Indirect bilirubin calculator
The part of bilirubin that has not yet been processed by the liver. It is worked out by subtracting direct bilirubin from total bilirubin. Type your results in the units on your report and it works out Indirect bilirubin as you type, in your browser.
AI-drafted. Awaiting verificationLast reviewed 2026-10-03Liver
Type your results above, or fill in the example, to see Indirect bilirubin.
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Educational information, not medical advice. Blood Test Tracker doesn’t diagnose or treat, and it doesn’t replace your clinician. Talk with your clinician before changing medications, supplements or care.
How it’s worked out
The formula
Indirect bilirubin (mg/dL) = Total bilirubin (mg/dL) − Direct bilirubin (mg/dL). In SI units, Indirect bilirubin (µmol/L) = Total bilirubin (µmol/L) − Direct bilirubin (µmol/L). Both inputs must be in the same unit.
When the equation works
Outside these limits the calculator says so instead of giving a number.
- Direct bilirubin can’t be higher than total bilirubin.
A worked example
Example numbers, not anyone’s real results, run through the same code as the calculator above.
| Total bilirubin | 0.8 mg/dL |
|---|---|
| Direct bilirubin | 0.2 mg/dL |
| Indirect bilirubin | 0.60 mg/dL |
For an adult, this result is in the usual range.
What Indirect bilirubin tells you
Bilirubin is a yellow pigment made when old red blood cells break down. At first it is 'indirect', or unconjugated: it travels through the blood bound to albumin on its way to the liver. The liver then processes it so it can leave in bile. Labs usually don't measure indirect bilirubin directly. They subtract direct bilirubin from total bilirubin.
A raised indirect bilirubin means unprocessed bilirubin is building up. In adults the common reasons are red blood cells breaking down faster than usual and Gilbert syndrome, a harmless inherited trait that affects roughly 5% to 8% of people. Comparing indirect with direct bilirubin helps your clinician judge whether to look first at red cells or at the liver and bile ducts.
Read the full page on Indirect bilirubin, with what a high or low result can mean.
Usual ranges
The ranges the result above is placed on. Your own lab’s printed range comes first if it gives one.
Sources
The equation
- Bilirubin, Total/Direct, Serum (test 001214), sample report, Labcorp
- Guidelines on the management of abnormal liver blood tests, Gut (British Society of Gastroenterology) (2018)
4 more sources for the ranges and the explanation
- Pediatric Testing Reference Ranges, Labcorp
- Bilirubin Blood Test, MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Liver enzyme alteration: a guide for clinicians, Canadian Medical Association Journal (2005)
- Bilirubin (PubChem CID 5280352), PubChem, National Library of Medicine
AI-drafted. Awaiting verification. Last reviewed 2026-10-03. The calculator is version 1.0.0 of our code for this equation, tested against published examples. How we build and check these pages.