Quick answer
A CMP blood test measures 14 things: glucose; calcium; four electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride and carbon dioxide); two kidney markers (BUN and creatinine); two proteins (albumin and total protein); and four liver tests (ALP, ALT, AST and bilirubin). Most labs also print a calculated eGFR, globulin and ratios. It is one of the most commonly ordered blood panels, costs $49 at Labcorp OnDemand, and needs a 10 to 12 hour fast because of the glucose.
The 14 CMP markers and normal ranges
Normal values below are from the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Ranges vary slightly by lab, so read your result against the range on your own report.
| Marker | Group | Normal range | High can mean | Low can mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glucose | Sugar | 70 to 100 mg/dL (fasting) | Prediabetes (100 to 125) or diabetes (126+), stress, steroids | Long fast, too much diabetes medicine |
| Calcium | Mineral | 8.5 to 10.2 mg/dL | Overactive parathyroid, excess vitamin D, some cancers | Low albumin, low vitamin D, kidney disease |
| Sodium | Electrolyte | 135 to 145 mEq/L | Dehydration | Diuretics, heart, kidney or liver disease, too much water |
| Potassium | Electrolyte | 3.7 to 5.2 mEq/L | Kidney disease, some blood pressure drugs, burst cells in the tube | Diuretics, vomiting, diarrhea |
| Chloride | Electrolyte | 96 to 106 mEq/L | Dehydration | Vomiting, some lung and adrenal problems |
| CO2 (bicarbonate) | Electrolyte | 23 to 29 mEq/L | Vomiting, some lung diseases | Kidney disease, diabetic ketoacidosis, diarrhea |
| BUN | Kidney | 6 to 20 mg/dL | Dehydration, high-protein diet, reduced kidney function | Low protein intake, liver disease |
| Creatinine | Kidney | 0.6 to 1.3 mg/dL | Reduced kidney function, high muscle mass, creatine supplements | Low muscle mass |
| Albumin | Protein | 3.4 to 5.4 g/dL | Dehydration | Liver disease, kidney protein loss, malnutrition, inflammation |
| Total protein | Protein | 6.0 to 8.3 g/dL | Chronic inflammation or infection, dehydration | Liver or kidney disease, malnutrition |
| ALP | Liver/bone | 20 to 130 U/L | Bile duct blockage, bone growth or disease, pregnancy | Rarely significant |
| ALT | Liver | 4 to 36 U/L | Liver cell injury, fatty liver, some medicines | Not usually significant |
| AST | Liver/muscle | 8 to 33 U/L | Liver or muscle injury, hard exercise | Not usually significant |
| Total bilirubin | Liver | 0.1 to 1.2 mg/dL | Gilbert syndrome, red cell breakdown, liver or bile disease | Not usually significant |
The kidney and liver rows are covered in depth in our kidney function test and liver function test guides.
CMP vs BMP and other panels
| Panel | Tests | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic metabolic panel (BMP) | 8 | Glucose, calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2, BUN, creatinine |
| Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) | 14 | BMP plus albumin, total protein, ALP, ALT, AST, bilirubin |
| Hepatic function panel | About 7 | The liver half of the CMP, often with direct bilirubin |
| Renal function panel | About 10 | The kidney half, plus phosphorus and albumin |
A CMP is a BMP plus a liver panel. If your doctor only needs electrolytes and kidney function, a BMP is enough.
What a CMP does not include
People often assume a CMP covers everything. It does not include cholesterol (that is a lipid panel), HbA1c, blood counts (a CBC), thyroid tests, vitamin D, iron, ferritin, B12 or GGT. Labcorp's $189 Comprehensive Health Test bundles a CMP with a CBC, lipids, HbA1c and urinalysis.
Worked example: reading a CMP
A made-up fasting CMP for a 52-year-old man, with typical lab ranges:
| Marker | Result | Flag | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glucose | 112 mg/dL | H | Fasting 100 to 125 is the ADA prediabetes range; confirm with HbA1c |
| BUN | 24 mg/dL | H | With normal creatinine, often dehydration or a high-protein diet |
| Creatinine | 1.0 mg/dL | Normal; eGFR about 90 at 52 by the 2021 CKD-EPI equation | |
| BUN:creatinine | 24 | Above about 20 points toward a cause outside the kidney, such as fluids | |
| ALT | 51 U/L | H | Mild rise, ALT above AST: typical of fatty liver |
| AST | 34 U/L | H | Just over; fits the same picture |
| Total bilirubin | 1.4 mg/dL | H | Alone, with normal ALP, often Gilbert syndrome, which is harmless |
| Everything else | Normal |
Read together, this is not seven problems. It is a man who may be a little dry on the morning of the draw, with blood sugar and liver enzymes that often travel together with insulin resistance. Sensible next steps with his doctor: repeat the CMP well hydrated, add HbA1c and a lipid panel, and ask whether the liver enzymes need imaging. Our prediabetes blood test guide covers the sugar side.
