mg vs mcg
Want the numbers for your own vial? Use the calculator. It works offline and nothing leaves your device.
The one rule
1 mg (milligram) = 1,000 mcg (micrograms). A microgram is a thousand times smaller than a milligram. mcg is sometimes written µg.
- mg to mcg: multiply by 1,000.
- mcg to mg: divide by 1,000.
| mg | mcg |
|---|---|
| 0.1 mg | 100 mcg |
| 0.25 mg | 250 mcg |
| 0.5 mg | 500 mcg |
| 1 mg | 1,000 mcg |
| 2.5 mg | 2,500 mcg |
| 10 mg | 10,000 mcg |
Common slips
- Mixing up mg and mcg. This makes an answer 1,000 times off. Check which unit your vial and your amount use.
- Mixing up mg and mL. mg is an amount; mL is a volume of liquid. They are only linked through the concentration (mg per mL).
- Units vs mg. Units on an insulin syringe are a volume mark (100 units = 1 mL), not an amount of substance.
- Misplaced decimals. 0.25 and 2.5 look alike. Read numbers back out loud.
The calculator has an mg/mcg switch on every amount, and shows the math with your own numbers so you can check it.