Educational information only. At Precursor, blood testing is requested and reviewed by a clinician and considered alongside your history and other markers, not as a stand-alone diagnosis. Testing is performed in NATA-accredited laboratories to ISO 15189 standards.

What is haematocrit?

Haematocrit is the proportion of your blood made up of red blood cells, expressed as a fraction of the whole. If you imagine a tube of blood settling into layers, haematocrit is the share taken up by the red cells. It moves closely with haemoglobin and red cell count.

Why it matters

Haematocrit gives another angle on your red cell status and oxygen-carrying capacity. Because it reflects the concentration of red cells, it is also sensitive to hydration, which can be useful context when interpreting the wider blood count.

What your results can mean

Lower than optimal

A low haematocrit generally accompanies anaemia and a low haemoglobin, and prompts the same follow-up to find the underlying cause.

Higher than optimal

A high haematocrit can reflect dehydration, where the red cells are simply more concentrated, or less commonly an overproduction of red cells. It is read alongside your other results.

Reference ranges in Australia

Haematocrit is reported as a ratio (litres per litre) or a percentage, with reference ranges that differ between men and women. Read your result against the range on your own report and alongside your haemoglobin.

Test your blood count with Precursor

Haematocrit is most meaningful within a full blood count. At Precursor it is measured as part of Full Advanced Bloods, a single clinician-reviewed blood draw covering your full blood count, heart, metabolic, hormonal, kidney, liver, thyroid and nutrient markers together, giving you and your clinician a broad baseline to understand and track.