Testosterone levels by age: what the ranges on your report mean

Search "testosterone levels by age" and the charts disagree with each other, and often with your own report. This guide uses the ranges Australian and New Zealand labs actually print, in nmol/L first and ng/dL second, and explains why the numbers differ. It's general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis.

What is a normal testosterone level for a man in Australia or New Zealand?

The Australian and New Zealand labs we checked print a total testosterone range of roughly 8 to 30 nmol/L (about 230 to 870 ng/dL) for adult men, and some switch to a slightly lower band from about age 50. There's no single national range, because results depend on the test method each lab uses.^{1, 7} Pathology Tests Explained, whose content is prepared and reviewed by practising pathologists and scientists, says to compare your result with the range printed by the lab that did your test.¹

Lab	Country	Age band	Range (nmol/L)	Approx. ng/dL
Royal Melbourne Hospital Pathology2	Australia	10 to 49	8.3 to 30.2	239 to 871
Royal Melbourne Hospital Pathology	Australia	Over 49	7.7 to 24.8	222 to 715
Canterbury Health Laboratories3	New Zealand	15 to 50	8.6 to 29	248 to 836
Canterbury Health Laboratories	New Zealand	Over 50	6.7 to 26	193 to 750
Health NZ Waikato laboratory4	New Zealand	Adult	9 to 30	260 to 865

Published reference intervals for total testosterone in men, checked 30 September 2026. ng/dL is our conversion (nmol/L x 28.84). These ranges describe where most healthy men sit. They are not targets, and the range on your own report is the one that applies.

What are normal testosterone levels by age?

There's no official range for each age. Published ranges for healthy men are about 7 to 31 nmol/L around age 19, when levels peak, and about 6 to 26 nmol/L from 40 onwards.^{2, 3, 5, 6} Testosterone climbs through puberty and peaks around 19 to 20.^{5, 6} From about 35, group averages drift down slowly.^{7, 8} The bigger story is the spread. At every age in the table below, the healthy range runs from about 6 to 10 nmol/L at the bottom to 25 to 32 at the top, so the gap between two healthy men of the same age is far bigger than the change in group averages over a decade.

Age	Who was measured	Range (nmol/L)	Approx. ng/dL
Around 19	Healthy men, in a model built from 13 studies. Average 15.4 nmol/L, the peak of the curve5	7.2 to 31.1	208 to 897
19 to 39	Healthy, non-obese men from four US and European studies, recalibrated to one reference method9	9.2 to 31.8	264 to 916
21 to 35	Men with proven normal fertility, measured by mass spectrometry6	10.4 to 30.1	300 to 868
Around 40	The same model. Average 13.0 nmol/L, with no further fall in the average after 40, but a wider spread5	6.6 to 25.3	190 to 730
50 and over	Lab bands for older men: Canterbury Health Laboratories (over 50) and Royal Melbourne Hospital (over 49)2, 3	6.7 to 26 and 7.7 to 24.8	193 to 750 and 222 to 715
70 to 89	394 Perth men in very good health with no history of smoking or major disease, measured by mass spectrometry6, 10	6.4 to 25.7	184 to 741

A few things to take from this. Several of these ranges use the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles of a healthy group as their limits, so about 1 healthy man in 40 sits below the lower line by design.^{5, 9, 10} The rows come from different groups of men, so they describe groups, not how any one man will change over time. And none of these sources gives a "right number for your age". The ranges describe healthy men, not where you personally should be.

Does testosterone go down with age?

Across large groups of men, yes, slowly. In men who stay in very good health, often not by much.

• bpacnz's 2024 guidance for New Zealand GPs says total testosterone starts to fall gradually from around 35, with a faster decline from about 65.⁷
• Pooled data from 10,904 blood samples in three Australian cities showed a gradual fall from 35 and a sharper one after 80. Higher weight and BMI went with lower levels.⁸
• The Healthy Man Study took nine blood samples over three months from each of 325 men aged 40 and over who rated their health very good or excellent. Average testosterone did not change with age. Each extra point of BMI went with about 0.35 nmol/L less, and ex-smokers averaged 1.6 nmol/L lower.¹¹
• Healthy Male, the Australian Government-funded men's health organisation, puts the group-average decline at about 1 to 2% a year after 40 and says poor health, not age, is the driver.¹²

Know the limits. The Healthy Man Study recruited men who already felt well and followed them for three months, so it shows an association, not what will happen to any one man. The Endocrine Society of Australia says there are no convincing data that healthy ageing alone lowers testosterone to the point of deficiency, and that obesity, illness and medicines may explain a substantial part of the fall seen with age.⁶ For "male menopause", see our andropause guide. For what else to check, see blood tests for men over 40.

