Convert lab units
A result from abroad often uses a different unit from the one at home, and the raw numbers look nothing alike. This converts the number — nothing else. Read the reference range on your own report.
All conversions available here 19
| Blood glucose | mg/dL ↔ mmol/L |
| Total cholesterol / HDL / LDL | mg/dL ↔ mmol/L |
| Triglycerides | mg/dL ↔ mmol/L |
| Creatinine | mg/dL ↔ µmol/L |
| Bilirubin | mg/dL ↔ µmol/L |
| Uric acid | mg/dL ↔ µmol/L |
| Total calcium | mg/dL ↔ mmol/L |
| Haemoglobin | g/dL ↔ g/L |
| Weight | kg ↔ pound (lb) |
| Height | cm ↔ inch |
| Temperature | °C ↔ °F |
| Urea ↔ BUN | mmol/L (urê) ↔ mg/dL (BUN) |
| HbA1c: % ↔ mmol/mol | % (NGSP) ↔ mmol/mol (IFCC) |
| Albumin | g/dL ↔ g/L |
| Total protein | g/dL ↔ g/L |
| Serum iron | µg/dL ↔ µmol/L |
| Magnesium | mg/dL ↔ mmol/L |
| Phosphate | mg/dL ↔ mmol/L |
| Vitamin D (25-OH) | ng/mL ↔ nmol/L |
The trap: the same pair of units, a different factor
Glucose and cholesterol are both reported as mg/dL or mmol/L — but they do not convert with the same factor, because the factor depends on the molecular weight of the substance. Using one figure for both is a mistake that produces a number which looks plausible and is wrong. Convert each measure with its own row here rather than remembering "the" factor.
Why two systems exist at all
One system counts mass in a volume, the other counts molecules in a volume. Neither is more correct; countries simply settled on different conventions and kept them. What matters for you is only this: check which unit is printed on each report before comparing two of them, because the same body can produce two very different-looking numbers on the same day.
Before you compare two reports
- Check the unit printed next to each number, not the number alone.
- Check whether the two reports came from the same laboratory — reference ranges differ between them even for the same unit.
- Check the small print at the bottom: it often names the method, and a change of method can shift a series.
- Check whether the sample conditions matched — fasting or not, time of day, medication taken.
- Bring both originals to the appointment. A converted number written on a note has lost everything around it.
This page converts and nothing more. It carries no reference ranges and will never say whether a value is high or low — that reading depends on your age, your other conditions and your medicines, and it belongs to the person examining you.