VLDL cholesterol calculator (Friedewald)
The cholesterol carried in VLDL particles, which move triglycerides through your blood. Most labs estimate it by dividing triglycerides by 5. Type your results in the units on your report and it works out VLDL-C as you type, in your browser.
AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert reviewLast reviewed 2026-10-03Heart & Cholesterol
Type your results above, or fill in the example, to see VLDL-C.
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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
VLDL-C (mg/dL) = triglycerides (mg/dL) / 5. In SI units, VLDL-C (mmol/L) = triglycerides (mmol/L) / 2.2. Not valid when triglycerides are above 400 mg/dL (4.5 mmol/L).
When the equation works
Outside these limits the calculator says so instead of giving a number.
- Not worked out when triglycerides are 400 mg/dL or higher, where the estimate stops being valid.
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.
| Triglycerides | 150 mg/dL |
|---|---|
| VLDL-C | 30 mg/dL |
For an adult, this result is in the usual range.
What VLDL-C tells you
VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein) particles are made by the liver to carry triglycerides, plus some cholesterol, to your tissues. As they drop off their triglycerides they shrink into leftover (remnant) particles and eventually become LDL. Most labs do not measure VLDL cholesterol directly. They estimate it as triglycerides divided by 5 (in mg/dL), so the number moves in step with your triglycerides and adds no new information. Some labs use a different divisor or measure it directly with special methods.
VLDL cholesterol is one part of non-HDL cholesterol, the cholesterol in all the particles that can build up in artery walls. The NCEP ATP III guideline called VLDL cholesterol the most readily available measure of leftover (remnant) fat particles, and, for people with high triglycerides, set non-HDL goals 30 mg/dL above LDL goals on the premise that a VLDL cholesterol up to 30 mg/dL is normal. In everyday practice the estimate mostly serves as a step in calculating LDL cholesterol, so clinicians usually follow triglycerides, LDL or non-HDL cholesterol instead.
Read the full page on VLDL-C, 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.
- Adultsup to 30 mg/dL
Sources: ARUP Laboratories, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Sources
The equation
- Estimation of the concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma, without use of the preparative ultracentrifuge, Clinical Chemistry (1972)
- New Methods for Calculating LDL-Cholesterol and Related Biomarkers of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk, Current Atherosclerosis Reports (2026)
4 more sources for the ranges and the explanation
- Lipid Panel (test 0020421), ARUP Laboratories
- Executive Summary of the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2001)
- Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and their remnants: metabolic insights, role in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and emerging therapeutic strategies - a consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society, European Heart Journal (2021)
- Cholesterol (PubChem CID 5997), PubChem, National Library of Medicine
AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review. 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.