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Bilirubin (mg/dL) to Micromoles per litre Converter

Enter a value in bilirubin (mg/dl) to convert it to micromoles per litre.

How it is calculated

The conversion is one multiplication in one direction, from mg/dL to µmol/L: µmol/L = mg/dL × 17.104. The input is the bilirubin concentration in mg/dL and the output is shown with two decimals. To go the other way, from µmol/L back to mg/dL, divide by 17.104 yourself, since the tool only converts forwards. The factor is fixed and does not depend on the type of bilirubin, so the same number is used for total, direct or indirect bilirubin as long as you enter the matching value. The tool does not judge whether a value is normal and does not reject zero or negative entries, so check what you typed. Laboratories set their own reference ranges, and they differ between labs and ages.

Worked example

A report shows a total bilirubin of 1.2 mg/dL. Multiply by the factor: 1.2 × 17.104 = 20.5248. The tool rounds this to two decimals and shows 20.52 µmol/L. To check the other direction, 20.52 ÷ 17.104 gives back about 1.2 mg/dL.

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Common mistakes

  • Using the converter backwards. The tool takes mg/dL only; typing a µmol/L value such as 20 gives 342 µmol/L, which is not a conversion of anything.
  • Mixing up bilirubin with other analytes. Creatinine and glucose use different factors, so this one cannot be reused for them.
  • Comparing a total bilirubin value with a direct bilirubin reference range after conversion. Convert each fraction separately and compare like with like.
  • Rounding the factor to 17 or 17.1 by hand and then comparing with a lab's printed value. A small difference in the second decimal is just rounding, not a different result.
  • Applying adult reference ranges to newborn results. The unit conversion is the same, but the meaning of the number is not, and a clinician has to read it.

Sources

About this calculator

Bilirubin lab results are reported in two different unit conventions depending on the country: the US uses mg/dL, while most of the rest of the world uses the SI unit µmol/L. The conversion factor, 1 mg/dL = 17.1 µmol/L, comes directly from bilirubin's molar mass (about 584.7 g/mol) — 1 mg/dL is 10 mg/L, and dividing that by the molar mass and converting mol to µmol gives the 17.1 multiplier.

Clinicians, lab technicians, and nurses reading liver function panels, especially when monitoring neonatal jaundice (where bilirubin trends closely determine treatment decisions like phototherapy thresholds), need to convert between these unit systems constantly when comparing lab results from different countries, hospital systems, or older medical literature reported in the other convention.

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  • Editorial team

    To check a result in your head, remember that 1 mg/dL is about 17 micromoles per litre, so 5 mg/dL should land near 85. Make sure the value you type is the type listed on the report, total, direct or indirect, because the factor is the same but the clinical meaning is not. Neonatal decisions depend on the baby's age in hours as well as the number, so discuss the result with the care team. Which reports are you comparing?

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