GFR Levels Chart: What Your eGFR Number Means
Quick answer: eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) estimates how many milliliters of blood your kidneys clean per minute. Healthy young adults run 90–120. The number falls slowly with age even in healthy people. Below 60 for three months or more is the line doctors use to call it chronic kidney disease. One reading is a snapshot — the trend is the diagnosis.
Your lab report shows it as “eGFR” — calculated from your creatinine, age, sex, and (sometimes) race. You don’t do anything to get it; it comes free with the creatinine test.
eGFR and creatinine are the pair people confuse most: creatinine is the muscle waste your lab measures, and eGFR is a calculation built from it plus your age and sex. What creatinine measures on its own explains the raw number, and the BUN-to-creatinine ratio explains the other two numbers on the same report.
GFR levels chart
| eGFR | Reading | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 100–120 | Excellent filter | Normal for young adults |
| 75–99 | Normal for your age | Expected drift with age |
| 60–89 | Borderline | Fine if stable and no other signs; watch if protein in urine |
| 45–59 | Below 60 line | Chronic kidney disease range — stage 3a if it holds 3+ months |
| 30–44 | Moderate-severe loss | Stage 3b — nephrologist territory |
| 15–29 | Severe loss | Stage 4 — plan ahead, learn options |
| Below 15 | Kidney failure | Stage 5 — dialysis/transplant talk |
The 60 line matters most: below it, sustained, is when “kidney function” becomes “chronic kidney disease.” The 45 line is when diet specifics (potassium, phosphorus) typically start.
How the test works: a blood sample is drawn from a vein in your arm, the lab measures creatinine — a waste product of muscle use — and the formula estimates how well your kidneys are working. Your test results include the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), sometimes printed as the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) per 1.73m². Because the estimate depends on muscle mass, it’s an approximation of kidney function, not a direct measure of kidney damage — that’s what the urine test adds. An early stage decline is easy to miss without the urine half of the picture, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) is diagnosed when low eGFR plus proteinuria persist.
What moves eGFR without kidney disease
This trips up a lot of people:
- Age — eGFR drifts down roughly 1 point per year after 30–40. An 80-year-old at 70 is often just… 80.
- Muscle mass — creatinine comes from muscle, so small builds and low-muscle diets read as higher eGFR at the same true function
- Hydration status — dehydration temporarily drops the number
- A heavy meat meal before the blood draw can nudge creatinine
- Pregnancy raises it (normal)
This is why one surprising eGFR gets a repeat test in 2–4 weeks before anyone says “disease.”
How to read YOUR number
- Find it on the report (sometimes “GFR/1.73” — the standardization)
- Compare to the chart, but check the previous test first: stable at 55 beats falling at 75
- Ask for uACR if it was never done — the urine test that catches damage eGFR misses
What to do at each band
- Above 60, stable: protect it — blood pressure, blood sugar, skip the daily ibuprofen, stay hydrated
- 45–59: this is where stage 3 CKD living starts mattering — potassium and phosphorus enter your food math. Our balanced-meals guide handles the table work
- Below 45: nephrologist referral is standard — go, even if you feel fine
Source: KDIGO 2024 CKD guideline — GFR categories G1–G5 (G3a 45–59, G3b 30–44, G4 15–29, G5 under 15), and CKD defined as GFR under 60 for more than 3 months.
Education, not medical advice.
Sources: NIDDK Kidney Tests · National Kidney Foundation · KDIGO
This guide is also available in Spanish: Tabla del filtrado glomerular: qué significa tu eGFR.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal eGFR level?
eGFR estimates how many milliliters of blood your kidneys clean per minute. Healthy young adults run 90–120, and the number falls slowly with age even in healthy people. Below 60 for three months or more is the line doctors use to call it chronic kidney disease.
What is the difference between creatinine and eGFR?
Creatinine is the muscle waste your lab measures, and eGFR is a calculation built from it plus your age and sex. You don't do anything to get it; it comes free with the creatinine test. Because the estimate depends on muscle mass, it's an approximation of kidney function, not a direct measure of kidney damage.
What can lower eGFR without kidney disease?
Age, muscle mass, hydration status and a heavy meat meal before the blood draw can all move it. eGFR drifts down roughly 1 point per year after 30–40, dehydration temporarily drops the number, and small builds with low muscle read as a higher eGFR at the same true function. One surprising result gets a repeat test in 2–4 weeks.
When should I see a nephrologist about my eGFR?
Below 45 is when nephrologist referral is standard — go, even if you feel fine. Between 45 and 59, this is where stage 3 CKD living starts mattering, with potassium and phosphorus entering your food math. The 60 line matters most: below it, sustained, is when kidney function becomes chronic kidney disease.
Should I compare my number to the chart or to my last test?
Check the previous test first: stable at 55 beats falling at 75. Your lab history shows the trend, and the trend is the diagnosis. Ask for a uACR if it was never done, because that urine test catches the damage eGFR misses.
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Educational content only — not a substitute for advice from your doctor or pharmacist. Always work with your care team.