Normal for the lab, too high for gout
A lab flags a result against its reference range, often called the normal range. That range describes the general population. It was not designed around gout. The typical upper limit for men, 8.6 mg/dL, and for women, 7.1 mg/dL, both sit above 6.8 mg/dL, where urate can start to form crystals.
So a report with nothing flagged can still be well above the gout target. If you have gout, the number to compare against is the target, and which target applies to you is a question for your doctor. If you have never had a flare, a high result is a different question.
Why do levels differ so much between people? Diet explains under 1% of the difference. Genes explain about a quarter, many of them the ones that set how your kidneys clear uric acid: see the tank, the tap and the kidneys.
The three numbers that matter in gout
Under 5.0 mg/dL
The target in severe gout
European guidance aims lower for people with severe gout.
EULAR 2016
Why a target at allUnder 6.0 mg/dL
The gout treatment target
Held below this, existing urate crystals slowly dissolve. A strong recommendation.
ACR 2020
How to get thereAbove 6.8 mg/dL
Where crystals can form
Roughly where urate stops staying dissolved in the body.
Ruoff & Edwards 2016
What the crystals doUric acid level chart in mg/dL, mmol/L and μmol/L
| Level | mg/dL | mmol/L | μmol/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical lab range, women | 3.0–7.1 | 0.18–0.42 | 178–422 |
| Typical lab range, men | 4.0–8.6 | 0.24–0.51 | 238–512 |
| Gout target, severe gout | under 5.0 | under 0.30 | under 297 |
| Gout treatment target | under 6.0 | under 0.36 | under 357 |
| Crystals can form | above 6.8 | above 0.40 | above 405 |
Need a single value in another unit? Use the uric acid converter.
What about normal uric acid by age?
We have not found a reliable source for adult ranges by age, so we do not publish one. Children's ranges are different from adults'. Use the range printed on your own report, which is the one your lab applies to you.
See every result against the target
Gout Journal, our iPhone app, records each uric acid result in your unit and tells you straight away where it sits against the target, then charts the trend over time.
Keep reading
- Start here Uric acid target for gout: the number that actually matters Most gout advice is about food. The guidelines are about a number: your serum urate level, and whether it is under the treatment target.
- What sets your level Gout is not a punishment for what you ate Diet explains under 1% of the variation in people's uric acid levels. Genetics explains about 24%. Here is what actually sets your number.
- Still above target? Uric acid still high on allopurinol? Check the dose Allopurinol is meant to start low and then be increased until your uric acid is under target. For a lot of people, the second half never happens.
- High result, no gout yet A high uric acid result, but no symptoms Your blood test flagged a high urate level and nothing hurts. The guidelines recommend against treating it, and against ignoring it. Both, for good reasons.
More free tools: the uric acid converter for a single value in any unit, and a printable gout log.
Sources
- Uric acid - blood. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, reviewed April 2025.
- 2020 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Management of Gout. Arthritis Care & Research, 2020.
- 2016 updated EULAR evidence-based recommendations for the management of gout. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 2017.
- Overview of Serum Uric Acid Treatment Targets in Gout: Why Less Than 6 mg/dL? Postgraduate Medicine, 2016.
This page explains numbers. It does not diagnose anything or tell you what to take.