Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in patients with severe pneumonia. Methods Forty patients with common community acquired pneumonia (common pneumonia group) , 49 patients with severe community acquired pneumonia (severe pneumonia group) and 55 healthy people were selected (control group). The levels of NGAL, MCP-1 and their correlation with the severity of pneumonia were measured. The ROC curves of NGAL and MCP-1 were used to predict the severity of severe pneumonia. Results The levels of NGAL and MCP-1 in severe pneumonia patients were higher than those in normal pneumonia group and control group(P < 0.05). NGAL and MCP-1 were positively correlated with PSI scores respectively (r = 0.701 and 0.762, P = 0.002 and 0.008). ROC curves of serum levels of NGAL, MCP-1 and both for predicting severe pneumonia were 0.715, 0.744 and 0.840, respectively. Conclusions The serum levels of NGAL and MCP-1 in patients with severe pneumonia were related to the severity of pneumonia, and the serum levels of NGAL and MCP-1 could predict the occurrence of severe pneumonia.