Calculator
Non-HDL cholesterol calculator
One subtraction, no assumptions, and no fasting requirement. The calculator below works out LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol from the same three numbers, so you can see both.
Lipid panel
Your three numbers
Copy them straight off the report. Nothing is sent anywhere — the arithmetic runs in this page.
Units on your report
Every cholesterol-carrying particle added together.
The protective fraction. Reports often write it HDL-C.
The one the equation leans on hardest. Needs a fasting sample.
Add risk context (optional)
Sex
HDL cholesterol is the only measurement here with different cut-points by sex: below 40 mg/dL (1.03 mmol/L) is low in men, below 50 mg/dL (1.29 mmol/L) in women.
Cardiovascular risk
Adds the LDL-C treatment goal for that risk category. It never changes the calculation.
Your results
LDL cholesterol · Friedewald
—mg/dL
Fill in all three values to see a result.
Everything else in the panel
The same numbers, worked through and converted, so you can hand the page to anyone who reads the other unit.
Non-HDL cholesterol
—- mg/dL
- —
- mmol/L
- —
VLDL cholesterol
- mg/dL
- —
- mmol/L
- —
Estimated from triglycerides
Total cholesterol
—- mg/dL
- —
- mmol/L
- —
HDL cholesterol
—- mg/dL
- —
- mmol/L
- —
Triglycerides
—- mg/dL
- —
- mmol/L
- —
Ratios and indices
Reported for completeness. These have no single agreed cut-point, so no category is shown for them.
- Total cholesterol / HDL cholesterol
- —
- LDL cholesterol / HDL cholesterol
- —
- Triglycerides / HDL cholesterol (mg/dL)
- —
- Atherogenic index of plasmalog₁₀(TG / HDL-C), both in mmol/L
- ——
Treatment goal for that risk category
—
Targets are population-level guidance from the 2019 ESC/EAS dyslipidaemia guidelines; the 2018 AHA/ACC guideline sets statin intensity by risk group instead of a numeric LDL-C target. Your own target is a clinical decision — this page cannot make it.
Show your work
LDL-C = TC − HDL-C − TG / 5
The equation as published in 1972, with the divisor for the unit you chose.
Category cut-points: National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel; Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al. Full citations at the foot of this page.
What non-HDL cholesterol actually measures
Total cholesterol is the cholesterol content of every lipoprotein in the sample. HDL cholesterol is the content of the particles that carry cholesterol back to the liver. Subtract one from the other and what remains is the cholesterol in every particle that is not HDL — LDL, VLDL, intermediate-density lipoproteins and remnant particles. That is why the number is called non-HDL rather than anything more specific: it deliberately refuses to guess which particle is carrying what.
That refusal is its strength. The Friedewald equation has to assume a fixed relationship between triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol, and that assumption fails at high triglyceride levels. Non-HDL cholesterol makes no such assumption, so it stays accurate at any triglyceride concentration, and it needs no fasting sample.
How to set a target. Guidelines treat non-HDL cholesterol as a secondary target, set about 30 mg/dL (0.8 mmol/L) above the LDL cholesterol goal. For a very-high-risk patient with an LDL goal below 55 mg/dL (1.4 mmol/L), the matching non-HDL goal is below 85 mg/dL (2.2 mmol/L). The table on thechart page lists both for every risk category.
Non-HDL cholesterol categories
Cut-points in the same style as the LDL chart. The guideline recommendation is to read non-HDL cholesterol as the LDL goal plus 30 mg/dL.
Optimal
- mg/dL
- Under 130
- mmol/L
- Under 3.36
Roughly the LDL goal plus 30 mg/dL.
Near optimal / above optimal
- mg/dL
- 130–159
- mmol/L
- 3.36–4.13
Acceptable at low and moderate risk.
Borderline high
- mg/dL
- 160–189
- mmol/L
- 4.14–4.90
Worth discussing if risk factors are present.
High
- mg/dL
- 190–219
- mmol/L
- 4.91–5.68
Common when triglycerides are raised.
Very high
- mg/dL
- 220 and over
- mmol/L
- 5.69 and over
Often reflects triglycerides as much as LDL cholesterol.
| Category | mg/dL | mmol/L | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optimal | Under 130 | Under 3.36 | Roughly the LDL goal plus 30 mg/dL. |
| Near optimal / above optimal | 130–159 | 3.36–4.13 | Acceptable at low and moderate risk. |
| Borderline high | 160–189 | 4.14–4.90 | Worth discussing if risk factors are present. |
| High | 190–219 | 4.91–5.68 | Common when triglycerides are raised. |
| Very high | 220 and over | 5.69 and over | Often reflects triglycerides as much as LDL cholesterol. |
When to prefer it over calculated LDL
Triglycerides above 400 mg/dL (4.5 mmol/L), where the Friedewald equation is not valid.
