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Insulin resistance calculator

Enter two blood results to calculate HOMA-IR, TyG or TG/HDL. No sign-up.

Educational estimate. Qualified clinical review has not been performed. Do not use this result to diagnose a condition or choose treatment.

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Calculator measurements

HOMA1-IR, not HOMA2. There is no universal diagnostic cutoff.

Use the measured blood glucose, not HbA1c or estimated average glucose.

µIU/mL, µU/mL and mIU/L have the same numeric value. pmol/L needs an assay-specific conversion and is not accepted.

Your result will appear here

Enter your measurements above, or try the worked example. Entry limits are not healthy reference ranges.

Inputs and results stay in this page's memory. They are not saved, uploaded or added to links. Changing units clears that value.

Conceptual illustration of insulin signalling and glucose near a cell membrane; not a measured result.

What this result means

HOMA-IR uses fasting glucose and insulin. TyG uses fasting glucose and triglycerides. TG/HDL uses triglycerides and HDL cholesterol. These are indirect metabolic markers with different evidence and limitations; none gives a universal yes-or-no diagnosis of insulin resistance. [1][2]

Which calculation should I choose?

If you have fasting insulin and fasting glucose from one sample, choose HOMA-IR. If you have fasting glucose and triglycerides, choose TyG. If you have triglycerides and HDL, the ratio needs no insulin measurement. A missing test is not a reason to invent a value or treat a different index as equivalent. [1][2]

Use the correct samples and units

HOMA-IR and TyG use fasting measurements. Follow the preparation instructions from your laboratory and clinician; do not stop prescribed medicines to use a calculator. Keep both original results and sampling dates. This tool accepts insulin in µIU/mL or numerically equivalent mIU/L; pmol/L conversion varies with the assay. [1]

What to do with a result

Discuss a concerning metabolic pattern with an appropriate professional, together with glucose, HbA1c, lipid results, blood pressure and relevant history. The useful next step is understanding the whole picture, not using one index as a reason to start or change treatment.

What is a normal HOMA-IR, TyG or TG/HDL result?

There is no single diagnostic cutoff suitable for every person, assay and population. A paper's cutoff belongs to that study's formula and population. This calculator deliberately avoids a red/green diagnosis or an invented optimal target. [1][2]

Is this HOMA2?

No. This uses the original HOMA1 linear approximation. Oxford's HOMA2 is a different computer model, and its answers can differ, especially at more extreme glucose or insulin values. This tool does not reproduce Oxford's HOMA2 software. [1]

Why do some TyG calculators give about 4–5 and others about 8–9?

The placement of division by two matters. This calculator uses ln[(TG × glucose) / 2], with both values in mg/dL. Some publications use ln(TG × glucose) / 2. Those outputs and cutoffs cannot be interchanged. For 150 mg/dL TG and 90 mg/dL glucose, this tool's convention gives 8.82. [2]

Is TG/HDL the same in mmol/L and mg/dL?

No. Triglycerides and cholesterol have different unit conversion factors. For example, TG 1.5 mmol/L and HDL 1.5 mmol/L give a mmol/L-based ratio of 1.00 and a mg/dL-based ratio of about 2.29. Always retain the labelled convention when comparing results.

Can I use non-fasting results?

Do not use them for a fasting HOMA-IR or fasting TyG calculation. TG/HDL can be calculated arithmetically from a lipid panel, but food timing affects triglycerides and changes interpretation. The ratio is not a workaround for a missing fasting assessment. [1][2]

Can this tell me whether I have diabetes?

No. Insulin resistance and diabetes are different questions. Diabetes assessment uses appropriate clinical diagnostic tests and symptoms. Do not delay assessment of symptoms or abnormal glucose because a calculator's index looks reassuring.

Formula and assumptions

Formula
HOMA1-IR = glucose (mmol/L) × insulin (µIU/mL) / 22.5. TyG = ln[TG (mg/dL) × glucose (mg/dL) / 2]. TG/HDL = TG / HDL on the explicitly labelled unit basis. [1][2]
Version
HOMA1-IR, standard contemporary TyG and TG/HDL, homa1-22.5.tyg-ln-product-over-2.tg-hdl-dual-units.v1
Rounding
Convert once to canonical units and display the final index to two decimals. Do not round intermediate values.
Worked example
With fasting glucose 5.0 mmol/L and insulin 9 µIU/mL, HOMA1-IR is (5 × 9) / 22.5 = 2.00. This demonstrates the arithmetic and is not a diagnosis or treatment threshold. [1]

Who this is for — and when not to use it

Intended use

Transparent educational arithmetic for adult, appropriately sampled laboratory values. Compare like-for-like indices, not different methods.

Not intended for

Diagnosis, diabetes screening verdict, medication selection, insulin dosing or a universal optimal-range recommendation.

Exclusions

  • Non-fasting samples for HOMA-IR or TyG.
  • Injected insulin for HOMA-IR; pregnancy; acute illness.
  • Insulin in pmol/L without an assay-specific conversion.
  • Treating a research cutoff as an individual diagnosis.

Evidence sources

  1. 1. HOMA frequently asked questions and the HOMA1 approximation — University of Oxford Diabetes Trials Unit. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.
  2. 2. Fasting triglycerides and glucose index in the Chinese adult population: methods and formula — Yu et al., Journal of Diabetes Investigation. Accessed Oct 4, 2026.