A urinalysis is one of the most common bedside and laboratory tests, yet the printout can look like a wall of abbreviations. This guide walks through how to read a urinalysis in a structured way, from the physical description to the dipstick and the microscopic findings, and it points to the standard reference categories. Reference ranges vary by lab, so always read a result against the range printed on your own report.
This article is educational and does not replace clinical training or advice for a specific patient. All clinical decisions rest with the treating clinician.
What is a urinalysis?
A urinalysis has three parts: a physical examination (color, clarity, and specific gravity), a chemical dipstick (pH, protein, glucose, ketones, blood, nitrites, leukocyte esterase, bilirubin, and urobilinogen), and a microscopic examination (StatPearls). Reading it well means looking at all three parts together rather than fixating on a single line. Each section answers a different question, and together they form the picture a clinician uses.
How to read a urinalysis step by step
Step 1: Start with the physical examination
The physical portion records color, clarity, and specific gravity (StatPearls). Specific gravity reflects how concentrated the urine is. Read it against the reference range printed on your own report, because reference ranges vary by lab.
Step 2: Work through the chemical dipstick
The chemical dipstick reports pH, protein, glucose, ketones, blood, nitrites, leukocyte esterase, bilirubin, and urobilinogen (StatPearls). Read each pad against the standard reference categories on the report rather than from memory, and note that lab reports may present these categories differently.
Step 3: Review the microscopic examination
The third part is the microscopic examination (StatPearls), which inspects the urine sediment under a microscope. This section adds detail that the physical and chemical parts alone do not capture.
Step 4: Read the three parts together
No single pad makes a diagnosis. Interpret the physical, chemical, and microscopic sections as one picture, and let the treating clinician combine them with the patient’s history and examination.
Normal values and standard reference categories
The table below lists the standard reference categories per StatPearls. Reference ranges vary by lab, so compare any result against the range on your own report.
| Parameter | Standard reference category (per StatPearls) |
|---|---|
| Specific gravity | 1.005 to 1.030 |
| pH | Slightly acidic, around 5.0 to 6.0 |
| Protein | Normally negative |
| Glucose | Normally negative |
| Ketones | Normally negative |
| Blood | Normally negative |
| Nitrites | Normally negative |
| Leukocyte esterase | Normally negative |
The specific gravity range of 1.005 to 1.030 and the slightly acidic pH of about 5.0 to 6.0 are the standard categories reported by StatPearls (StatPearls). Protein, glucose, ketones, blood, nitrites, and leukocyte esterase are normally negative on the dipstick (StatPearls). For dipstick pads not listed here, such as bilirubin and urobilinogen, this source does not give a fixed normal value, so read them against the categories on your own report rather than assuming a number.
Common mistakes when reading a urinalysis
- Reading a single pad in isolation instead of the physical, chemical, and microscopic parts together.
- Comparing a value to a range from a different report, because reference ranges vary by lab.
- Treating a positive or negative pad as a diagnosis rather than as one data point.
- Assuming a normal value for a pad when the reference on your own report is what actually applies.
- Skipping the microscopic examination, which adds information the dipstick alone does not.
When to see a clinician
A urinalysis is interpreted by a clinician, not by the report alone. The standard categories per StatPearls describe what is typically expected, but the diagnosis is made by the treating clinician, who combines the result with symptoms, history, and examination (StatPearls). If you have a result you do not understand, bring it to a qualified clinician rather than acting on the report yourself.
How Phở approaches this
Phở Labs publishes cited explainers, and every fact above links to its source so you can verify it yourself. When a claim cannot be traced to a source, we label it rather than guess, and we do not provide diagnosis, dosing, or treatment advice. This article is a reading guide, not a substitute for a clinician’s interpretation.
References
- Urinalysis. StatPearls. (StatPearls)