Fasting and preparation
Labcorp OnDemand asks for a 12-hour fast with water only, no coffee or tea, because glucose rises after eating. Drink water (dehydration pushes up BUN, albumin and sodium), avoid a hard workout the day before (it raises AST and creatinine), and take your usual medicines unless told otherwise. More in fasting before a blood test.
Which SiPhox panels cover the CMP
No at-home SiPhox EasyDraw panel runs a full CMP. Glucose and potassium are unreliable in capillary blood shipped by mail (glucose keeps falling in the tube, potassium leaks from burst cells; see are at-home blood tests accurate), and the electrolytes are left off too. What the panels do cover:
| Marker | Heart & Metabolic | Ultimate 360 | GLP Optimization | Kidney, Liver and Lp(a) kit | Thyroid Focus | Longevity Essentials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glucose | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Calcium | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Sodium | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Potassium | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Chloride | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| CO2 (bicarbonate) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| BUN | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Creatinine | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Albumin | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Total protein | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| ALP | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| ALT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| AST | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Total bilirubin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Covered | 7 of 14 | 8 of 14 | 8 of 14 | 7 of 14 | 3 of 14 | 0 of 14 |
Our count from SiPhox panel lists checked 30 September 2026. eGFR, direct bilirubin and ratios are extra and not counted.
So Heart & Metabolic covers 7 of 14 (BUN, creatinine, ALP, ALT, AST, total bilirubin and total protein) and Ultimate 360 covers 8 by adding albumin, plus GGT which a CMP lacks. The one-off $85 Kidney, Liver and Lp(a) kit lists glucose, but not the electrolytes. For glucose, sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2 and calcium you still need a lab draw.
CMP cost
| Option | Price | CMP markers | Also includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labcorp OnDemand CMP | $49 | 14 of 14 | Lab visit, 12-hour fast |
| Labcorp OnDemand Comprehensive Health Test | $189 | 14 of 14 | CBC, lipids, HbA1c, urinalysis |
| Doctor-ordered at a physical | Varies with insurance | 14 of 14 | |
| SiPhox Kidney, Liver and Lp(a) kit | $85 | 7 of 14 | eGFR, Lp(a), TIBC |
| SiPhox Heart & Metabolic | $149 with shipping | 7 of 14 | eGFR, ApoB, Lp(a), lipids, HbA1c, hs-CRP, TSH |
| SiPhox Ultimate 360 | $274 with shipping | 8 of 14 | 62 markers incl. GGT, iron, B12, thyroid, hormones |
Price comparisons across more services are in our at-home blood test cost guide.
Which test to choose
| If you want | Test | Choose |
|---|---|---|
| Electrolytes, calcium or fasting glucose | Full CMP | Labcorp OnDemand CMP, $49, or your doctor |
| A once-a-year all-round baseline at a lab | CMP, CBC, lipids, HbA1c | Labcorp Comprehensive Health Test, $189 |
| Kidney and liver trends without a lab visit | BUN, creatinine, eGFR, ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin | SiPhox Heart & Metabolic |
| Kidney and liver plus heart risk, every 3 to 6 months | The above plus ApoB, Lp(a), HbA1c | SiPhox Heart & Metabolic, switch to Ultimate 360 once a year |
Heart & Metabolic
Lipids plus kidney and liver function: the panel for cardiovascular and metabolic risk.
Check price
Ultimate 360
Everything on the four core panels plus iron studies, B12 and folate, GGT and PSA.
Check price
Frequently asked questions
What does a CMP blood test check for?
Blood sugar, calcium, electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2), kidney function (BUN, creatinine) and liver function (ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin, albumin, total protein): 14 tests in total.
Do you have to fast for a CMP?
Usually yes, because it includes glucose. Labcorp OnDemand asks for 12 hours with water only.
What is the difference between a CMP and a BMP?
A BMP has 8 tests (glucose, calcium, electrolytes, BUN, creatinine). A CMP adds 6 liver and protein tests: albumin, total protein, ALP, ALT, AST and bilirubin.
Does a CMP include cholesterol, thyroid or vitamin D?
No. Cholesterol is a lipid panel, thyroid is TSH and free T4, and vitamin D is a separate 25-hydroxy vitamin D test.
How much does a CMP blood test cost without insurance?
Labcorp OnDemand lists it at $49 (checked 30 September 2026). Its Comprehensive Health Test, which adds a CBC, lipids, HbA1c and urinalysis, is $189.
Sources
- MedlinePlus: Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP)
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Comprehensive metabolic panel, normal values
- MedlinePlus: Basic metabolic panel (BMP)
- MedlinePlus: BUN (blood urea nitrogen) test
- MedlinePlus: Bilirubin blood test
- Labcorp OnDemand: Comprehensive metabolic panel (price and fasting)
- Labcorp OnDemand: Comprehensive Health Test
- American Diabetes Association. 2. Diagnosis and classification of diabetes: Standards of Care in Diabetes 2026
- National Kidney Foundation: CKD-EPI creatinine equation (2021)
- SiPhox Health: Kidney, Liver and Lp(a) panel (12 markers, checked 30 Sep 2026)
- SiPhox Health: Heart & Metabolic panel page
- SiPhox Health: Ultimate 360 panel page
- SiPhox Health panel comparison