Your calcium score, on one page

The bands, the limits, and what to ask. Print it and take it with you. Educational only. Not medical advice.

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This is a summary sheet. The full explanation of what the number means, with sources, is on what your calcium score means; where your score sits for your age is on calcium score by age.

The bands

1. 0

   No identifiable calcified plaque. Does not rule out all coronary disease.

   A zero does not mean zero risk. The scan only sees calcified plaque, and non-calcified plaque does not show up. Interpret this result alongside your other risk factors with your clinician.

2. 1–10

   Minimal calcified plaque. Discuss the result with your clinician.

   A small amount of calcified plaque is present. Even a low positive score is evidence of coronary atherosclerosis; its significance depends on your age and overall risk profile.

3. 11–100

   Mild plaque. Worth discussing risk-factor modification with your doctor.

   Plaque is established. This is the band where people most often talk with a clinician about blood pressure, lipids, smoking, and family history.

4. 101–400

   Moderate plaque. Follow up with your doctor on next steps.

   A moderate burden of calcified plaque. Your clinician may want more testing or a change in how aggressively your risk factors are managed.

5. Over 400

   Extensive plaque. Higher risk. Prompt clinician follow-up.

   A high calcium burden. This is a result to take to a clinician promptly rather than sitting on. It is a measure of plaque, not a diagnosis of a blockage, and what happens next is a decision for you and your doctor.

A calcium score is one data point, not a diagnosis. What it means for you is a conversation with a licensed clinician.

What it does not tell you

• Not a blockage. It measures calcified plaque, not whether an artery is narrowed. That is a CT angiogram, a different and costlier test.
• Not soft plaque. Non-calcified plaque does not appear on a non-contrast scan, which matters most in younger people.
• A zero is not immunity. A genuinely good result, not a guarantee — and guidelines read it differently if you smoke, have diabetes, or have a family history of premature coronary disease.
• Not a verdict. What to do about a high score is a decision for you and a clinician who knows your history.

Questions worth asking your clinician

1. Given my score and everything else you know about me, what is my estimated risk — and did the score move it?
2. What is my percentile for my age and sex, not just the raw number?
3. Which of my risk factors would you most want to change first?
4. Would repeating this scan change anything you would do? If not, what would have to change for it to be worth repeating?
5. Does anything about my result, or any symptoms I have, point to a different test rather than a repeat of this one?

On the fourth: a MESA study of people whose first score was zero suggested considering a repeat in roughly 3 to 7 years depending on risk profile — not a schedule for everyone, and repeat scans carry radiation. More on scanning again.

Before you book

Ask for the exam by code — CPT 75571 — and ask whether the quote includes the radiologist’s read. What a scan costs has the self-pay prices we list, state by state, and find a scan near you has the listings.

Sources

• ACR/RSNA: cardiac CT for calcium scoring, for the exam and score bands.
• 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guideline, for current risk-assessment guidance.
• Dzaye et al., MESA repeat-scan study, JACC Cardiovascular Imaging, 2021.

This is general education, not medical advice, and no clinician has reviewed it. CalciumCT.com is a directory of published cash prices. We do not perform scans, read scans, employ clinicians, or practice medicine in any state. We never collect or store calcium scores, reports or images, and we never pass your address to a clinic.

Last updated October 2, 2026.