MCV
Mean Corpuscular Volume
- Sample
- Blood
- Usual units
- fL
Also known as Mean Corpuscular Volume · Mean Cell Volume
What this test measures
Mean corpuscular volume, or MCV, describes the average volume of a single red blood cell. A lab reads it alongside hemoglobin and hematocrit to describe the size of red blood cells as a group, distinct from those two, which describe amount rather than size. It is usually reported in femtoliters (fL).
Reading your report
There isn’t one standard range for this test — each lab prints its own. Use the range shown next to your result.
Related guides
- Guide
Why the same blood test has different "normal" ranges at different labs
Reference intervals are built from each lab's own population and equipment, which is why two labs can print different ranges for the same sample.
- Guide
Reference interval, cutoff, and the "optimal" numbers online: three different things
The range beside your result, the target a website quotes, and the threshold that defines a condition are built in different ways and answer different questions.
- Guide
Why the same lab printed a different reference range for you this year
Ranges are not fixed constants. The lab can change method, revise its reference group, or apply a range that depends on your age — none of which is an error.
- Guide
Haemoglobin, haematocrit and the red cell indices: MCV, MCH, MCHC, RDW
A blood count reports the same red cells several ways — a count, a protein, a percentage, and four averages computed from them. What each column is measuring.