Which tests measure Total Cholesterol?

Total Cholesterol is measured in 1 test on BiomarkersLabs.com, including Lipid Panel (Total Cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, Triglycerides, Non-HDL-C).

Biomarker Reference · TC

What does the Total Cholesterol test measure?

Q: Why is Total Cholesterol measured?

Total cholesterol is the entry-level lipid screening value and a component of cardiovascular risk scores including the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE), SCORE2, and Reynolds Risk Score. It is used as a population-level triage marker — values above 200 mg/dL flag individuals for full lipid panel assessment — but carries limited independent clinical actionability in isolation because the same total cholesterol value can reflect either high LDL-C with low HDL-C (atherogenic) or high HDL-C with low LDL-C (relatively protective). Total cholesterol above 240 mg/dL warrants full lipid panel characterisation regardless of prior assessment. The cholesterol:HDL ratio — total cholesterol divided by HDL — is a derived index with modest independent predictive value used in some risk frameworks, though non-HDL cholesterol and ApoB are clinically superior risk markers.

Q: What is the reference range for Total Cholesterol?

The standard reference range for Total Cholesterol is Desirable: <200 mg/dL (<5.17 mmol/L); Borderline high: 200–239 mg/dL; High: ≥240 mg/dL (≥6.21 mmol/L) # REVIEWER FLAG: Confirm LabCorp risk-category thresholds and whether they align with NCEP ATP III or the more nuanced ACC/AHA 2018 framework — which does not rely on total cholesterol categories for risk decision-making but uses it as a component of the Pooled Cohort Equations cardiovascular risk score.. Reference ranges vary by laboratory and assay platform — interpret in context of the issuing laboratory's stated range.

Total Cholesterol (TC) is a clinical biomarker used in cardiovascular assessment. Total cholesterol is the aggregate measurement of all cholesterol carried within circulating lipoprotein particles — including LDL, HDL, VLDL, IDL, and chylomicron remnants — in serum. It is measured in 1 laboratory test on BiomarkersLabs.com.

Reference Range: Desirable: <200 mg/dL (<5.17 mmol/L); Borderline high: 200–239 mg/dL; High: ≥240 mg/dL (≥6.21 mmol/L) # REVIEWER FLAG: Confirm LabCorp risk-category thresholds and whether they align with NCEP ATP III or the more nuanced ACC/AHA 2018 framework — which does not rely on total cholesterol categories for risk decision-making but uses it as a component of the Pooled Cohort Equations cardiovascular risk score.
Units: mg/dL, mmol/L
Measured In: 1 test
Category: Cardiovascular

Functional medicine optimal150–180 mg/dL (functional and preventive cardiology optimal — the range associated with lowest ASCVD event rates in Mendelian randomisation and epidemiological data; LDL-C, non-HDL-C, and ApoB provide more actionable framing than total cholesterol alone for preventive targets). # REVIEWER FLAG: A total cholesterol target of 150–180 mg/dL is associated with populations having the lowest cardiovascular event rates but is not a formal clinical guideline treatment threshold — reviewer to confirm appropriate framing.

What is Total Cholesterol?

Total cholesterol is the aggregate measurement of all cholesterol carried within circulating lipoprotein particles — including LDL, HDL, VLDL, IDL, and chylomicron remnants — in serum. Cholesterol is an essential membrane structural lipid, the precursor to steroid hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D, synthesised endogenously by the liver (approximately 70–80% of circulating cholesterol) under HMG-CoA reductase regulation, and absorbed from dietary sources in the small intestine via the NPC1L1 transporter. Total cholesterol measurement by the enzymatic colorimetric method (cholesterol oxidase-peroxidase, CHOD-PAP) quantifies the sum of all lipoprotein-associated cholesterol in a single value that does not differentiate atherogenic from anti-atherogenic fractions — a limitation addressed by interpretation of the full lipid panel rather than total cholesterol in isolation.

Why is Total Cholesterol measured?

Total cholesterol is the entry-level lipid screening value and a component of cardiovascular risk scores including the Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE), SCORE2, and Reynolds Risk Score. It is used as a population-level triage marker — values above 200 mg/dL flag individuals for full lipid panel assessment — but carries limited independent clinical actionability in isolation because the same total cholesterol value can reflect either high LDL-C with low HDL-C (atherogenic) or high HDL-C with low LDL-C (relatively protective). Total cholesterol above 240 mg/dL warrants full lipid panel characterisation regardless of prior assessment. The cholesterol:HDL ratio — total cholesterol divided by HDL — is a derived index with modest independent predictive value used in some risk frameworks, though non-HDL cholesterol and ApoB are clinically superior risk markers.

Reference ranges

Standard reference: Desirable: <200 mg/dL (<5.17 mmol/L); Borderline high: 200–239 mg/dL; High: ≥240 mg/dL (≥6.21 mmol/L) # REVIEWER FLAG: Confirm LabCorp risk-category thresholds and whether they align with NCEP ATP III or the more nuanced ACC/AHA 2018 framework — which does not rely on total cholesterol categories for risk decision-making but uses it as a component of the Pooled Cohort Equations cardiovascular risk score.
Functional medicine optimal: 150–180 mg/dL (functional and preventive cardiology optimal — the range associated with lowest ASCVD event rates in Mendelian randomisation and epidemiological data; LDL-C, non-HDL-C, and ApoB provide more actionable framing than total cholesterol alone for preventive targets). # REVIEWER FLAG: A total cholesterol target of 150–180 mg/dL is associated with populations having the lowest cardiovascular event rates but is not a formal clinical guideline treatment threshold — reviewer to confirm appropriate framing.
Units: mg/dL, mmol/L

Reference ranges vary by laboratory and assay platform. Interpret in context of the issuing laboratory's stated range.

Tests that measure Total Cholesterol

1 test on BiomarkersLabs.com include this biomarker.

BML-CAR-003Comprehensive

Lipid Panel (Total Cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, Triglycerides, Non-HDL-C)

Total Cholesterol reference range in this test: Desirable: <200 mg/dL (<5.17 mmol/L); Borderline high: 200–239 mg/dL; High: ≥240 mg/dL (≥6.21 mmol/L) # REVIEWER FLAG: Confirm LabCorp risk-category thresholds and whether they align with NCEP ATP III or the more nuanced ACC/AHA 2018 framework — which does not rely on total cholesterol categories for risk decision-making but uses it as a component of the Pooled Cohort Equations cardiovascular risk score.

Related clinical conditions

Related Biomarkers

Frequently measured alongside

LDL Cholesterol (Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol)LDL-C1 test HDL Cholesterol (High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol)HDL-C1 test TriglyceridesTG1 test Non-HDL CholesterolNon-HDL-C1 test VLDL Cholesterol (Very Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol)VLDL-C1 test

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