{"id":61713,"date":"2017-12-07T16:13:38","date_gmt":"2017-12-07T14:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/?p=61713"},"modified":"2026-10-01T13:27:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T10:27:05","slug":"dosage-infusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/medical\/dosage-infusion\/","title":{"rendered":"Dosage Infusion Calculator"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"not-prose calculator-box\" aria-labelledby=\"calculator-title\"><div class=\"flex items-baseline sm:items-center justify-between gap-2 sm:gap-3\"><div class=\"flex flex-col sm:flex-row sm:items-center gap-2\"><span class=\"icon icon-calculator text-primary-700! text-base! dark:text-primary-300!\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><h2 id=\"calculator-title\" class=\"text-lg font-display font-bold\">Dosage Infusion Rate Calculator<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"calcdash-favorite group\">\n  <button type=\"button\" class=\"favorite\" id=\"favorite\" data-favorite-id=\"61713\" data-favorite-title=\"Dosage Infusion\" data-favorite-url=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/medical\/dosage-infusion\/\" data-favorite-excerpt=\"Calculate the IV infusion rate in mL\/hr from the dose ordered, infusion time, standard dose, and volume ordered. Supports mg, mcg, g, and other units for safe medication administration.\" aria-label=\"Add to Favorites\" data-favorite-icon=\"icon icon-pharmacology\">\n    <span class=\"icon icon-shape-star-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n  <\/button>\n  <div class=\"calcdash-favorite__tip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n   <span class=\"favorite-tooltip\" id=\"favorite-tooltip\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  <span class=\"sr-only\" role=\"status\" id=\"favorite-status\"><\/span>\n<\/div><\/div><form action=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/medical\/dosage-infusion\/\" method=\"POST\" class=\"calculator\" id=\"calculator-61713\" data-post=\"61713\"><fieldset class=\"fieldset-input is-1\"><legend class=\"sr-only\">Input Fields<\/legend><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-1\"><label for=\"field-1\">Dose ordered<\/label><div class=\"field-group\"><input type=\"number\" name=\"dose_ordered\" id=\"field-1\" placeholder=\"e.g. 5\" step=\"any\" value=\"5\"\/><div class=\"grid grid-cols-1\"><select id=\"field-2\" name=\"unit\" aria-label=\"Unit\"><option value=\"0.000000001\">ng<\/option><option value=\"0.000001\">mcg<\/option><option value=\"0.001\" selected>mg<\/option><option value=\"1\">g<\/option><option value=\"1000\">kg<\/option><option value=\"0.0648\">gr<\/option><\/select><svg class=\"pointer-events-none col-start-1 row-start-1 mr-2 size-5 self-center justify-self-end text-gray-500 sm:size-4\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\">\n              <path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M4.22 6.22a.75.75 0 0 1 1.06 0L8 8.94l2.72-2.72a.75.75 0 1 1 1.06 1.06l-3.25 3.25a.75.75 0 0 1-1.06 0L4.22 7.28a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.06Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" \/>\n            <\/svg><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-2\"><label for=\"field-3\">Amount of time<\/label><div class=\"field-group\"><input type=\"number\" name=\"amount_of_time\" id=\"field-3\" placeholder=\"e.g. 30\" step=\"any\" value=\"30\"\/><div class=\"grid grid-cols-1\"><select id=\"field-4\" name=\"time_unit\" aria-label=\"Time Unit\"><option value=\"1\" selected>minutes<\/option><option value=\"60\">hours<\/option><\/select><svg class=\"pointer-events-none col-start-1 row-start-1 mr-2 size-5 self-center justify-self-end text-gray-500 sm:size-4\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\">\n              <path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M4.22 6.22a.75.75 0 0 1 1.06 0L8 8.94l2.72-2.72a.75.75 0 1 1 1.06 1.06l-3.25 3.25a.75.75 0 0 1-1.06 0L4.22 7.28a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.06Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" \/>\n            <\/svg><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-3\"><label for=\"field-5\">Standard dose<\/label><div class=\"field-group\"><input type=\"number\" name=\"standard_dose\" id=\"field-5\" placeholder=\"e.g. 10\" step=\"any\" value=\"10\"\/><div class=\"grid grid-cols-1\"><select id=\"field-6\" name=\"unit\" aria-label=\"Unit\"><option value=\"0.000000001\">ng<\/option><option value=\"0.000001\">mcg<\/option><option value=\"0.001\" selected>mg<\/option><option value=\"1\">g<\/option><option value=\"1000\">kg<\/option><option value=\"0.0648\">gr<\/option><\/select><svg class=\"pointer-events-none col-start-1 row-start-1 mr-2 size-5 self-center justify-self-end