Insulin syringe units converter
Insulin-syringe units are marks of volume: on a U-100 syringe, 100 units fill 1 mL. To turn milligrams into units you need one more number, the concentration of the solution, which for a reconstituted peptide is the milligrams in the vial divided by the millilitres of water added. Enter those below to convert between mg, mcg, mL and units in either direction, on a U-100 or U-40 syringe.
For research use only. Not medical advice. This tool converts amounts; it does not recommend one.
At 5 mg/mL on a U-100 syringe.
Draw 0.50 mL (≈ 50 units on a 0.5 mL syringe)
mL to insulin syringe units
Volume to marks, whatever is in the syringe.
| Volume | U-100 units | U-40 units |
|---|---|---|
| 0.05 mL | 5 | 2 |
| 0.1 mL | 10 | 4 |
| 0.2 mL | 20 | 8 |
| 0.25 mL | 25 | 10 |
| 0.3 mL | 30 | 12 |
| 0.5 mL | 50 | 20 |
| 0.75 mL | 75 | 30 |
| 1 mL | 100 | 40 |
How many units is X mg?
U-100 units for common amounts at three concentrations. 2.5 mg/mL is a 5 mg vial in 2 mL, 5 mg/mL a 10 mg vial in 2 mL, and 10 mg/mL a 30 mg vial in 3 mL.
| Amount | at 2.5 mg/mL | at 5 mg/mL | at 10 mg/mL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | 10 units | 5 units | 2.5 units |
| 0.5 mg | 20 units | 10 units | 5 units |
| 1 mg | 40 units | 20 units | 10 units |
| 1.7 mg | 68 units | 34 units | 17 units |
| 2 mg | 80 units | 40 units | 20 units |
| 2.4 mg | 96 units | 48 units | 24 units |
| 2.5 mg | 100 units | 50 units | 25 units |
| 5 mg | 200 (over 1 mL) | 100 units | 50 units |
| 7.5 mg | 300 (over 1 mL) | 150 (over 1 mL) | 75 units |
| 10 mg | 400 (over 1 mL) | 200 (over 1 mL) | 100 units |
| 12.5 mg | 500 (over 1 mL) | 250 (over 1 mL) | 125 (over 1 mL) |
| 15 mg | 600 (over 1 mL) | 300 (over 1 mL) | 150 (over 1 mL) |
The amounts are round numbers for reading the table, not suggested doses.
Common questions
1 mL is equal to how many units in an insulin syringe?
On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL is 100 units, so each unit is 0.01 mL and 10 units is 0.1 mL. On a U-40 syringe, 1 mL is 40 units. The number describes volume only; how much drug those units contain depends on the concentration of the solution.
How many units is 2.5 mg?
It depends on the concentration. At 5 mg/mL (for example a 10 mg vial mixed with 2 mL), 2.5 mg is 0.5 mL, which is 50 units on a U-100 syringe. At 10 mg/mL it is 25 units, and at 2.5 mg/mL it is 100 units.
How many units is 1 mg?
At 5 mg/mL, 1 mg is 0.2 mL, or 20 units on a U-100 syringe. At 2.5 mg/mL it is 40 units and at 10 mg/mL it is 10 units. Divide the amount by the concentration to get mL, then multiply by 100.
How do you convert units to mg?
Divide the units by 100 to get mL (on a U-100 syringe), then multiply by the concentration in mg/mL. For example, 20 units at 5 mg/mL is 0.2 mL, which holds 1 mg.
What is the difference between U-100 and U-40 syringes?
The scale. A U-100 syringe has 100 marks per mL and a U-40 syringe has 40, so the same volume reads as a different number of units. Reading one scale against a calculation made for the other over- or under-measures by a factor of 2.5, which is why the scale has to match the calculation.