Insulin Dosage Chart
Medically reviewed by Dr. Chhaya Makhija, MD, DipABLM — October 2026
By Ryan Mitchell
Lookup tables for the numbers that drive daily dosing: carb ratio, correction factor, starting dose by weight, and the basal-bolus split. Every row is generated from the standard formula shown above it.
Carb ratio and correction factor by total daily dose
Both numbers come from your total daily dose. The carb ratio uses the 500 Rule, and the correction factor uses the 1800 Rule for rapid-acting insulin, or 100 when glucose is measured in mmol/L. Find your daily total in the left column and read across.
| TDD (units/day) | Carb ratio (500 Rule) | Carb ratio (450 Rule) | Correction (1800 Rule) | Correction (100 Rule) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1 unit : 25 g | 1 unit : 22.5 g | 90 mg/dL | 5 mmol/L |
| 30 | 1 unit : 16.7 g | 1 unit : 15 g | 60 mg/dL | 3.3 mmol/L |
| 40 | 1 unit : 12.5 g | 1 unit : 11.3 g | 45 mg/dL | 2.5 mmol/L |
| 50 | 1 unit : 10 g | 1 unit : 9 g | 36 mg/dL | 2 mmol/L |
| 60 | 1 unit : 8.3 g | 1 unit : 7.5 g | 30 mg/dL | 1.7 mmol/L |
| 70 | 1 unit : 7.1 g | 1 unit : 6.4 g | 25.7 mg/dL | 1.4 mmol/L |
| 80 | 1 unit : 6.3 g | 1 unit : 5.6 g | 22.5 mg/dL | 1.3 mmol/L |
| 100 | 1 unit : 5 g | 1 unit : 4.5 g | 18 mg/dL | 1 mmol/L |
| 120 | 1 unit : 4.2 g | 1 unit : 3.8 g | 15 mg/dL | 0.8 mmol/L |
The two carb-ratio columns show why handouts disagree. The 500 Rule is used with rapid-acting insulin and the 450 Rule with Regular (short-acting) insulin, and the 450 Rule always gives the stronger ratio for the same daily total. To work either direction with your own numbers, use the carb ratio calculator or the correction dose calculator.
Meal dose chart: insulin for the carbohydrate you eat
A meal dose is the grams of carbohydrate divided by the carb ratio. Find the meal's carbohydrate in the left column and read across to your ratio.
| Carbs | 1:8 | 1:10 | 1:12 | 1:15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 g | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1 |
| 30 g | 3.8 | 3 | 2.5 | 2 |
| 45 g | 5.6 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3 |
| 60 g | 7.5 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| 75 g | 9.4 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 5 |
| 90 g | 11.3 | 9 | 7.5 | 6 |
The same 60 g meal needs 7.5 units at a ratio of 1 : 8 and 4 units at 1 : 15. That spread is why a meal dose copied from someone else's chart is not transferable: the ratio column has to be your own.
Correction dose chart: insulin for a reading above target
A correction dose is how far glucose sits above target, divided by the sensitivity factor. Find the gap above target on the left and read across to your sensitivity factor.
| Above target | ISF 30 | ISF 40 | ISF 50 | ISF 60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 mg/dL | 1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| 60 mg/dL | 2 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1 |
| 90 mg/dL | 3 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| 120 mg/dL | 4 | 3 | 2.4 | 2 |
| 150 mg/dL | 5 | 3.8 | 3 | 2.5 |
| 180 mg/dL | 6 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3 |
Insulin still active from an earlier dose should come off the correction before it is given. Correcting again while the last dose is still working is how doses stack and lows follow.
Worked example: meal plus correction
Take someone on 50 units a day. The 500 Rule gives a carb ratio of 1 : 10 and the 1800 Rule a sensitivity factor of 36 mg/dL per unit. Before a 60 g lunch their reading is 200 mg/dL against a target of 120, and 1 unit from breakfast is still active.
| Step | Calculation | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Meal dose | 60 g ÷ 10 | 6 |
| Correction | (200 − 120) ÷ 36 | 2.2 |
| Less insulin on board | 2.2 − 1 | 1.2 |
| Total | 6 + 1.2 | 7.2 |
Pens and syringes deliver whole or half units, so a total like 7.2 is rounded in practice. Which way to round, and whether to correct at all at this reading, is part of the plan your care team sets.