Why do testosterone charts online disagree?

Because they're built from different tests and different groups of men, and the numbers are not always used the same way.

• The test method. Most labs use an immunoassay. In its 2016 position statement, the Endocrine Society of Australia said these tests can be non-specific and biased by method, and preferred mass spectrometry where available.⁶ bpacnz notes that reference ranges differ with the immunoassay used.⁷ Newer assays may have narrowed the gap: Awanui Labs reports that its current immunoassay performs comparably to mass spectrometry in men.¹³
• Who was measured. Even among mass spectrometry studies, the lower limit moves from 10.4 nmol/L in young men with proven fertility to 7.4 in unselected young men and 6.4 in very healthy men in their 70s and 80s.⁶
• Calibration. When researchers recalibrated four large US and European studies to one reference method, a substantial share of the difference between them turned out to come from the assays.⁹
• Different "normal" figures, even from good sources. Healthy Male's explainer gives 12 to 35 nmol/L as normal, with 8 to 12 borderline low.¹⁴ The labs above put their lower limit between 6.7 and 9. Anchor to your own report.
• "Optimal" bands. An endocrinologist interviewed by Hormones Australia, the public site run by the Endocrine Society of Australia, warned that social media often promotes an inflated idea of the normal range.¹⁵ None of the lab or guideline sources here publishes an "optimal" number, so we don't either.

What testosterone level is considered low?

There's no single cut-off. Guidelines draw the line somewhere between about 8 and 12 nmol/L, and a doctor also looks at symptoms and other hormones before calling a result low.^{6, 7}

Number	Source	How it's used
12 nmol/L (346 ng/dL)	bpacnz; European Association of Urology guideline7	Symptoms start to become more likely below this
11 nmol/L (317 ng/dL)	European Male Ageing Study, 3,369 men aged 40 to 7916	Research definition, used only alongside three sexual symptoms (fewer morning erections, low desire, erection problems) and free testosterone under 220 pmol/L
8 nmol/L (231 ng/dL)	bpacnz; European Menopause and Andropause Society guideline7	Symptoms become much more likely below this. Local expert opinion, as reported by bpacnz, favours this lower line for diagnosis, because older men often sit under 12 without needing treatment

These are the lines doctors work with, not a verdict on you. AU and NZ guidance pairs testosterone with LH and FSH, the pituitary hormones that show whether the brain and testes are signalling normally.^{6, 7} A result under your lab's range, or under these numbers, is a reason to see your GP, not to self-diagnose. It's also where a coach hands over to a doctor (see our safety page).

Can one testosterone test tell you your real level?

No. One reading is a snapshot, and AU and NZ guidance asks for a second morning test before anyone draws conclusions from a low result.^{6, 7, 17, 18}

• Up to 30% of men with one low reading have a normal level when retested.⁶
• In a small US study, testosterone in men aged 30 to 40 was 20 to 25% lower at 4pm than at 8am, narrowing to about 10% by age 70. Of 24 men with at least one afternoon reading below 10.4 nmol/L, 12 were in range at all three morning visits.¹⁹
• An endocrinologist interviewed by Hormones Australia noted that an immunoassay result can be out by 10 to 20% either way.¹⁵ Health NZ's Waikato laboratory lists the measurement uncertainty of its testosterone test as 10%.⁴
• bpacnz suggests repeating a below-range result, preferably four weeks later, with LH, FSH and prolactin added.⁷

What time should you have the test?

In the morning. The sources differ by an hour or two, but a draw between 8am and just before 9am fits all of them.

Source	Advice
bpacnz7	Between 7am and 11am, ideally after an overnight fast. Shift workers: two to three hours after waking
Endocrine Society of Australia6	Between 8am and 10am. Shift workers or sleep-deprived men: shortly after waking
Awanui Labs (NZ)13	Between 8am and 10am
Canterbury Health Laboratories (NZ)3	Before 10am
Healthify NZ17	Before 9am

Do you need to fast?

Usually, yes. healthdirect says you usually need to fast, with water only, and test in the morning.²⁰ bpacnz recommends an overnight fast where possible, and notes that recent food (especially carbohydrate), alcohol or an acute illness can cause a temporary drop.⁷ The Endocrine Society of Australia notes that fasting gives higher testosterone readings.⁶ In the Healthy Man Study, an overnight fast raised morning levels of testosterone and three related hormones by 9 to 16%, and made them less variable.¹¹ Pathology Tests Explained lists no preparation, so check with your collection centre, then prepare the same way every time you retest.¹

What else can affect a testosterone result?

