HOMA-IR Calculator

What Is HOMA-IR?

HOMA-IR, the Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance, estimates how hard your body has to work to keep blood sugar normal. When cells respond poorly to insulin, the pancreas makes more of it, so a normal glucose with high insulin is an early sign of insulin resistance, often years before blood sugar rises.

• HOMA-%B: an estimate of how well the insulin-making beta cells work, where 100% is typical.
• QUICKI: the Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index, a different scale for the same tests. Lower means less sensitive; about 0.34 or higher is usual.
• Cut-offs vary: studies use limits from about 1.8 to 3 depending on age, ethnicity and the lab, so treat the categories as a guide.

Which calculator should I use?

• HOMA-IR Calculator: when you have fasting glucose and fasting insulin from the same blood test.
• Glucose to A1C Calculator: to estimate A1C from your average blood sugar over months.
• eGFR Calculator: to estimate kidney function from a creatinine test.

How to Calculate HOMA-IR

Multiply fasting glucose by fasting insulin, and divide by 405:

• Glucose: fasting blood glucose in mg/dL. With glucose in mmol/L, divide by 22.5 instead of 405.
• Insulin: fasting insulin in µIU/mL (the same as mU/L). From pmol/L, divide by 6 first.
• 405: a constant from the original 1985 model, so a healthy young adult scores about 1.

Beta-cell function and QUICKI use the same two numbers: HOMA-%B = 360 × insulin ÷ (glucose − 63), and QUICKI = 1 ÷ (log insulin + log glucose).

Example

• Fasting glucose 90 mg/dL and insulin 8 µIU/mL: 90 × 8 ÷ 405 = 1.78, normal.
• HOMA-%B: 360 × 8 ÷ (90 − 63) = 107%. QUICKI: 1 ÷ (log 8 + log 90) = 0.350.
• With glucose 105 and insulin 18, HOMA-IR is 4.67, moderate insulin resistance, even though the glucose alone is only a little high.

How to Use the HOMA-IR Calculator

"My fasting glucose was 90 mg/dL and my fasting insulin was 8. Am I insulin resistant?" This calculator answers that.

Let's enter the numbers for this example in each box. They are already filled in when the calculator opens, so you can follow along and then change any box to match your own lab report.

• Glucose Unit: Choose mg/dL (US). mmol/L is used in many other countries. Switching converts the number you've typed.
• Fasting Glucose: Enter 90, from a blood test after at least 8 hours without food. From 40 to 400 mg/dL, or 2.2 to 22.2 mmol/L.
• Insulin Unit: Choose µIU/mL (or mU/L). Choose pmol/L if that's how your lab reports it.
• Fasting Insulin: Enter 8, from the same fasting blood test. From 1 to 300 µIU/mL, or 6 to 1,800 pmol/L.

Calculate and Reset

Click Calculate to see your results. If a box has a problem, such as letters or a number out of range, a message pops up under it instead. With the default numbers you get:

• Your Results: a short summary in words: a HOMA-IR of 1.78, normal, with your beta-cell function and QUICKI.
• Your HOMA-IR: the headline, 1.78.
• Category: Normal, from the table above.
• Beta-Cell Function (HOMA-%B): 107%.
• Sensitivity (QUICKI): 0.350.
• Glucose in mmol/L: 5.0, your glucose in the other unit.
• Where your HOMA-IR falls: a bar split into the five categories, with a marker at yours.
• HOMA-IR by Fasting Insulin: the score at your glucose for insulin from 2 to 30, so you can see how much insulin moves it. Yours is highlighted.
• Share Results: a link that opens this calculator with your numbers filled in. Copy it, or share it on Facebook or X.

Click Reset to put every box back to its default. HOMA-IR is a screening estimate, not a diagnosis: insulin tests aren't standardized between labs, so compare results from the same lab. This is for information only, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your results.