Table 4.

Proposed lower limits of normal for hemoglobin concentration of the blood for white and black adults

Group	Hemoglobin, g/dL
White men, y
20-59	13.7
60+	13.2
White women, y
20-49	12.2
50+	12.2
Black men, y
20-59	12.9
60+	12.7
Black women, y
20-49	11.5
50+	11.5

Based on Scripps-Kaiser data for the 5th percentiles given in Table 2. NHANES data are considered to be confirmatory.

To convert hemoglobin from grams per deciliter to grams per liter, multiply grams per deciliter by 10.