A non-fasting sample, where triglycerides are unpredictable and calculated LDL is unreliable.
Diabetes or metabolic syndrome, where remnant particles carry a meaningful share of the cholesterol.
Monitoring treatment, where a single subtraction is less fragile than a three-term estimate.
For reference, the LDL goals these non-HDL targets are derived from: Very high risk below 55 mg/dL, High risk below 70 mg/dL, Moderate risk below 100 mg/dL, Low risk below 116 mg/dL.
Questions
Questions about LDL and non-HDL cholesterol, answered
The questions this calculator gets asked, answered in full sentences rather than one line each.
What is a normal LDL cholesterol level?
The chart uses the Adult Treatment Panel III classification: below 100 mg/dL (2.59 mmol/L) is optimal, 100–129 mg/dL is near optimal, 130–159 mg/dL is borderline high, 160–189 mg/dL is high, and 190 mg/dL (4.9 mmol/L) or above is very high. "Normal" depends on your risk category — for very high risk, the target is below 55 mg/dL (1.4 mmol/L) per the 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines.
What are the LDL cholesterol ranges by age?
The adult LDL cholesterol categories on this chart do not change with age — the ATP III cut-points are the same for all adults. What age changes is your LDL goal through cardiovascular risk: a 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L) result can be above goal for a 70-year-old with diabetes but unremarkable for a healthy 30-year-old. For children, lipid guidelines use age-and-sex percentile tables, not the adult chart.
What is the LDL goal for my risk level?
The 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines set LDL goals by cardiovascular risk: below 116 mg/dL (3.0 mmol/L) for low risk, below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L) for moderate risk, below 70 mg/dL (1.8 mmol/L) plus a 50% reduction for high risk, and below 55 mg/dL (1.4 mmol/L) plus a 50% reduction for very high risk. The 2018 AHA/ACC guideline works differently and assigns statin intensity by risk group rather than naming a numeric target.
What is a dangerously high LDL level?
A calculated LDL cholesterol of 190 mg/dL (4.9 mmol/L) or higher is classified as very high. At that level the LDL cholesterol is high enough on its own to count as a high cardiovascular risk factor, and it raises the possibility of familial hypercholesterolaemia. Very high LDL cholesterol should be discussed with a clinician, because the appropriate response depends on the full picture — your overall risk, whether there is a genetic cause, and whether triglycerides are also elevated.
What is non-HDL cholesterol?
Non-HDL cholesterol is total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol. It includes the cholesterol in every atherogenic particle — LDL, VLDL, IDL and remnants. It stays valid at any triglyceride level, which is why it is the preferred fallback when the Friedewald equation is not appropriate. Guidelines recommend setting the non-HDL goal about 30 mg/dL (0.8 mmol/L) above the LDL goal.
What is the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP)?
The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is the logarithm of the triglyceride-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio. It reflects the balance between small dense LDL particles and protective HDL. Values below 0.11 indicate low risk, 0.11–0.21 intermediate risk, and above 0.21 high risk. AIP is a research marker and is not part of routine clinical guidelines.
How do I convert my LDL cholesterol to mg/dL?
Divide the mmol/L value by 0.02586, or equivalently multiply by 38.67. For example, 3.0 mmol/L equals about 116 mg/dL. This cholesterol conversion factor works for total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, non-HDL and VLDL cholesterol — but for triglycerides the factor is 88.57, because triglycerides have a different molar mass and using the cholesterol factor by mistake is the most common conversion error.
The rest of the panel
Four measurements, four pages: the composite that stays valid when triglycerides are high, the conversion factors, the full category chart, and the equation itself.
- mg/dL to mmol/L converterConvert total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C and triglycerides between mg/dL and mmol/L, using the separate factors each analyte actually needs.
- LDL cholesterol chartEvery LDL-C category from optimal to very high, in mg/dL and mmol/L side by side, with the treatment goals underneath and where age changes the picture.
- The Friedewald equationThe 1972 formula, why the divisor is 5 in mg/dL and 2.2 in mmol/L, and the exact triglyceride level at which it stops being trustworthy.
References
- 1.National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel. Third Report of the NCEP Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III), final report. Circulation. 2002;106(25):3143-3421. PubMed (opens in a new tab)
- 2.Mach F, Baigent C, Catapano AL, et al. 2019 ESC/EAS Guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias: lipid modification to reduce cardiovascular risk. Eur Heart J. 2020;41(1):111-188. PubMed (opens in a new tab)
- 3.Friedewald WT, Levy RI, Fredrickson DS. Estimation of the concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma, without use of the preparative ultracentrifuge. Clin Chem. 1972;18(6):499-502. PubMed (opens in a new tab)
Content last reviewed 16 September 2026.Every cut-point and formula on this page is taken from the sources above.