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 MCV?

MCV, or mean corpuscular volume, measures the average size of your red blood cells. It is one of the red cell indices, and it turns out that the size of red cells is a surprisingly useful clue to what might be affecting them.

Why it matters

MCV helps a clinician narrow down the cause of anaemia. Smaller-than-usual red cells often point toward iron deficiency, while larger-than-usual cells can point toward vitamin B12 or folate issues. This makes MCV a valuable signpost when haemoglobin is low.

What your results can mean

Lower than optimal

A low MCV means smaller red cells, classically associated with iron deficiency. It prompts a look at your iron studies to confirm.

Higher than optimal

A high MCV means larger red cells, which can point toward vitamin B12 or folate deficiency, among other causes. It prompts a look at those nutrient levels.

Reference ranges in Australia

MCV is reported in femtolitres (fL). As a general guide, a value in the region of 80 to 100 fL is often considered within range, though this varies by laboratory. Read your result against the range on your own report.

Test your blood count with Precursor

MCV is most useful read with haemoglobin and your nutrient markers. At Precursor it is measured as part of Full Advanced Bloods, a single clinician-reviewed blood draw covering your full blood count, iron, vitamins and other markers together, giving you and your clinician a broad baseline to understand and track.