What are normal testosterone levels by age?
Normal testosterone levels by age are wide and overlap a lot. One large study re-measured four groups of men against the CDC’s standard method. Healthy non-obese men aged 19 to 39 ranged from 264 to 916 ng/dL, with a median of about 530 ng/dL.
That range covers the middle 95% of men. The median sits a little lower in older age groups, while the top of the range barely changes. There is no single “normal” number for everyone, and your lab prints its own range on your report.
Guidelines diagnose low testosterone from symptoms plus repeated low morning results, not from one value. Total testosterone is the first test in our TRT lab guide. This page covers what the number means before treatment.
What does a total testosterone test measure?
Total testosterone is all the testosterone in your blood. Most of it rides on two proteins. SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin) holds it tightly, and albumin holds it loosely.
Only a small share floats free. The total test counts all three parts together.
It is the first test the Endocrine Society recommends when low testosterone is suspected. That means a fasting, morning sample, measured with an accurate test method. If the total is borderline, or something is likely to change SHBG, your prescriber may add a free testosterone result.
Our SHBG page explains what moves that protein.
What is the normal total testosterone range by age?
The table below comes from the same CDC-calibrated study. Each row shows the range that held the middle 95% of non-obese men in that age group. It also shows the median, the middle value.
| Age | Lower end (2.5th percentile) | Median | Upper end (97.5th percentile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19–39 | 267 ng/dL | 531 ng/dL | 929 ng/dL |
| 40–49 | 235 ng/dL | 481 ng/dL | 929 ng/dL |
| 50–59 | 219 ng/dL | 477 ng/dL | 929 ng/dL |
| 60–69 | 218 ng/dL | 477 ng/dL | 929 ng/dL |
| 70–79 | 218 ng/dL | 477 ng/dL | 926 ng/dL |
| 80+ | 157 ng/dL | 476 ng/dL | 913 ng/dL |
Model-based values for non-obese men in four community groups, from single fasting morning samples (Table 4 of the study). Only the 19–39 group was screened to be healthy.
Two things stand out. The upper end hardly moves with age, while the lower end drifts down. So older age groups hold more men with low-normal values.
When the same study included men with obesity, every median was lower. For example, it was 446 ng/dL from age 50 on.
What about men in their 20s and early 40s?
A US study of 1,486 men aged 20 to 44 looked at the middle third of results in each 5-year band. The data came from a national health survey. Middle-third values were:
- 409–558 ng/dL at 20 to 24
- 413–575 ng/dL at 25 to 29
- 359–498 ng/dL at 30 to 34
- 352–478 ng/dL at 35 to 39
- 350–473 ng/dL at 40 to 44
The authors argue that young men have different ranges from older men. They suggest age-specific cutoffs, but guidelines have not adopted them.
How should you read an age table?
An age table describes groups, not you. A 2.5th percentile means 2.5 out of every 100 men in that group had a result below it. It does not mean those men were unwell.
In the same way, a result near the median does not rule out low testosterone. That holds if you have symptoms and your other tests point that way.
Three habits help. First, compare your result with your lab’s printed range, because that is what your prescriber will use. Second, use age tables for context: 380 ng/dL is unremarkable at 60 but on the low side at 25.
Third, look at your own trend. Two results from the same lab a year apart say more about you than any table.
Does testosterone really drop with age?
On average, a little, but studies disagree on how much. In one long-running US study, men aged 40 to 70 were tested twice, 7 to 10 years apart. Their total testosterone fell about 1.6% a year, and new health problems seemed to speed the fall.
A pooled look at 13 studies found that average total testosterone fell from the late teens to about age 40. After that it did not fall further, but the spread between men grew wider.
Both findings fit the table above. The typical value changes slowly, while more older men sit near the bottom. Weight, long-term illness and sleep problems explain part of that.
What testosterone level counts as low?
No single number decides it. Guidelines use three things together:
- Symptoms and signs that fit low testosterone, such as low sex drive, fewer morning erections, low energy or loss of muscle.
- A low morning result, confirmed by a second fasting morning test.
- A threshold. The AUA uses below 300 ng/dL as a reasonable cutoff. The Endocrine Society points to 264 ng/dL, the lower limit for healthy young men in the CDC-calibrated data.
A European study tested 3,369 men aged 40 to 79. Sexual symptoms became more likely as total testosterone fell into the 8 to 13 nmol/L range, about 230 to 375 ng/dL.
That study defined late-onset hypogonadism (low testosterone that starts in middle or later life) in a set way. It needed at least three sexual symptoms, a total below 11 nmol/L (about 320 ng/dL) and a low free testosterone.
The label for one cypionate product gives prescribers the same rule. Low levels should be confirmed with morning tests on at least two separate days. Our guide to how low testosterone is diagnosed covers the full process.