Plenty besides age: body fat, general health, lifestyle and some medicines all go with lower readings.

• Body fat. Higher BMI goes with lower testosterone in Australian data.^{8, 11}
• Lifestyle and health. bpacnz lists chronic excess alcohol intake, excessive exercise, significant stress, sleep deprivation, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, liver disease and depression among the factors associated with low testosterone.⁷
• Medicines. Opioids and high-dose corticosteroids, among others.^{6, 7} Never stop or change a medicine to move a number. That's a conversation with your prescriber.
• SHBG. Most testosterone travels bound to proteins, mainly SHBG and albumin.¹⁴ Obesity and insulin resistance push SHBG down, which can make total testosterone read lower. Ageing, liver disease and an overactive thyroid push SHBG up.^{6, 7}

Do free testosterone and SHBG matter?

They can help read an unclear total testosterone result, and AU and NZ guidance treats them differently. Only 1 to 2% of testosterone is free (not bound to a protein).⁷

• New Zealand. When two morning tests still leave doubt, bpacnz prefers free testosterone calculated from total testosterone and SHBG over a direct free testosterone test.⁷ Canterbury Health Laboratories' calculated free testosterone range is 220 to 680 pmol/L for men aged 20 to 50 and 180 to 520 pmol/L over 50.³ At Awanui Labs, since 17 September 2024, a "Testosterone only" request reports total testosterone with no SHBG or calculations. "Testosterone + SHBG" adds SHBG, calculated free testosterone and a free androgen index (the index is left off when SHBG is under 13 nmol/L or total testosterone is over 52 nmol/L).¹³
• Australia. The Endocrine Society of Australia says SHBG can be informative but does not recommend calculated free testosterone for clinical decisions.⁶ Healthy Male says there's no standardised free testosterone range in use in Australia.¹⁴

More in our free testosterone and SHBG guide.

How do you convert testosterone from nmol/L to ng/dL?

Multiply nmol/L by 28.84 to get ng/dL, and divide ng/dL by 28.84 to go back. The factor comes from testosterone's molar mass of 288.4 g/mol.²¹ US pages use ng/dL, so 300 ng/dL on an American chart is the same as 10.4 nmol/L on your report.¹⁹ Our unit converter handles any number.

nmol/L	ng/dL
8	231
10	288
12	346
15	433
20	577
25	721
30	865

How much does a repeat testosterone test cost?

The lab fee is listed at A$30.50 on the Medicare schedule in Australia and at NZ$25.66 to NZ$34.83 excl. GST by two New Zealand labs, before any GP visit or collection fee.^{22, 3, 4} Prices last checked 30 September 2026.

Country	What's listed	Amount	Source
Australia	Medicare schedule fee for one test from the hormone group that includes testosterone (MBS item 66695, the item Royal Melbourne Hospital lists for its test)	A$30.50 fee. Medicare benefit A$22.90 (75%) or A$25.95 (85%)	MBS Online; Royal Melbourne Hospital22, 2
New Zealand	Canterbury Health Laboratories' price for a testosterone test that isn't publicly funded	NZ$34.83 excl. GST (NZ$40.05 incl. GST, our calculation at 15%)	Canterbury Health Laboratories3
New Zealand	Health NZ Waikato laboratory's listed external price for a testosterone test	NZ$25.66 excl. GST (NZ$29.51 incl. GST, our calculation at 15%)	Health NZ Waikato laboratory4

These are lab-side figures. They don't include a GP visit or any collection fee, and what you pay depends on where the test is ordered and collected. In Australia, ask the collection centre whether it bulk bills. In New Zealand, your GP or the lab can tell you whether your test is funded. Our test cost guide compares the routes. Teak doesn't sell tests and takes no commission from labs.

What should you do with your testosterone result?

Take it to your GP with three details: the lab's printed range, the time of the draw, and whether you'd fasted. If you haven't been tested yet, our testosterone blood test checklist lists the markers to ask for and how to prepare.

• Below your lab's range, or in the 8 to 12 nmol/L grey zone: ask your GP about a second morning test with LH and FSH. That's a medical question, and it belongs with your doctor.
• Inside the range but you still feel flat: the number may not be the whole story. Sleep, training, body fat, alcohol and stress are worth an honest look, and your GP may want to check other things. Our guide to the habits research links to testosterone covers what's been studied.

If you'd like a coach to read your full panel line by line in plain English, that's what Baseline is, and chatting first on WhatsApp costs nothing (see how it works). Teak is coaching, not medical care. It doesn't diagnose or prescribe, and it isn't right for everyone, including men already on testosterone (see who it's not for).

How we source and check these guides is set out in our editorial policy.