Regular insulin uses different rules
The 500 and 1800 Rules above are for rapid-acting insulin. Regular (short-acting) insulin acts more slowly, and the counterparts commonly used with it are the 450 Rule for the carb ratio and the 1500 Rule for the sensitivity factor.
| TDD (units/day) | Carb ratio (450 Rule) | Sensitivity factor (1500 Rule) |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1 unit : 22.5 g | 75 mg/dL |
| 30 | 1 unit : 15 g | 50 mg/dL |
| 40 | 1 unit : 11.3 g | 38 mg/dL |
| 50 | 1 unit : 9 g | 30 mg/dL |
| 60 | 1 unit : 7.5 g | 25 mg/dL |
| 80 | 1 unit : 5.6 g | 19 mg/dL |
| 100 | 1 unit : 4.5 g | 15 mg/dL |
Mixing the two sets, for example using a 500 Rule ratio with Regular insulin, is one of the reasons printed charts disagree.
Starting total daily dose by body weight
Before a daily total exists, it is estimated from body weight. The ADA Standards of Care 2026 put a basal-only start in type 2 diabetes near 0.1 to 0.2 units/kg/day, and a typical full-replacement start for a stable adult with type 1 diabetes at about 0.5 units/kg/day, inside a wider 0.4 to 1.0 range.
| Body weight | 0.2 u/kg (type 2 basal start) | 0.4 u/kg (lower full start) | 0.5 u/kg (typical type 1 start) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg (110 lb) | 10 u | 20 u | 25 u |
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 12 u | 24 u | 30 u |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 14 u | 28 u | 35 u |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 16 u | 32 u | 40 u |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 18 u | 36 u | 45 u |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 20 u | 40 u | 50 u |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 22 u | 44 u | 55 u |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 24 u | 48 u | 60 u |
These are starting estimates, not targets. Requirements are then titrated against real glucose readings, and they move with illness, puberty, pregnancy and steroid treatment. The dose by weight calculator covers other factors and converts between kg and lb.
Basal and bolus split
A full-replacement regimen is usually divided roughly in half: one half as background basal insulin, the other half spread across meals. The table below shows a 50/50 split with the bolus half divided evenly across three meals.
| TDD (units/day) | Basal (50%) | Total bolus (50%) | Per meal (bolus ÷ 3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 10 u | 10 u | 3.3 u |
| 30 | 15 u | 15 u | 5 u |
| 40 | 20 u | 20 u | 6.7 u |
| 50 | 25 u | 25 u | 8.3 u |
| 60 | 30 u | 30 u | 10 u |
| 70 | 35 u | 35 u | 11.7 u |
| 80 | 40 u | 40 u | 13.3 u |
| 100 | 50 u | 50 u | 16.7 u |
| 120 | 60 u | 60 u | 20 u |
An even split across meals is a starting arrangement rather than a rule. In practice mealtime doses are adjusted meal by meal against glucose readings, so they rarely stay equal.
Sliding scale charts are a separate thing
A sliding scale chart is not the same as the tables above. It lists fixed insulin amounts against bands of blood glucose, and it reacts to a reading that has already happened rather than covering the carbohydrate in a meal. The two are often confused because both arrive as a printed grid.
If a sliding scale is what you are looking for, the sliding scale calculator builds one from a correction factor and a target, in mg/dL or mmol/L. The rest of our insulin dosing reference tables cover the related conversions.
