Complete blood counts (CBC) of umbilical cord blood from 123 healthy term newborns were simultaneously performed with two different cytometers using laser as a light source. Medians (95% range) were: WBC 14.2 (7.8-24.3) x 10(9)/l, platelets 265 (174-363) x 10(9)/l, Hb 15.7 (12.5-18.2) g/dl, RBC 4.6 (3.9-5.5) x 10(12)/l, MCV 106 (95-113) fl, PCV 0.49 (0.40-0.56), and MCH 33.8 (30.3-36.4) pg. Reticulocytes were 149 (95-212) x 10(9)/l or 3.3 (2.0-4.7)%; erythroblasts 5 (0-24) per 100 WBC or 0.53 (0.00-3.20) x 10(9)/l. The counters agreed well except for MCHC. WBC counts showed the smallest difference irrespective of erythroblast number; platelets showed the largest difference. The lower limit for normal Hb should be fixed at 12.5 g/dl for the adequate diagnosis of anaemia from cord blood of term newborns.