Lab value unit converter (mg/dL and mmol/L)

Converting mass concentration (mg/dL) to substance concentration (mmol/L) divides by the molar mass and multiplies by 10 (1 dL = 0.1 L).

mmol/L = mg/dL × 10 / molar mass (g/mol)
Glucose ÷ 18.016 · Cholesterol ÷ 38.67 · Triglycerides ÷ 88.57 · Urea ÷ 6.006
Creatinine: mg/dL × 88.4 = µmol/L
Urea nitrogen (BUN): mg/dL ÷ 2.8014 = mmol/L of urea

Assumptions and limits

• BUN is reported as the nitrogen in urea, so BUN and urea in mg/dL are not the same number; urea mg/dL ≈ BUN × 2.14.
• Laboratories round factors differently (for example 18 for glucose); expect small differences in the last digit.
• Converts units only; reference ranges and interpretation depend on the laboratory and the clinical context.

Worked example

Glucose 100 mg/dL = 5.55 mmol/L; total cholesterol 200 mg/dL = 5.17 mmol/L; creatinine 1.0 mg/dL = 88.4 µmol/L; BUN 14 mg/dL = 5.0 mmol/L of urea.

References

• NIDDK: creatinine 88.4 µmol/L per mg/dL
• PubChem: glucose (molar mass)
• PubChem: cholesterol (molar mass)
• PubChem: urea (molar mass)