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What is my HOMA-IR?

Enter a fasting glucose and a fasting insulin result from the same blood test to estimate insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and beta-cell function (HOMA-%B). For information only. This is not medical advice or a diagnosis. Do not use it to make treatment decisions without a clinician. No licensed clinician has reviewed this page.

Your numbers

Units
HOMA-IR
2.22

Your HOMA-IR is 2.22.

HOMA-%B
133%
Glucose in the other unit
5.0 mmol/L

HOMA-IR: 2.22. Your HOMA-IR is 2.22.

This calculator gives general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or other health care provider. Talk with a professional about your results. Terms of use

How to calculate

Calculates insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and beta-cell function (HOMA-%B) from fasting glucose and fasting insulin with the Matthews 1985 formulas, in US or SI units.

Example with the default inputs (Units US, Fasting glucose (mg/dL) 90, Fasting insulin (µU/mL) 10): Your HOMA-IR is 2.22.

Method: HOMA-IR = glucose (mmol/L) × insulin (µU/mL) ÷ 22.5 = glucose (mg/dL) × insulin (µU/mL) ÷ 405; HOMA-%B = 20 × insulin (µU/mL) ÷ (glucose (mmol/L) − 3.5).

  • Both values are fasting, from the same blood sample.
  • Glucose mg/dL ÷ 18 = mmol/L (the factor behind the 405 constant); insulin pmol/L ÷ 6 = µU/mL.
  • HOMA-%B is shown only when glucose is over 3.5 mmol/L (63 mg/dL).
  • There is no single normal cut-off: it depends on the insulin assay and the population.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Units SI, Fasting glucose (mmol/L) 4.5, Fasting insulin (pmol/L) 30 gives HOMA-IR 1, HOMA-%B 100%.Source: Matthews et al., Diabetologia 1985: 4.5 × 5 ÷ 22.5 = 1 and 20 × 5 ÷ (4.5 − 3.5) = 100%
  2. Units US, Fasting glucose (mg/dL) 90, Fasting insulin (µU/mL) 10 gives HOMA-IR 2.222222, HOMA-%B 133.333333%, Glucose in the other unit 5.0 mmol/L.Source: Matthews 1985: 90 × 10 ÷ 405 = 2.22
  3. Units US, Fasting glucose (mg/dL) 126, Fasting insulin (µU/mL) 25 gives HOMA-IR 7.777778, HOMA-%B 142.857143%.
  4. Units SI, Fasting glucose (mmol/L) 3.2, Fasting insulin (pmol/L) 12 gives HOMA-IR 0.284444, Glucose in the other unit 58 mg/dL.

Medical disclaimer

This calculator is for information and education only. It is not medical advice, and its result is not a diagnosis. Do not use it to start, stop, or change a treatment without a clinician who knows your health history. No licensed clinician has reviewed this page. This site's editors checked the formulas and worked examples against published sources. If you think you have a medical emergency, call your local emergency number.

When this does not apply. HOMA uses one fasting glucose and one fasting insulin from the same blood sample (Matthews 1985). It does not apply to samples taken after eating, or to people who inject insulin, because the lab test cannot tell their own insulin from the injected insulin.

How HOMA is worked out

Glucose is fasting plasma glucose in mmol/L and insulin is fasting insulin in µU/mL (Matthews 1985):

  • HOMA-IR = glucose × insulin ÷ 22.5
  • HOMA-%B = 20 × insulin ÷ (glucose − 3.5), in percent, only when glucose is over 3.5 mmol/L

With US units, glucose in mg/dL is divided by 18 first, so HOMA-IR = glucose (mg/dL) × insulin ÷ 405. With SI units, insulin in pmol/L is divided by 6 (Knopp 2019). The page also shows the glucose in the other unit: mg/dL ÷ 18 to one decimal, or mmol/L × 18 to a whole number, halves rounded up from the decimal value (242.1 mg/dL is 13.45 mmol/L, shown as 13.5).

The values are not rounded between steps. HOMA-IR is shown to 2 decimals and HOMA-%B to a whole percent.

Inputs the calculator accepts

Glucose 20 to 600 mg/dL (1.1 to 33.3 mmol/L), insulin 0.5 to 300 µU/mL (3 to 1,800 pmol/L).

Worked examples by hand

The reference point. Glucose 4.5 mmol/L, insulin 30 pmol/L = 5 µU/mL: HOMA-IR = 4.5 × 5 ÷ 22.5 = 1.00, HOMA-%B = 20 × 5 ÷ 1.0 = 100%. These are the values the 1985 model is scaled to.

The default. Glucose 90 mg/dL, insulin 10 µU/mL: HOMA-IR = 90 × 10 ÷ 405 = 2.22. Glucose = 90 ÷ 18 = 5.0 mmol/L, so HOMA-%B = 20 × 10 ÷ 1.5 = 133%.

Higher values. Glucose 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L), insulin 25 µU/mL: HOMA-IR = 126 × 25 ÷ 405 = 7.78, HOMA-%B = 20 × 25 ÷ 3.5 = 143%.

Low glucose. Glucose 3.2 mmol/L, insulin 12 pmol/L = 2 µU/mL: HOMA-IR = 3.2 × 2 ÷ 22.5 = 0.28. Glucose is not over 3.5 mmol/L, so there is no HOMA-%B.

Other questions people ask

What is HOMA-IR?

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance) estimates how resistant the body is to insulin from one fasting glucose and one fasting insulin value. Matthews and others published it in 1985. A higher number means more insulin resistance.

What is a normal HOMA-IR?

The model is scaled so that a healthy young adult scores about 1.0. There is no single accepted cut-off for insulin resistance: studies have used values from about 1.7 to 3.0, depending on the insulin test and the population. Your clinician reads the number with your other results.

What is HOMA-%B?

HOMA-%B estimates how well the beta cells of the pancreas make insulin, as a percent of the reference (100%). It uses the same two values. The formula needs a glucose over 3.5 mmol/L (63 mg/dL).

Does the insulin unit matter?

Yes. Insulin is reported in µU/mL (the same as mU/L) or in pmol/L. This page divides pmol/L by 6 to get µU/mL, the factor recommended for modern assays. Some older sources use 6.945, which gives a HOMA-IR about 14% lower.

Is this the same as the HOMA2 calculator?

No. HOMA2 (1998) is a computer model that needs software. This page uses the simple 1985 formulas, which most papers still report.