SUPPORTMETABOLIC

Hydration Test Strips

We're here to help you understand your result.

Upload your photo Or read it yourself

Reviewed by a member of our support team, not software and not a clinician. Reply within one business day.

Hydration Test Strips

Read your result

What your result might look like.

At 45 seconds, match the pad to the nearest block on the colour chart on the bottle. 
The strip reads specific gravity, which is how concentrated your urine is.

  • Overhydrated

    Overhydrated

    Clear urine · USG below 1.005

    What it means

    Your urine is very dilute — more water than your body needs to clear what it's clearing. Held over time, that can thin out the electrolytes your body runs on.

    What it doesn't mean

    Drinking a lot isn't the only cause. Coffee, alcohol and some medications all dilute urine, and one low reading after a big glass of water is ordinary.

    What to do next

    Ease off fluids for a while and test again later in the day. If it stays this low across several days, mention it to your provider.
  • Well hydrated

    Well hydrated

    Pale straw · USG 1.005 – 1.010

    What it means

    You're in the range where the body is clearing waste without holding on to water it doesn't need. This is also the band recommended for people training regularly.

    What it doesn't mean

    One reading is a moment, not a pattern. Hydration moves through the day with heat, training and sleep.

    What to do next

    Nothing to change. If you're tracking, test at the same time each day so the readings actually compare.
  • Mildly dehydrated

    Mildly dehydrated

    Yellow · USG 1.011 – 1.020

    What it means

    Slightly concentrated. Your body has started conserving water, usually because intake dropped or you've been losing more through sweat. Dry mouth or thirst often show up around here.

    What it doesn't mean

    It isn't a warning sign on its own. Plenty of people read here first thing in the morning or after a busy few hours.

    What to do next

    Drink steadily rather than all at once, and test again in a couple of hours.
  • Significantly dehydrated

    Significantly dehydrated

    Amber · USG 1.021 – 1.030

    What it means

    A real fluid deficit — roughly three to five percent. It usually follows hard exercise, illness, or a day of not drinking much, and can come with tiredness and passing less urine than usual.

    What it doesn't mean

    It doesn't tell you why. Heat, illness and training all land in the same place here. Protein in urine can also push the reading up.

    What to do next

    Rehydrate deliberately rather than waiting until you feel thirsty, and test again once you've caught up.
  • Severely dehydrated

    Severely dehydrated

    Brown or dark orange · USG above 1.030

    What it means

    Your kidneys are concentrating urine as hard as they can to hold on to the fluid you have left. The manufacturer treats a reading in this band as a medical emergency, because of the risk to blood volume, electrolytes and the kidneys themselves.

    What to do next

    Get medical help now. Severe dehydration needs fluids given under supervision, by mouth or by drip — not something to manage on your own.

Specific gravity measures how concentrated your urine is, not how much water is in your body. Athletes and people who drink a lot of water often sit at the lower end, and that can be normal for them. This strip does not diagnose a kidney or metabolic condition.

Send us a photo

Color hard to call?

Bathroom lighting shifts every colour on the chart, and the middle of the range is where people second-guess. Send a photo and someone on our team will match it with you.

01

Hold the strip flat against the colour chart on the bottle so both are in the same shot.

02

Take the photo at 45 seconds, before the pad keeps developing.

03

Daylight if you can, phone straight above, no shadow across the strip.

How this works

Your photo is reviewed by a member of our support team. They are not healthcare professionals and cannot diagnose a condition or advise on treatment. What they can do is help you read what your test is showing.

Nothing here is automated. Your photo stays confidential and is used only to answer you.

Lost the card from your kit? You can still send a photo. Put the cassette on a plain white surface in good light.

Upload your photo

Taking the test

A few things worth knowing first.

Two things change the reading more than people expect.

  1. Test at the same time of day if you're tracking. First-morning urine is always the most concentrated, so comparing morning to evening readings will look like a change that isn't one.
  2. A large drink shortly before testing dilutes the sample and will read lower than your actual state.
  3. Don't touch the test pad. Handle the strip by the plain end.
  4. Keep the strips sealed and dry, between 2 and 30°C, and out of direct sunlight.

Directions for use

How to take it.

Under a minute.

  • STEP 01

    Collect a fresh sample

    Catch urine in a clean, dry container. You can also hold the strip straight in the stream, just long enough to wet the pad.

  • STEP 02

    Dip and drain

    Immerse the pad for one to two seconds, no longer, then run the edge along the container rim. Blot the side on a paper towel and lay the strip flat, pad facing up.

  • STEP 03

    Match at 45 seconds

    Compare the pad to the colour key and find the closest match. Read it in good light.

Read at 45 seconds. A colour change that appears after 2 minutes has no diagnostic significance, so a late read will push you toward the dehydrated end of the chart.

WATCH IT DONE

The whole thing, start to finish.

Documents

Everything in writing.

Questions

The ones we hear most often.

Both. First-morning urine is the most concentrated of the day, so it reads higher than an afternoon sample even when nothing about your hydration has changed. If you're tracking, pick one time of day and stay with it.

Not necessarily. The instructions note that people who regularly engage in physical activity or drink a lot of water often sit at the lower end, and that wide 'normal' range doesn't always match the optimum for an individual. Consistently very low readings are worth mentioning to a provider, mainly because excess water can dilute blood sodium.

B vitamins can tint urine bright yellow, which makes a level harder to match by eye. Beetroot and some medications do the same. If the colour looks unlike anything on the chart, send us a photo.

It gives you a concentration reading before and after, which is more than guessing. It measures urine concentration, not total body water, so treat it as one input rather than a verdict.

The density of your urine compared with pure water, which is 1.000. The more waste and salts dissolved in it, the higher the number. 

When to get care sooner

A reading above 1.030 is not a wait-and-see result.

The instructions for use describe severe dehydration as a medical emergency. Contact a provider or urgent care the same day if you see a reading above 1.030 alongside any of these.

  • Urine that looks brown or dark orange
  • Producing very little urine, or none
  • Lethargy or unusual weakness
  • Skin that stays pinched when you lift it
  • Dehydration following prolonged illness, vomiting or diarrhoea

Untreated, severe dehydration can lead to low blood volume, electrolyte imbalance and kidney damage. At the other end of the scale, repeatedly very low readings can point to overhydration, which dilutes blood sodium and carries its own risk. Both ends of this chart are worth a conversation if they persist.

Still need help

 Talk to someone. 

No scripts, no phone tree. Whichever is easiest for you.

  • Running low

    Hydration Test Strips

    30 individually sealed strips

  • Often used alongside

    Urinox-10 Urinalysis Test Strips

    Ten markers from one strip, including specific gravity

    Learn more

Hydration Test Strips measure the specific gravity of urine as a general indicator of hydration. They do not diagnose any condition and are not a substitute for medical assessment. Talk to your provider about readings that concern you.