What is a normal bicarbonate level?
The short answer
A typical US lab prints a normal bicarbonate range of 22–29 mmol/L. That range exists to catch disease, not to describe your best.
Nobody we follow has said what your bicarbonate should be. It comes up on the shows, but never with a number.
What bicarbonate measures
The buffer your blood uses to keep its acidity stable.
It shifts when your kidneys or lungs correct for something. It belongs with the rest of your acid-base picture.
Checked against MedlinePlus — Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in Blood.
Common questions
What is a normal bicarbonate level?
Most US labs print 22–29 mmol/L. Your report grades you against that range. It exists to catch disease, not to describe your best.
What does your bicarbonate number mean?
On a typical lab range, under 22 mmol/L is low, 22 to 29 is normal and over 29 is high. Your own report prints its range next to your number, and that is the one your lab uses. Nobody we follow has drawn a line inside that range.
What does the bicarbonate test measure?
The buffer your blood uses to keep its acidity stable. It shifts when your kidneys or lungs correct for something. It belongs with the rest of your acid-base picture.
Why is there no target here?
Because nobody we follow has named a number for bicarbonate. If that changes, it will be here.