Non-HDL cholesterol calculator
Work out your non-HDL cholesterol — the cholesterol carried by every artery-clogging particle, not just LDL — from two numbers on a standard lipid panel: total cholesterol and HDL. It needs no triglycerides and no fasting, so it stays valid where a calculated LDL doesn't. In mg/dL or mmol/L.
Your privacy: this calculator runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent anywhere. It's the same on-device principle Quanome is built on.
Educational reference only — not medical advice. The right non-HDL target depends on your overall cardiovascular risk and belongs with a clinician, not the number alone.
## What non-HDL numbers mean
| Non-HDL cholesterol | Category |
| --- | --- |
| < 130 mg/dL (< 3.4 mmol/L) | Desirable |
| 130–159 mg/dL (3.4–4.1 mmol/L) | Above desirable |
| 160–189 mg/dL (4.1–4.9 mmol/L) | Borderline-high |
| 190–219 mg/dL (4.9–5.7 mmol/L) | High |
| ≥ 220 mg/dL (≥ 5.7 mmol/L) | Very high |
These bands mirror the LDL categories shifted up by about 30 mg/dL — the usual rule is that your **non-HDL target = your LDL target + 30**. They're a rough orientation, not a personal goal; what counts as a healthy non-HDL for you depends on your overall risk.
## Why non-HDL cholesterol
Your total cholesterol splits into the "good" (HDL) and everything else. Subtracting HDL leaves the **non-HDL** portion — the cholesterol packed into LDL *plus* VLDL, IDL, remnant particles, and lipoprotein(a). Because all of those drive plaque, non-HDL is a fuller picture of risk than LDL alone, and it has three practical advantages:
- **No fasting needed.** It uses total cholesterol and HDL, both stable after a meal — unlike triglycerides.
- **No estimate.** LDL on most reports is *calculated* (see the [LDL cholesterol calculator](/tools/ldl-cholesterol-calculator/)) and gets unreliable when triglycerides are high. Non-HDL is a straight subtraction, valid at any triglyceride level.
- **One number for all the harmful particles**, which is why many guidelines now list a non-HDL goal alongside the LDL one.
## The rest of your lipid panel
Non-HDL is one way to read the panel; the other lines fill it in:
- **LDL** — estimate it from total, HDL, and triglycerides with the [LDL cholesterol calculator](/tools/ldl-cholesterol-calculator/), and see [what your LDL level means](/blog/what-your-ldl-cholesterol-level-means/).
- **HDL** — the "good" cholesterol you just subtracted; see [what your HDL level means](/blog/what-your-hdl-cholesterol-level-means/).
- **Triglycerides** — see [what high triglycerides mean](/blog/what-high-triglycerides-mean/).
- **Ratios** — the [total-cholesterol-to-HDL ratio](/blog/what-your-cholesterol-hdl-ratio-means/) is another summary line; compute it with the [cholesterol ratio calculator](/tools/cholesterol-ratio-calculator/).
- Want to bring it down? See [how to lower LDL cholesterol](/blog/how-to-lower-ldl-cholesterol/) — the same steps lower non-HDL.
Working in different units? The [mmol/L ↔ mg/dL converter](/tools/mmol-mg-dl-converter/) switches any lipid result between the two.
## Track your lipids over time — privately
A single non-HDL is a snapshot; the value is in the **trend**. [Quanome](/) pulls your labs, Apple Health, and even your DNA into one private timeline on your device — parsed locally, never uploaded — with an AI coach that reads your lipid panel in whichever units you use.
Track your cholesterol over time, privately
Quanome unifies your labs, Apple Health, and DNA into one private, on-device timeline — in your units, with an AI coach. Free on the App Store and Google Play.
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