π mmol/L to mg/dL Converter
Lab unit conversion for the common analytes.
For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.
Most of the world reports labs in mmol/L; the US uses mg/dL. The conversion factor is each molecule's molecular weight divided by 10: glucose 18, cholesterol 38.67, triglycerides 88.57, BUN 2.8. Creatinine is usually reported in micromol/L outside the US and converts by dividing by 88.4.
Pick the analyte, enter the value, and choose the direction. The calculator converts both ways and shows the factor used, so you can sanity-check the result against reference ranges in the new units.
How to Use This Calculator
Select the lab analyte, enter the value, and pick the conversion direction. Read the converted value. Double-check by comparing against a known reference: fasting glucose 5.6 mmol/L should read 100 mg/dL, total cholesterol 5.2 mmol/L should read about 200.
Pick the analyte: glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, BUN, or creatinine.
Enter the value.
Choose mmol/L to mg/dL or the reverse.
Read the result and sanity-check against a known reference.
Molecular Weight Math
Glucose 18 | Cholesterol 38.67 | TG 88.57 | BUN 2.8
A millimole is molecular weight in milligrams; per liter to per deciliter divides by 10. Glucose (MW 180) gives 18, cholesterol (MW 387) gives 38.7, triglycerides (average MW 886) give 88.6, and BUN uses nitrogen's weight (28/10 = 2.8). Creatinine outside the US is reported in micromol/L, a thousand times smaller, so the factor becomes 88.4 as a divisor. These are exact stoichiometric conversions, not estimates.
Worked Example
Glucose 7 mmol/L converts to 126 mg/dL: 7 mmol/L = 126 mg/dL, just over the 126 mg/dL diabetes threshold. Cholesterol uses 38.67 instead: 5.2 mmol/L is 201 mg/dL. Mixing up the glucose and cholesterol factors is the classic error, so the analyte picker exists.
Sanity-Check References
Fasting glucose: 100 mg/dL = 5.6 mmol/L; diabetes at 126 = 7.0. Total cholesterol: 200 = 5.2; LDL 100 = 2.6. Triglycerides: 150 = 1.7. BUN: 20 mg/dL = 7.1 mmol/L. Creatinine: 1.0 mg/dL = 88 umol/L. If your conversion lands far from these landmarks, recheck the analyte selection before trusting the number.
Units Errors Harm Patients
Unit mix-ups are a known source of dosing errors, especially with glucose and creatinine. When transcribing values between systems, convert and then verify against the reference range in the new units. For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.
Related tools: LDL cholesterol calculator, MELD score and estimated average glucose.
For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you convert glucose mmol/L to mg/dL?
Multiply by 18. So 7 mmol/L is 126 mg/dL, the diabetes threshold.
What is normal blood sugar in mmol/L?
Fasting under 5.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL); diabetes at 7.0 (126) or higher.
How do you convert cholesterol to mg/dL?
Multiply mmol/L by 38.67. A total of 5.2 mmol/L is about 200 mg/dL.
Why does creatinine use umol/L?
Most countries report creatinine in micromol/L; divide by 88.4 to get mg/dL. So 88 umol/L equals 1.0 mg/dL.
What is the BUN conversion factor?
Multiply mmol/L by 2.8 to get mg/dL of urea nitrogen.
Are these conversions exact?
Yes, they are stoichiometric from molecular weights, not approximations. Rounding is the only error source.
Why do units differ by country?
Historical convention: the US kept mass units while most of the world adopted SI molar units. Both describe the same quantity.
Can I convert A1C between % and mmol/mol?
Yes: mmol/mol = (A1C% - 2.15) x 10.929. An A1C of 7% is 53 mmol/mol.
Why does the US use mg/dL while most of the world uses mmol/L?
Historical habit. American labs standardized on mass units decades ago, while the rest of the world adopted SI molar units. Neither is more correct; they describe the same amount. The split persists because switching would confuse a generation of patients and clinicians trained on one system, so converters like this one bridge the gap.
Which factor do I use for cholesterol vs glucose?
Different molecules, different factors: divide or multiply glucose by 18, cholesterol by 38.67. The factor is the molecular weight divided by 10, so each substance gets its own. Using the glucose factor on a cholesterol number gives a wildly wrong answer, which is why the converter asks which substance you mean.
Do I need to fast before a glucose test reported in mmol/L?
Depends on the test. Fasting glucose needs 8 hours without food; random glucose and HbA1c do not. The units do not change the preparation, only the numbers on the report. If your result comes back in mmol/L and your target sheet is in mg/dL, convert before comparing.