Vitamin D Levels: Normal Range Chart (Australia, 2026)
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Your vitamin D level is measured as 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) — the storage form of the vitamin your liver produces after sun exposure or supplementation. The result comes back in either nanomoles per litre (nmol/L) — the standard Australian unit — or nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) used in the US.
Here's what the numbers actually mean.
Australian vitamin D reference range chart
| Status | nmol/L | ng/mL | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deficient | < 30 | < 12 | Clinical deficiency. Supplementation typically recommended. |
| Insufficient | 30–49 | 12–19 | Below adequate. Supplementation often recommended, especially in winter. |
| Sufficient | 50–74 | 20–29 | Adequate for most people. Maintain through sun + diet or a maintenance supplement. |
| Optimal (research target) | 75–125 | 30–50 | The range associated with best outcomes in most observational studies. |
| High | > 125 | > 50 | Above the population norm. Discuss with your GP. |
| Toxic | > 250 | > 100 | Requires clinical intervention. Extremely rare without excessive supplementation. |
To convert: nmol/L ÷ 2.5 = ng/mL. So 75 nmol/L = 30 ng/mL.
These bands are drawn from the Medical Journal of Australia vitamin D position statement, the Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guidelines, and the Australia and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society consensus. Different bodies draw the lines slightly differently — the numbers above are the most widely used in Australian clinical practice.
Why "sufficient" isn't the same as "optimal"
The 50 nmol/L cutoff for "sufficient" is the level at which vitamin-D-related bone disease (rickets, osteomalacia) becomes uncommon. It's a public-health floor, not a target.
Most researchers looking at broader outcomes — immune function, cardiovascular, cognitive — argue for a target of 75–125 nmol/L. That's why many practitioners call 50–74 "adequate but not ideal" and encourage supplementation to reach the 75+ range if a person is at the lower end.
How your level changes with the seasons in Australia
Even in sunny Australia, vitamin D levels swing seasonally. Data from the ABS National Health Survey shows:
- End of summer (Feb–Mar) — levels peak. National average around 65–75 nmol/L.
- End of winter (Aug–Sep) — levels trough. National average drops to 50–55 nmol/L, and 30–50% of adults fall below 50 nmol/L in southern states.
If you're testing once a year, end-of-winter is the most informative time — it's when you're most likely to catch a deficiency you didn't know about.
Who is most likely to be low
- People who work indoors five or six days a week
- People with darker skin (higher melanin filters more UV)
- Older adults (skin converts UV to D less efficiently)
- People who cover their skin for cultural or medical reasons
- People with malabsorption conditions (coeliac, Crohn's, post-bariatric surgery)
- People on long-term corticosteroids or certain other medications
- Pregnant women (demand rises)
Reading your own result
A 25(OH)D result should always come with:
- A number — not just a colour band or a "low/sufficient/high" label. If your test only gave you a band, you don't actually know where you sit inside that band, and you can't track change over time.
- The unit — nmol/L in Australia, ng/mL in the US. Check which unit you're looking at.
- A reference range — the numbers used to interpret "low" or "sufficient" for your test.
If your report gives you a number but no context, the chart above will let you place yourself on the clinical scale.
Common questions
Is 60 nmol/L a good vitamin D level?
Yes, 60 nmol/L falls in the sufficient range (50–74). It's above the deficiency threshold and covers most population-level bone-health outcomes. Many practitioners aim for 75+ nmol/L for broader benefits, so it's on the lower side of the "good" band — not a problem, but room to move up.
What is a dangerously low vitamin D level?
Below 30 nmol/L is clinically deficient and warrants supplementation. Below 12.5 nmol/L (5 ng/mL) is severe deficiency and typically requires higher-dose supplementation under medical supervision.
Can you have too much vitamin D?
Yes, but it's rare. Toxicity generally requires sustained supplementation at > 10,000 IU/day for months, pushing levels above 250 nmol/L. Sun exposure alone cannot cause toxicity. If you're supplementing above 4,000 IU/day for extended periods, test annually.
How often should I retest?
If your level is sufficient and you're not changing anything, once a year (end of winter) is enough. If you've started a supplement or made changes, retest 8–12 weeks later to confirm the change worked.
If you don't know your level
The only way to know where you sit on this chart is to measure. Our at-home vitamin D test kit uses the same gold-standard ID LC-MS/MS method that hospital pathology labs use, returns an exact number in nmol/L, and includes plotted context on this same reference scale. From $53.95 per kit (2-pack) or $59.95 for a single test. Free Australia-wide shipping both ways.