LDL to HDL ratio calculator
Your LDL cholesterol divided by your HDL cholesterol. Some labs print it as one number that compares the 'bad' and 'good' cholesterol you carry. Type your results in the units on your report and it works out LDL/HDL Ratio as you type, in your browser.
AI-drafted. Awaiting verificationLast reviewed 2026-10-03Heart & Cholesterol
Type your results above, or fill in the example, to see LDL/HDL Ratio.
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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
LDL-C / HDL-C, with both values in the same unit (for example mg/dL). The unit cancels, so the ratio is the same number in mg/dL and mmol/L.
Fasting before the blood test: recommended.
A worked example
Example numbers, not anyone’s real results, run through the same code as the calculator above.
| LDL-C | 118 mg/dL |
|---|---|
| HDL | 50 mg/dL |
| LDL/HDL Ratio | 2.36 ratio |
What LDL/HDL Ratio tells you
This ratio is simple division: LDL cholesterol divided by HDL cholesterol, with both numbers in the same unit. A ratio of 2 means your LDL is twice your HDL. Your lab works it out for you, and it has no unit. A lower ratio means less of your cholesterol sits in LDL compared with protective HDL.
A ratio can show something that LDL alone hides. A person with a high-looking LDL and a high HDL can have a lower ratio than someone with a normal LDL and a low HDL. A 2009 review concluded that ratios that include HDL predicted heart disease better than LDL cholesterol alone in several large studies, and that the risk linked to a high ratio was considerably higher in people who also had high triglycerides. Current US guidelines focus on LDL and non-HDL cholesterol instead, and a 2026 Circulation review says they do not use lipid ratios to guide treatment. So the ratio works best as a supporting number.
Read the full page on LDL/HDL Ratio, 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.
- Menup to 4.9 ratio
- Womenup to 4.12 ratio
Sources
The equation
- Lipid Panel with Ratios, Quest Diagnostics (reference ranges as listed by Fullscript), Quest Diagnostics (via Fullscript)
- Lipoprotein ratios: physiological significance and clinical usefulness in cardiovascular prevention, Vascular Health and Risk Management (2009)
4 more sources for the ranges and the explanation
- Lipid Profile Testing and Interpretation (summarizes the 2026 ACC/AHA Dyslipidemia Guideline), Circulation (Nguyen, Ahmad, Navar) (2026)
- 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol: Executive Summary, Circulation (2018)
- Blood Cholesterol: Treatment (lifestyle changes), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- NMR LipoProfile With Lipids (With Graph) (test 123810), Labcorp
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.