FVC (Forced Vital Capacity)
Page updated: Evidence reviewed: What this means
FVC (forced vital capacity) is the total volume exhaled during a maximal forced spirometry manoeuvre. It is interpreted with FEV1, their ratio, test quality, symptoms, and clinical context. These tables are an archival reproduction of the ethnicity-specific GLI-2012 coefficient set the source labels "Caucasian"; current ATS/ERS guidance favours race-neutral equations. Each age band is one equation calculation at the bracket midpoint and one NHANES median height, not a pooled distribution across the band. The 80+ row represents age 85 and should not be extrapolated beyond GLI-2012's age-95 limit. See the derivation and assumptions.
How to Perform This Test (Protocol)
- Equipment
-
- Spirometer meeting ATS/ERS 2019 accuracy and calibration-verification requirements
- Disposable mouthpiece, with a bacterial/viral filter where used
- Nose clip
- Chair with arms (testing is performed seated unless there is a documented reason not to)
- Protocol Steps
-
- The person sits upright with feet flat on the floor, wearing a nose clip, and seals their lips around the mouthpiece.
- They breathe normally through the mouthpiece until a stable end-expiratory level is reached.
- They inhale completely and rapidly to total lung capacity, then begin forced expiration without hesitation; the interval from full inspiration to time zero should be no more than two seconds.
- They blast air out as forcefully and as fast as possible, and continue exhaling without interruption.
- Exhalation continues until an end of forced expiration criterion is met: a plateau of less than 0.025 L change in volume over at least one second, or 15 seconds of forced expiration, or an FVC within the repeatability tolerance of or greater than the largest previous FVC.
- The person inhales fully at the end of the manoeuvre.
- The goal is at least three acceptable FEV1 and three acceptable FVC measurements, with enough recovery between efforts; additional attempts may be needed.
- Scoring
FVC is the total volume exhaled, reported in litres at BTPS. The largest acceptable FVC is reported, even if the largest FEV1 comes from another effort. For people older than 6 years, repeatability requires the two largest FVC values to differ by less than 0.150 L. At age 6 or younger, the tolerance is less than 0.100 L or 10% of the highest value, whichever is greater.
- Notes
The 2019 standard removed the older six-second minimum exhalation rule. FVC must meet an end-of-forced-expiration criterion; early termination, a leak, an obstructed mouthpiece, or glottic closure makes it unacceptable. The full standard includes contraindication screening, infection control, device quality assurance, operator coaching, and session grading that this summary omits. Spirometry is a supervised clinical test, not a do-it-yourself maximal-effort exercise.
Data source: Quanjer et al. (GLI-2012) About this study
See also: Graham et al. (ATS/ERS 2019) About this study
Reference population: 74,187 healthy lifelong nonsmokers aged 3-95 years in four fitted groups; 57,395 were in the source-labelled Caucasian group
FVC (Forced Vital Capacity) Norms Chart by Age and Sex (L)
| Age | Sex | Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 95th | ||
| 5-9 | Male | 1.22 | 1.41 | 1.53 | 1.66 | 1.85 |
| Female | 1.14 | 1.31 | 1.42 | 1.54 | 1.72 | |
| 10-14 | Male | 2.34 | 2.66 | 2.88 | 3.11 | 3.43 |
| Female | 2.31 | 2.63 | 2.86 | 3.09 | 3.43 | |
| 15-19 | Male | 4.14 | 4.71 | 5.11 | 5.51 | 6.08 |
| Female | 2.99 | 3.43 | 3.73 | 4.05 | 4.50 | |
| 20-29 | Male | 4.39 | 5.00 | 5.43 | 5.86 | 6.48 |
| Female | 3.03 | 3.47 | 3.79 | 4.11 | 4.58 | |
| 30-39 | Male | 4.18 | 4.79 | 5.22 | 5.65 | 6.27 |
| Female | 2.98 | 3.42 | 3.73 | 4.04 | 4.50 | |
| 40-49 | Male | 3.94 | 4.55 | 4.98 | 5.42 | 6.05 |
| Female | 2.80 | 3.23 | 3.54 | 3.85 | 4.30 | |
| 50-59 | Male | 3.56 | 4.18 | 4.61 | 5.05 | 5.67 |
| Female | 2.50 | 2.94 | 3.25 | 3.56 | 4.02 | |
| 60-69 | Male | 3.11 | 3.71 | 4.13 | 4.56 | 5.17 |
| Female | 2.15 | 2.58 | 2.88 | 3.20 | 3.66 | |
| 70-79 | Male | 2.67 | 3.24 | 3.65 | 4.05 | 4.64 |
| Female | 1.79 | 2.21 | 2.51 | 2.81 | 3.26 | |
| 80+ | Male | 2.32 | 2.87 | 3.26 | 3.65 | 4.21 |
| Female | 1.48 | 1.88 | 2.16 | 2.45 | 2.88 | |
What to expect by age group
| Age | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| 5-9 | 1.41 to 1.66 | 1.31 to 1.54 |
| 10-14 | 2.66 to 3.11 | 2.63 to 3.09 |
| 15-19 | 4.71 to 5.51 | 3.43 to 4.05 |
| 20-29 | 5.00 to 5.86 | 3.47 to 4.11 |
| 30-39 | 4.79 to 5.65 | 3.42 to 4.04 |
| 40-49 | 4.55 to 5.42 | 3.23 to 3.85 |
| 50-59 | 4.18 to 5.05 | 2.94 to 3.56 |
| 60-69 | 3.71 to 4.56 | 2.58 to 3.20 |
| 70-79 | 3.24 to 4.05 | 2.21 to 2.81 |
| 80+ | 2.87 to 3.65 | 1.88 to 2.45 |
Detailed Breakdowns
Select an age group and sex below for detailed percentile charts and distribution labels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a normal FVC?
There is no single normal FVC. A laboratory compares the measured value with an appropriate equation for exact age, sex, and height and reports a z-score. The conventional lower limit of normal is the 5th percentile, or z = -1.645, but being above that statistical boundary does not by itself establish healthy lungs. The 2022 ERS/ATS interpretive standard advises against a fixed 80%-predicted rule. Reduced FVC can accompany several patterns; total lung capacity is required to confirm restriction.
What is the difference between FVC, FEV1, and slow VC?
FVC is the total volume exhaled during a maximal forced breath; FEV1 is the volume exhaled in its first second. Their ratio helps classify an obstructive pattern. A preserved ratio with reduced FVC can suggest possible restriction but cannot confirm it; total lung capacity is required. Slow vital capacity (VC or SVC) is measured during a relaxed exhalation and is not interchangeable with FVC. See the FEV1 and FEV1/FVC ratio pages for the corresponding reference calculations.
Why does height affect FVC?
Height is an explicit input to the GLI-2012 FVC equation, with an exponent of about 2.4 in the source-labelled Caucasian coefficient set. The site uses one NHANES median height for each displayed sex and age bracket, so these values are not personalised. Use a clinical calculator or report that includes exact measured height for individual interpretation.
Does ethnicity affect FVC?
GLI-2012 supplied different equations for four source-defined ethnicity groups, and this page reproduces only the coefficient set it labels "Caucasian." That is an important historical limitation, not an instruction to choose a correction for yourself. In 2023 the ATS, with ERS endorsement, recommended replacing race- and ethnicity-specific equations with a race-neutral approach and identified GLI Global as the available average equation (official statement). A clinical report should name the equation it uses.