Why does the time of day matter for a testosterone test?
Testosterone is highest in the morning in men who are not on treatment. In a study of 66 men tested at several times of day, men aged 30 to 40 had 20 to 25% lower levels at 4 pm than at 8 am. The gap shrank to about 10% by age 70.
In the same study, 17 men had at least one afternoon result under 300 ng/dL. Yet every one of their morning draws was normal. That is how an afternoon draw can make normal testosterone look low.
Why do labs give different testosterone ranges?
Labs use different machines, methods and reference groups. One expert review names two main causes of the gap between tests: uneven calibration (how each machine is set) and tests that also pick up other substances.
A CDC program that standardizes labs cut the average error of mass spectrometry tests by half between 2007 and 2011. The age-range study above also found that much of the gap between groups of men came from the tests, not the men.
In practice:
- Use the range printed on your own report. It reflects that lab’s method.
- Stay with one lab where you can, so results compare.
- Check the units. US labs report ng/dL, and many other countries use nmol/L.
| ng/dL | nmol/L |
|---|---|
| 264 | 9.2 |
| 300 | 10.4 |
| 350 | 12.1 |
| 450 | 15.6 |
| 600 | 20.8 |
| 916 | 31.8 |
| 1,000 | 34.7 |
To convert, multiply ng/dL by 0.0347, or nmol/L by 28.84. The pair of 300 ng/dL and 10.4 nmol/L matches the one used in the time-of-day study above.
What can lower a testosterone result besides age?
Several things can push a single result down:
- Acute illness (a short, sudden illness such as the flu).
- Obesity and diabetes.
- Some medicines, such as opioids and glucocorticoids (a type of steroid medicine).
- Sleep disorders, including sleep apnea.
- Afternoon or evening draws, as above.
The Endocrine Society names the first four as things that can affect testosterone levels. It also advises against testing for low testosterone while you are ill or still recovering.
Tell your prescriber about any of these before the result is read. A low number taken while you had the flu means something very different from the same number taken when you are well.
Can total testosterone be too high?
In men not on treatment, a result well above the lab range is uncommon. In the age-range study, the upper end stayed close to 913 to 929 ng/dL at every age. A very high result without treatment is worth a repeat test and a talk with your prescriber.
On TRT, results above the range are more common, mostly in blood drawn soon after an injection. A high number matters mainly because of what tends to come with it.
The Endocrine Society checks hematocrit (the share of your blood made of red cells) alongside testosterone, because testosterone raises red cell production. Estradiol, a form of estrogen made from testosterone, also tends to rise.
If a result is flagged high, ask your prescriber how they want to handle it. Do not skip or change an injection on your own. A single high value drawn at peak may be expected for your schedule.
What should total testosterone be on TRT?
On treatment, the target is not a single age-based number. The Endocrine Society says therapy should aim for the mid-normal range for healthy young men. It checks testosterone 3 to 6 months after starting, then once a year.
The AUA tells prescribers to aim for the middle third of the normal range. It gives 450 to 600 ng/dL as that middle third for most labs.
Timing matters a lot for an on-treatment result. With injections, testosterone is highest soon after a shot and lowest just before the next one.
For injected cypionate and enanthate, the Endocrine Society measures levels midway between injections. Your prescriber may ask for a trough (a draw just before a shot) instead. Our guide to trough and peak levels explains the difference.
Your prescriber sets the target and the timing. Do not change your treatment because of a single number. The testosterone level estimator draws the curve between injections from your current prescription.
How should you prepare for a total testosterone test?
- Book an early morning draw unless your prescriber asks for a different time.
- Fast if asked. The Endocrine Society’s diagnostic test is a fasting morning sample.
- On TRT, note the hours since your last injection and keep that the same each time. Our blood-work timing guide and the free timing planner cover timing in detail.
- Avoid testing when you are sick. Mention recent illness, poor sleep or new medicines.
- Get the full panel in one draw when your prescriber orders it. Hematocrit, estradiol and, for some men, PSA are often checked alongside testosterone.
What should you ask your prescriber about your testosterone result?
- Was this a morning draw, and was it taken at the time in my schedule you want?
- Which reference range are you using, and which lab method?
- Do you want a repeat test before deciding anything?
- Would free testosterone or SHBG add anything in my case?
- How does this compare with my earlier results?
How can you track your total testosterone over time?
One result is a snapshot. Write down every total testosterone with its date, time of draw, lab, units and range. On TRT, add the days since your last injection, and the snapshots become a trend.
That is what TRTracker does. Log a result once and it sits against your lab’s range, next to the other markers from the same draw. Our guide to the other labs on TRT lists every marker commonly checked, from hematocrit to PSA.