Loading page
About this tool
Convert total, LDL, HDL and triglycerides between mg/dL and mmol/L, with non-HDL, the total-to-HDL ratio and reference bands.
The Cholesterol Unit Converter changes a full lipid panel between mg/dL and mmol/L, using 38.67 mg/dL per mmol/L for total, LDL, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol and 88.57 mg/dL per mmol/L for triglycerides. Those two factors differ because cholesterol and triglycerides are different molecules, which is the single most common error when converting a report by hand. It also derives non-HDL cholesterol, the total-to-HDL ratio and, if LDL was not measured, the Friedewald estimate.
Open Cholesterol Unit Converter on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
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.
Cholesterol uses 38.67 and triglycerides use 88.57 — the tool never applies one factor to the whole panel.
Non-HDL cholesterol and the total-to-HDL ratio are calculated for you, not just converted.
The LDL estimate is withheld once triglycerides reach 400 mg/dL, where the equation stops being valid.
Divide the mg/dL value by 38.67. So 200 mg/dL total cholesterol is 5.2 mmol/L, and 100 mg/dL LDL is 2.6 mmol/L. Multiply by 38.67 to go the other way.
Because a triglyceride molecule is far heavier than a cholesterol molecule — about 885 g/mol against 387 g/mol — so 1 mmol/L of triglycerides weighs 88.57 mg/dL rather than 38.67. Using the cholesterol factor on triglycerides overstates the mmol/L value by more than double.
LDL = total cholesterol − HDL − triglycerides/5, all in mg/dL (divide triglycerides by 2.2 if working in mmol/L). It was published in 1972 and is still used by most labs, but it becomes unreliable once triglycerides reach 400 mg/dL (about 4.5 mmol/L), and it also underestimates LDL at very low LDL levels — in those cases LDL should be measured directly.
Non-HDL cholesterol is total cholesterol minus HDL, so it captures every cholesterol-carrying particle linked to atherosclerosis, not just LDL. It does not need a fasting sample and is often used alongside or instead of LDL, with under 130 mg/dL (3.4 mmol/L) described as desirable in the ATP III bands. Your own target depends on your overall risk, so discuss it with your clinician.
Add the Cholesterol Unit Converterwidget to your blog or website — free, responsive, no signup. Just keep the “Widget by AltFTool” credit link visible.
<iframe src="https://www.altftool.com/embed/widget/cholesterol-unit-converter"
title="Cholesterol Unit Converter — free AltFTool widget"
width="100%" height="640" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden"
loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:12px;margin:4px 0 0">Widget by <a href="https://www.altftool.com/tools/all/cholesterol-unit-converter?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=widget">AltFTool — free online tools</a></p>