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About this tool
Convert total and direct bilirubin between mg/dL and micromol/L with the 17.1 factor, and derive indirect bilirubin and the direct fraction.
The Bilirubin Unit Converter changes total and direct bilirubin between mg/dL and micromoles per litre using the factor 17.1, which follows from bilirubin's molar mass of 584.66 g/mol. It also subtracts direct from total to give the indirect (unconjugated) value and works out the direct fraction, the ratio clinicians use to separate conjugated from unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia. mg/dL is used in the US and India, µmol/L across the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia.
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Enter the values you already know.
Fine-tune the options to match your scenario.
Read the result and use it in your planning or reporting.
Multiplies by 17.1 or divides by it, so values convert back and forth without drift.
Total minus direct is done automatically, in both units, instead of by hand.
The direct fraction is shown as a percentage and described against the usual 20% and 50% teaching points.
Multiply by 17.1. So 1.2 mg/dL is about 20.5 µmol/L and 3.0 mg/dL is about 51 µmol/L. Divide by 17.1 to convert micromoles per litre back to mg/dL.
In adults, total bilirubin is usually about 0.1 to 1.2 mg/dL (1.7 to 20.5 µmol/L) and direct bilirubin up to about 0.3 mg/dL (5.1 µmol/L). Laboratories set their own intervals, so compare against the range printed on your own report.
Direct (conjugated) bilirubin has been processed by the liver and is water-soluble; indirect (unconjugated) bilirubin has not, and is carried on albumin. Indirect is calculated as total minus direct. A direct fraction above about 50% suggests bile duct obstruction or liver cell disease, while a fraction below about 20% points to haemolysis or Gilbert syndrome.
Yellowing of the whites of the eyes generally appears once total bilirubin reaches roughly 2.5 to 3 mg/dL (about 43 to 51 µmol/L), with skin yellowing following at higher levels. Newborns are assessed differently, against hour-specific nomograms, and a jaundiced baby needs same-day clinical review rather than a conversion table.
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