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Dosage Calcs

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Nursing Unit Converter

Convert the metric units used in dosage calculations, plus kg and lb, and hours and minutes. The result updates as you type.

Nursing Unit Converter

Mass · Volume · Weight (2.2 lb = 1 kg) · Time

Converted in your browser as you type. Values are not saved or sent anywhere.

Enter a value to convert.

Educational Use & Safety

Educational and calculation use only. Dosage Calcs performs mathematical calculations using the values you enter. It does not determine whether a medication, dose, route, frequency, concentration, or infusion rate is appropriate or safe for a patient. Always verify medication orders, calculations, product labeling, and applicable clinical or institutional policies before medication administration. When in doubt, consult an appropriate licensed healthcare professional or pharmacist.

Educational Use & Safety

Educational use: This converts units only. It does not convert between different kinds of measurement, such as mg to mL, which depends on a specific concentration. Learn more.

What this converts

  • Mass: g, mg, mcg
  • Volume: L, mL
  • Body weight: kg, lb
  • Time: hr, min

You can only convert within one group. Mass cannot become volume without knowing a concentration, which is what the Dosage Calculator is for.

Exact relationships

1 g = 1,000 mg · 1 mg = 1,000 mcg · 1 g = 1,000,000 mcg

1 L = 1,000 mL

1 kg = 2.2 lb (nursing dosage-calculation equivalency)

1 hr = 60 min

All of these on one printable page: Nursing Dosage & Med-Math Quick Reference.

Multiply or divide?

Going from a larger unit to a smaller one, you need more of them, so multiply. Going from smaller to larger, divide. The converter shows which one it used.

Why 2.2 lb per kg

This site intentionally uses 1 kg = 2.2 lb, the equivalency commonly taught in nursing dosage-calculation courses, so your answers match worked problems. It does not mix in a more precise factor anywhere.

Worked examples

0.5 g × 1,000 = 500 mg

2,500 mcg ÷ 1,000 = 2.5 mg

0.5 L × 1,000 = 500 mL

110 lb ÷ 2.2 = 50 kg

30 min ÷ 60 = 0.5 hr

Common mistakes

  • Moving the decimal the wrong way. A dose in mcg should be a bigger number than the same dose in mg.
  • Writing ".5" instead of "0.5". Always use a leading zero.
  • Writing "5.0" instead of "5". A trailing zero can be misread as 50.
  • Trying to convert mg to mL. That needs the concentration from the label.

FAQ

Why are teaspoons and cups not included?

This converter focuses on metric medication units, which are the standard for dosage calculation.

How are micrograms written?

Dosage Calcs uses mcg for micrograms throughout the site for consistent medication-math notation.

Sources

Formulas, units, and terminology were checked against these open references. Wording on this page is our own.

All sources · How we build and test calculators