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LDL calculator (Friedewald and Sampson)
Most laboratories report LDL as a value calculated from the lipid panel. Here you can check it yourself and compare two formulas. You need total cholesterol, HDL and triglycerides.
Calculations run in your browser. We do not send or store anything.
Result
Fill in the fields to see the result.
How we calculate it
Friedewald (1972): LDL = total cholesterol − HDL − TG ÷ 5 (in mg/dL; in mmol/L the divisor is 2.2). Sampson (2020, NIH equation): LDL = TC ÷ 0.948 − HDL ÷ 0.971 − (TG ÷ 8.56 + TG × non-HDL ÷ 2,140 − TG² ÷ 16,100) − 9.44 (mg/dL).
Non-HDL cholesterol is total cholesterol minus HDL. It includes all atherogenic particles.
Limitations
- The results are calculated, not directly measured. They may differ from the value reported by a laboratory that uses its own method.
- Target LDL values depend on overall cardiovascular risk (e.g. the 2019 ESC/EAS guidelines) and are set by a doctor, so we do not label the result here as good or bad.
- If familial hypercholesterolemia or elevated Lp(a) is suspected, a lipid panel alone is not enough: it is worth testing ApoB and Lp(a).