Urine Specific Gravity

After you provide a urine sample, it can be tested right away. The health care provider uses a dipstick made with a color-sensitive pad. The color the dipstick changes to will tell the provider the specific gravity of your urine. The dipstick test gives only a rough result. For a more accurate result, your provider may send your urine sample to a lab.

The normal range for urine specific gravity is 1.005 to 1.030. Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories.

Increased urine specific gravity may be due to conditions such as Addison disease, dehydration, diarrhea, glucose in the urine, heart failure, kidney artery narrowing (renal artery stenosis), shock, sweating excessively, syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH), too much sodium in the blood, urinary tract infection, vomiting, or water restriction.

Decreased urine specific gravity may be due to conditions such as damage to kidney tubule cells (renal tubular necrosis), diabetes insipidus, drinking too much fluid, kidney failure (loss of kidney function), or a serious kidney infection (pyelonephritis).