Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

The mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) is a measure of the concentration of hemoglobin in a given volume of packed red blood cell.

Not to be confused with mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) per erythrocyte, although they are predictably correlated in healthy states.

It is calculated by dividing the hemoglobin by the hematocrit. Reference ranges for blood tests are 32 to 36 g/dL (320 to 360g/L), or between 4.81 and 5.58 mmol/L. It is thus a mass or molar concentration. Still, many instances measure MCHC in percentage (%), as if it were a mass fraction (mHb / mRBC). Numerically, however, the MCHC in g/dL and the mass fraction of hemoglobin in red blood cells in % are identical, assuming an RBC density of 1g/mL and negligible hemoglobin in plasma.

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