems.
Some medicines (such as cimetidine and trimethoprim) and a high-meat meal before the test can raise creatinine without changing how well the kidneys actually work. Heavy exercise close to the test can also nudge the level upward.
A normal creatinine test result doesn't always mean that your kidneys are healthy. Sometimes, blood creatinine levels remain in a normal range during the early stages of kidney disease. They rise as the condition of your kidneys becomes more serious.
If your results are abnormal, a single high creatinine test can't diagnose a specific condition. You will likely need to be retested and/or have other tests, too. Ask your provider what your specific blood creatinine level means for your kidney health.
For general wellness information only. Talk to a clinician about your specific results.
Main source: MedlinePlus ↗
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Related biomarkers
More tests in the blood category.
Sources
M
Mayo Clinic Laboratories
L
Labcorp
Q
Quest Diagnostics
R
RCPA / AACB Australasian Harmonised Reference Intervals
N
Nordic Reference Interval Project
J
JSCC / JAMT Japan
#
NUMBER: Dutch Reference Value Study
T
Turkey Nationwide Reference Intervals
C
CALIPER: Canadian Pediatric Reference Intervals
Last updated 2026-05-02
This page presents source-specific reference data and sourced explanations. For general wellness information only. This is not medical advice. For diagnosis or treatment of any condition, talk to a qualified clinician.