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Bilirubin unit converter

Convert an existing serum or plasma bilirubin result between mg/dL, µmol/L and mg/L, carrying its selected total, direct or indirect label into the result without interpreting the value.

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Calculate your result

Which bilirubin result are you converting?

Select the label exactly as it appears on the source laboratory report. This label changes the displayed result context, not the unit arithmetic.

Enter one serum or plasma bilirubin number exactly as it appears on the source report. Select its total, direct or indirect label separately above.

Accepted range: 0 to 100 mg/dL

Your result will appear here

Nothing is saved or added to the URL.

What this result means

Select the bilirubin label and unit printed on the laboratory report, enter one value, and convert that same labelled concentration to the selected equivalent unit. One mg/dL equals 17.104 µmol/L and exactly 10 mg/L. [1][2]

What the three bilirubin units mean

mg/dL and mg/L express bilirubin mass in different liquid volumes; one litre contains ten decilitres, so 1 mg/dL equals exactly 10 mg/L. µmol/L expresses amount of bilirubin substance in a litre. Changing the unit does not change the sample or concentration. [1][2]

Why bilirubin uses 17.104

The AMA unit converter gives 17.104 µmol/L for 1 mg/dL of total or direct serum bilirubin. An FDA review independently derives the commonly rounded 17.1 factor from a bilirubin molecular weight of 584.66 and the mass and volume prefixes. [1][2]

The factor is specific to bilirubin. It must not be reused for glucose, creatinine, cholesterol or another biomarker because different substances have different molecular weights. [2]

Keep total, direct and indirect labels separate

The same unit arithmetic can express a total, direct (conjugated) or indirect (unconjugated) bilirubin concentration in another supported unit, but those labels describe different reported quantities. Select the source label before calculating so the accessible result carries it forward; this tool does not combine or infer fractions. [1][3]

Choose mg/dL, mg/L or µmol/L exactly as printed

mg/dL and mg/L differ by ten, while µmol/L is an amount-of-substance unit. For example, 0.70 mg/dL is exactly 7.00 mg/L and converts to 11.97 µmol/L. Check every prefix and slash before entering the value; a unit mismatch creates a large error. [1][2]

How the result is rounded

The calculator represents every factor as bounded integers over integers, including exact reverse division by 17.104 and 1.7104, and converts direct unit pairs without a rounded intermediate. It rounds once to two decimals for display. Those decimals explain the calculation but cannot add precision that the source laboratory did not report. [1][2]

What the conversion cannot tell you

The converted number does not classify the result or identify a cause. Reference intervals differ by test type, laboratory, assay, age and clinical context; interpretation must use the original report rather than the converted number alone. [3]

This calculator is not a neonatal jaundice or treatment tool. Newborn decisions can depend on age in hours, gestational age, risk factors and the measurement method, none of which this conversion collects.

Safe next steps

Keep the original test label, value, unit, laboratory reference interval, assay notes and test date beside the converted number. Use the result only to compare the same bilirubin fraction in equivalent units. For interpretation, symptoms or a care decision, use the complete original report and qualified professional advice.

Formula and assumptions

Formula
µmol/L = mg/dL × 17.104; mg/dL = µmol/L ÷ 17.104. mg/L = mg/dL × 10; mg/dL = mg/L ÷ 10. µmol/L = mg/L × 1.7104; mg/L = µmol/L ÷ 1.7104. [1][2][3]
Version
Serum or plasma bilirubin mass-to-amount unit conversion, ama-fda-bilirubin-clinical-unit-conversion-v1
Rounding
Use exact integer numerator and denominator factors, then round once to two decimals. Exact halfway ties round upward in magnitude; a positive value below display resolution uses a less-than result.
Worked example
For total bilirubin reported as 0.70 mg/dL: 0.70 × 17.104 = 11.9728 µmol/L, displayed as 11.97 µmol/L. It is also exactly 7.00 mg/L. These are unit equivalents for the same labelled result, not a health classification. [1][2]

Who this is for — and when not to use it

Intended use

Neutral, reversible unit conversion for a person who already has one serum or plasma total, direct (conjugated) or indirect (unconjugated) bilirubin result in mg/dL, µmol/L or mg/L, selects that source label and needs the equivalent reporting unit.

Not intended for

This tool does not interpret bilirubin, diagnose a liver, blood or bile-duct condition, apply a reference interval or neonatal treatment threshold, combine bilirubin fractions, assess symptoms or choose or adjust treatment.

Exclusions

  • Bilirubin interpretation, health bands, reference intervals and treatment thresholds
  • Diagnosis or probability of liver, blood, gallbladder, bile-duct or another condition
  • Neonatal jaundice assessment, age-in-hours charts, phototherapy or exchange-transfusion decisions
  • Combining, subtracting or changing total, direct (conjugated) and indirect (unconjugated) bilirubin fractions
  • Urine, bile, transcutaneous readings or any specimen other than an existing serum or plasma laboratory result
  • Medication, treatment and urgent-care decisions
  • Any analyte other than bilirubin
  • Changing, correcting or reconstructing precision absent from the source laboratory result

Evidence sources

  1. 1. Units of measure converter: direct and total serum bilirubin — AMA Manual of Style. Accessed Aug 11, 2026.
  2. 2. FDA clinical review explaining the bilirubin conversion factor — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Accessed Aug 11, 2026.
  3. 3. Atellica CH Total Bilirubin 2 assay instructions for use — Siemens Healthineers. Accessed Aug 11, 2026.