LDL Cholesterol (Sampson) Calculator

Estimate LDL cholesterol with the Sampson-NIH equation.

Aug 31, 2026 Lipid Panel #cholesterol #ldl #lipid-panel #sampson

Calculate

All fields required unless noted

Total cholesterol (mg/dL)

HDL cholesterol (mg/dL)

Triglycerides (mg/dL)

Calculating...

Enter your values and press Calculate to see the result.

Reference Ranges Used

LDL Cholesterol - Adult 100 mg/dL

Formula & Clinical Notes

Formula

LDL = TC/0.948 − HDL/0.971 − (TG/8.56 + TG × nonHDL/2140 − TG²/16100)/1000

Clinical Notes

The Sampson-NIH equation estimates LDL directly from measured lipids without fasting, performing well across very high triglyceride levels (up to 800 mg/dL). It was derived from nuclear magnetic resonance data. Optimal LDL is below 100 mg/dL.

Sources

Sampson et al. (2020) — A new equation based on the NIH