Insulin dosage chart for type 2 diabetes
Type 2 regimens usually begin with basal insulin alone, and the starting numbers are far smaller than a full replacement dose. The ADA Standards of Care put the start near 0.1 to 0.2 units per kilogram per day, or a flat 10 units, whichever a prescriber prefers.
| Body weight | 0.1–0.2 u/kg start | Flat-dose alternative |
|---|---|---|
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 6–12 units | 10 units |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 7–14 units | 10 units |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 8–16 units | 10 units |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 9–18 units | 10 units |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 10–20 units | 10 units |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 11–22 units | 10 units |
What follows matters more than the starting number. The dose is raised in small steps, commonly 2 units every three days, until fasting morning glucose reaches the target a prescriber has set. Fasting glucose is the single reading the whole titration hangs on.
This is why a type 2 chart looks nothing like a type 1 chart. Type 1 replacement starts near 0.5 u/kg/day and splits into basal and mealtime insulin immediately. Type 2 typically starts at a fifth to two-fifths of that, often with no mealtime insulin, and is increased over months.
Limitations & Safety Notes
These tables are educational. They show what the standard formulas produce for a given daily total, and nothing more. They do not account for your glucose readings, your other medicines, kidney function, pregnancy or illness.
Every formula here produces a starting estimate that is meant to be adjusted. None of them measures anything about you. Follow the doses your prescriber has set, and never change a dose from a web table.
Sources
- American Diabetes Association. Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026 — weight-based starting doses and basal-bolus regimens. Link
- Walsh J, Roberts R. Pumping Insulin. Describes the 500 Rule for carbohydrate ratio and the 1800 Rule for correction factor.
Written by Ryan Mitchell · Last updated: October 2026
Frequently Asked Questions: Insulin Dosage Chart
How much insulin do I need for 60 grams of carbs?
It depends on your carb ratio. At a ratio of 1 unit per 10 g, 60 g needs 6 units; at 1 unit per 15 g it needs 4 units; at 1 unit per 8 g it needs 7.5 units. Divide the grams of carbohydrate by the number in your ratio.
How much insulin for a blood sugar of 300?
It depends on your target and sensitivity factor, and on any insulin still active. With a target of 120 mg/dL the reading is 180 above target: at a sensitivity factor of 30 that is 6 units, at 50 it is 3.6 units, at 60 it is 3 units, before subtracting insulin on board. A reading this high may also call for a ketone check; follow the plan your care team has given you.
How do you combine a meal dose and a correction dose?
Add them. Work out the meal dose from the carbohydrate and carb ratio, work out the correction from how far glucose is above target and the sensitivity factor, subtract any insulin still on board from the correction, then add the two together.
What is an insulin dosage chart?
It is a lookup table that converts a total daily dose into the numbers used for day-to-day dosing: the carbohydrate ratio, the correction factor, and the basal-bolus split. The tables on this page are generated from the standard formulas rather than copied from a handout, so every row can be reproduced with a calculator.
How do you calculate a carb ratio from total daily dose?
Divide 500 by the total daily dose. This is known as the 500 Rule, and it estimates the grams of carbohydrate covered by one unit of rapid-acting insulin. Someone on 50 units a day gets 500 divided by 50, which is 1 unit per 10 grams. Some clinicians use 450 instead of 500, which gives a slightly stronger ratio.
How do you calculate a correction factor?
Divide 1800 by the total daily dose for rapid-acting insulin. This is the 1800 Rule, and it estimates how far one unit lowers blood glucose in mg/dL. For mmol/L the same calculation uses 100 instead of 1800. A 50 unit daily total gives roughly 36 mg/dL, or about 2.0 mmol/L, per unit.
Why do charts disagree with each other?
Mainly because different formulas apply to different insulins. The 500 Rule (carb ratio) and 1800 Rule (correction factor) are used with rapid-acting insulin; the 450 and 1500 Rules with Regular insulin. Some clinicians also use a 1700 Rule. None of them is a measurement. They produce starting points that are then adjusted against real glucose readings.
Can I use these tables instead of my own prescribed doses?
No. The tables show what the standard formulas produce for a given daily total. They do not account for your glucose readings, your other medicines, kidney function, pregnancy or illness. Treat them as a reference for understanding how the numbers relate, and follow the doses your prescriber has set.