What is a normal ApoB level?

These percentiles come from NHANES 2005 to 2016, covering adults aged 18 to 85 not on lipid-modifying therapy, compiled by the National Lipid Association [1]. Labs flag 100 mg/dL (1.0 g/L)1.0 g/L (100 mg/dL) or higher [3], which is above the median. Because atherosclerosis is common in the general population, a typical number is not necessarily a low-risk one.

The two tests use the same unit but measure different things, so the numbers are not interchangeable. The NLA notes that ApoB of 130 mg/dL and LDL-C of 160 mg/dL both correspond to about the 90th percentile of untreated US adults, and both are risk-enhancing factors that warrant a discussion about treatment [1].

Guideline ApoB goals were set to match the LDL-C goals they sit beside. The NLA chose 60, 70 and 90 mg/dL to correspond with LDL-C thresholds of 55, 70 and 100 mg/dL [1]. The ESC/EAS pairs ApoB under 65, 80 and 100 mg/dL with LDL-C under 55, 70 and 100 mg/dL [2].

On treatment, the match shifts. In people taking lipid-lowering drugs, an LDL-C of 70 mg/dL corresponds on average to an ApoB of 73 mg/dL, against 63 mg/dL in untreated people [1]. That is one reason the ApoB vs LDL page matters for anyone on a statin.

Goals from the ESC/EAS [2], thresholds from the NLA [1] and Canada [4], and the AHA/ACC risk enhancer [5] are compiled in the table. The 2026 ACC/AHA guideline reintroduced goals for LDL-C, non-HDL-C and, in select cases, ApoB [6]; check its tables for exact ApoB values [7].

Two terms matter when you read the table. A goal is a level to stay below once treatment starts, the European approach. A threshold is the level at which a clinician would start or add a medication, the Canadian and NLA approach. The numbers look similar, but a threshold of 70 mg/dL means 'consider doing more above this', not 'you are safe below it'.

Your risk category comes first. It depends on whether you already have cardiovascular disease, diabetes or kidney disease and on your calculated risk score, and your clinician assigns it.

Trial patients have safely reached very low levels: on evolocumab in FOURIER, the median ApoB was 38 mg/dL [1]. Genetic studies show lifelong lower LDL brings proportionally lower risk [8], which is the argument for lower targets earlier in life. Peter Attia, for example, has said he sees little reason for ApoB above about 60 mg/dL, near the 10th percentile of US adults [1].

What is missing is a trial that sets an ApoB goal and compares outcomes with LDL-C-guided care [9]. Until then, optimal for you is a judgment your clinician makes with your risk.

The NHANES table above pools adults aged 18 to 85 [1]. Risk scores such as PREVENT, used in the 2026 ACC/AHA guideline [6], fold age and sex into the overall estimate, and the ApoB goal follows that estimate. A woman's lipids can change after menopause; the 2025 ESC/EAS update suggests a second Lp(a) test then if earlier levels were borderline [10].

ApoB is a protein reported by mass, so unlike cholesterol it never needs a mmol/L conversion; the factor between mg/dL and g/L is simply 100. The nmol/L figure comes from UK Biobank's reported mean [11]. The ApoB test page has a conversion table with guideline reference points.