Uric acid level chart
Published guideline values for serum uric acid, in both µmol/L and mg/dL, with each threshold attributed to the guideline that set it. Enter a reading to see which thresholds it sits above or below — the tool reports the arithmetic and names the source, and stops there.
420 µmol/L = 7.06 mg/dL — here is where that sits relative to published values.
- Above300 µmol/L (5 mg/dL)— Tighter target in severe gout
- Above360 µmol/L (6.1 mg/dL)— Common urate-lowering target
- At or below420 µmol/L (7.1 mg/dL)— Hyperuricaemia threshold
This is arithmetic against published thresholds, not an assessment. A single reading does not describe a trend, targets are set for individuals by their clinician, and the same number can mean different things depending on treatment, symptoms and kidney function. Bring the reading to your doctor, not to a web page.
Typical laboratory reference ranges
- Adult men: 208–428 µmol/L (3.5–7.2 mg/dL)
- Adult women: 155–357 µmol/L (2.6–6 mg/dL)
The reference values, and who published them
Three numbers come up in nearly every conversation about uric acid. They do different jobs, and confusing them is the most common mistake people make reading their own results.
- 420 µmol/L(7.1 mg/dL)
Hyperuricaemia threshold
Above 420 µmol/L (7.0 mg/dL) is the definition of hyperuricaemia used by the Chinese 2019 guideline, applied to adults of either sex. It is the point above which urate can exceed its solubility in blood, not a diagnosis of gout — many people above it never develop symptoms.
Chinese Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2019)
- 360 µmol/L(6.1 mg/dL)
Common urate-lowering target
Below 360 µmol/L (6.0 mg/dL) is the target most gout guidelines set for people on urate-lowering therapy — ACR 2020, EULAR 2016 and the Chinese 2019 guideline all converge here.
ACR 2020 · EULAR 2016 ·Chinese Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2019)
- 300 µmol/L(5 mg/dL)
Tighter target in severe gout
Below 300 µmol/L (5.0 mg/dL) is the tighter target used where there are tophi, frequent flares or joint damage, generally until deposits have dissolved.
EULAR 2016 ·Chinese Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2019)
Laboratory reference ranges
A lab's “normal range” describes the middle of a reference population, not a treatment goal. Someone being treated for gout is usually aiming below the top of it.
| Group | µmol/L | mg/dL |
|---|---|---|
| Adult men | 208–428 | 3.5–7.2 |
| Adult women | 155–357 | 2.6–6 |
Tietz Clinical Guide to Laboratory Tests. Laboratories set their own ranges — always read the range printed on your own report.
Why one reading is weak evidence
Serum urate is not a stable number. It shifts with hydration, recent meals and alcohol, moves when medication is started or adjusted, and — the counterintuitive one — frequently falls during an acute flare, precisely when people rush to get tested. A result taken mid-attack can land in the normal range and tell you almost nothing.
What carries information is a series: the same measurement, repeated over months, in one unit, with a note of what changed in between. That is what turns “my level was 480 in March” into something a doctor can act on, and it is the shape of data a ten-minute appointment can absorb.
What to bring to an appointment
From watching how these conversations go, three things do most of the work: the readings with their dates, whether medication was actually taken as prescribed, and when flares happened. Breeze assembles exactly those into a one-tap PDF, with a footer noting that the data was self-recorded — because a doctor should know the provenance of what they are reading.
These are published population-level values, reproduced with their sources. They are not an assessment of your reading and cannot diagnose anything. Uric acid is interpreted alongside symptoms, kidney function, medication and history — bring your numbers to a clinician.
Common questions
What is a normal uric acid level?
Laboratories typically quote roughly 208–428 µmol/L (3.5–7.2 mg/dL) for adult men and 155–357 µmol/L (2.6–6.0 mg/dL) for adult women, but every lab sets its own range and prints it on the report. 'Normal' in that sense means 'within the range of the reference population', which is not the same as a treatment target — someone being treated for gout usually aims lower than the top of the normal range.
What uric acid level is considered high?
The Chinese 2019 guideline defines hyperuricaemia as above 420 µmol/L (7.0 mg/dL) in adults of either sex, the point at which urate approaches the limit of its solubility in blood. Being above it is not a diagnosis of gout: many people with raised urate never develop symptoms, and urate can be normal during an acute flare.
What uric acid level should someone with gout aim for?
Guidelines converge on below 360 µmol/L (6 mg/dL) for people on urate-lowering therapy, and below 300 µmol/L (5 mg/dL) where there are tophi, frequent flares or joint damage — generally until deposits have dissolved. ACR 2020, EULAR 2016 and the Chinese 2019 guideline all use these figures. Your own target is set by your clinician, who is weighing factors a chart cannot see.
Why did my uric acid drop during a gout attack?
This is common and well documented: serum urate often falls during an acute flare, sometimes into the normal range, which is why a single test taken during an attack can be misleading. Guidelines generally suggest measuring once the flare has settled, and looking at a series of readings rather than one.
How often should uric acid be measured?
That depends on whether you are starting, adjusting or maintaining treatment, and it is a question for your doctor. What matters for anyone tracking their own data is consistency: the same unit, roughly comparable conditions, and a record of what changed between readings — which is exactly what a trend line needs to be readable.