text-gray-500 sm:size-4\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\">\n              <path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M4.22 6.22a.75.75 0 0 1 1.06 0L8 8.94l2.72-2.72a.75.75 0 1 1 1.06 1.06l-3.25 3.25a.75.75 0 0 1-1.06 0L4.22 7.28a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.06Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" \/>\n            <\/svg><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-4\"><label for=\"field-7\">Volume ordered<\/label><input type=\"number\" name=\"volume_ordered\" id=\"field-7\" aria-describedby=\"calc-unit-7\" placeholder=\"e.g. 100\" step=\"any\" value=\"100\"\/><div class=\"unit\" id=\"calc-unit-7\">mL<\/div><\/div><\/fieldset><div class=\"buttons\"><button type=\"submit\" data-text=\"Re-Calculate\" id=\"calculate-button\" data-post=\"61713\">Calculate<\/button><button type=\"reset\">Reset<\/button><\/div><div class=\"field is-checkbox hidden!\" id=\"field-auto-calc\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"auto-calc\"><label for=\"auto-calc\">Calculate automatically<\/label><small>If enabled, the result will update automatically when you change any value.<\/small><\/div><div class=\"fieldset-result is-hidden\" aria-labelledby=\"result-title\" aria-live=\"polite\" role=\"region\"> <h3 class=\"result-title bg-gradient-to-r from-primary-50 to-gray-50 dark:from-primary-900 dark:to-gray-800\" id=\"result-title\"><span class=\"icon icon-s-pulse\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span> Your Results<\/h3><div class=\"result-box\"><div class=\"field-result\" id=\"output-1\"><span class=\"field-title\"><span>Infusion of a dose (mL\/hr)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"field-value\" id=\"result-1\"><\/span><button type=\"button\" class=\"copy-result\" data-tooltip=\"Copy Result\" aria-label=\"Copy Result\"><span class=\"copy-icon icon icon-document-copy\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"result-actions\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"copy-link\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M12.232 4.232a2.5 2.5 0 0 1 3.536 3.536l-1.225 1.224a.75.75 0 0 0 1.061 1.06l1.224-1.224a4 4 0 0 0-5.656-5.656l-3 3a4 4 0 0 0 .225 5.865.75.75 0 0 0 .977-1.138 2.5 2.5 0 0 1-.142-3.667l3-3Z\"\/><path d=\"M11.603 7.963a.75.75 0 0 0-.977 1.138 2.5 2.5 0 0 1 .142 3.667l-3 3a2.5 2.5 0 0 1-3.536-3.536l1.225-1.224a.75.75 0 0 0-1.061-1.06l-1.224 1.224a4 4 0 1 0 5.656 5.656l3-3a4 4 0 0 0-.225-5.865Z\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"copy-link__text\">Copy link to this calculation<\/span><\/button><span class=\"sr-only\" role=\"status\" id=\"copy-link-status\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><a href=\"#respond\" class=\"hidden transition-opacity duration-300 opacity-0 w-50 text-sm justify-center items-center gap-2 px-4 py-2 rounded bg-gray-200 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-300\" id=\"leave-comment\"><span class=\"icon icon-comments\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>Leave a Comment<\/a><\/form><\/section><section id=\"calc-reactions\" class=\"not-prose hidden my-12 bg-gradient-to-r from-primary-50 to-gray-50 border border-indigo-100 rounded-xl px-6 py-4 shadow-sm\" data-post=\"61713\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-labelledby=\"calc-reactions-title\"><p id=\"calc-reactions-title\" class=\"text-sm text-gray-500 text-center mb-2\">How did this result make you feel?<\/p><div role=\"group\" aria-labelledby=\"calc-reactions-title\" class=\"grid grid-cols-3 sm:flex sm:flex-row sm:justify-around gap-4 sm:items-center sm:flex-wrap\"><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"like\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"like\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\ude00 <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Like <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"helpful\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"helpful\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\udca1 <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Helpful <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"confused\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"confused\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\ude15 <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Confused <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"disappointed\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"disappointed\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\ude1e <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Disappointed <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"inaccurate\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"inaccurate\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u274c <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Inaccurate <\/span><\/button><\/div><div id=\"reaction-message\" class=\"hidden mt-8 rounded-md border border-primary-100 bg-white\/50 backdrop-blur-sm px-4 py-2 text-sm text-center shadow-sm\"><\/div><\/section><div class=\"calcdash-ad not-prose calcdash-ad--calc_result calcdash-ad--in-article\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1721569815777345\" data-ad-slot=\"6317458308\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div>\n<style id=\"wpcoderpro-inline-1\">.formula-box {\r\n\tborder-bottom: none !important;\r\n}<\/style><section class=\"formula-box\" aria-labelledby=\"formula-title\">\r\n\t<div id=\"formula-title\" class=\"not-prose font-display mb-4\"><span class=\"icon icon-formula\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><h2>Dosage Infusion Rate Formula<\/h2><\/div>\r\n\t<figure class=\"not-prose formula\">\r\n\t\t<figcaption class=\"formula-title\">Formula<\/figcaption>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"text-base text-gray-800\" id=\"formula\">\n\\[ \\text{Infusion Rate (mL\/hr)} = \\left( \\frac{\\text{Dose Ordered} \\times \\text{Volume Ordered}}{\\text{Standard Dose} \\times \\text{Time}} \\right) \\times 60 \\]\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/figure>\r\n\t<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\\(\\text{Dose Ordered}\\) \u2014 the amount of medication prescribed, in any mass unit<\/li>\n<li>\\(\\text{Volume Ordered}\\) \u2014 the volume of the IV solution, in mL<\/li>\n<li>\\text{Standard Dose}\\) \u2014 the dose contained in the standard volume of the solution<\/li>\n<li>\\text{Time}\\) \u2014 the infusion duration in minutes<\/li>\n<li>60 \u2014 the conversion factor that turns a per-minute rate into mL per hour<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The formula first finds how much of the IV solution delivers the ordered dose (using the ratio of ordered dose to standard dose), then divides by the infusion time to get a rate per minute, and finally multiplies by 60 to express the result in mL\/hr.<\/p>\n<p>\r\n<\/section>\n<style id=\"wpcoderpro-inline-459\">.calculation-box {\r\n\tborder-bottom: none !important;\r\n}<\/style><section id=\"calculation\" class=\"calculation-box\" aria-labelledby=\"calculation-title\">\r\n\t<div id=\"calculation-title\" class=\"not-prose font-display\"><span class=\"icon icon-unordered-list\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><h2>Dosage Infusion Rate \u2013 Calculation Example<\/h2><\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> a patient is ordered 5 mg of a drug to be infused over 30 minutes. The standard solution contains 10 mg of the drug in a 100 mL bag.<\/p>\n<p>\\[ \\text{Infusion Rate} = \\left( \\frac{5 \\times 100}{10 \\times 30} \\right) \\times 60 = \\left( \\frac{500}{300} \\right) \\times 60 = 100 \\text{ mL\/hr} \\]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result:<\/strong> 100 mL\/hr. Infusing the bag at this rate delivers exactly 5 mg of the drug in 30 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>\n\r\n<\/section>\n<h2>How to use the calculator<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Enter the <strong>Dose ordered<\/strong> and select its unit (ng, mcg, mg, g, kg, or gr).<\/li>\n<li>Enter the <strong>Amount of time<\/strong> over which the dose must be infused and choose <strong>minutes<\/strong> or <strong>hours<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Enter the <strong>Standard dose<\/strong> \u2014 the amount of drug contained in the standard bag or vial \u2014 and select its unit.<\/li>\n<li>Enter the <strong>Volume ordered<\/strong> in mL, i.e. the volume of the IV solution.<\/li>\n<li>Read the <strong>Infusion of a dose (mL\/hr)<\/strong> result and set the infusion pump accordingly.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>What is a dosage infusion rate?<\/h2>\n<p>Intravenous medications are delivered as a solution flowing at a controlled rate, usually measured in mL per hour. The prescriber orders a <em>dose<\/em> \u2014 for example, 5 mg of a drug \u2014 but the infusion pump can only be set to a <em>rate<\/em> in mL\/hr. Converting between the two requires knowing the concentration of the solution: how much drug (the standard dose) is dissolved in how much fluid (the volume ordered).<\/p>\n<p>The logic is a simple proportion. If 10 mg of a drug is diluted in 100 mL, the concentration is 0.1 mg\/mL, so delivering 5 mg requires infusing 50 mL. If that must happen over 30 minutes, the pump must run at 100 mL\/hr. The calculator performs exactly this chain of reasoning automatically, whatever units the prescription uses.<\/p>\n<p>Getting this conversion right matters clinically. A rate that is too low means the patient receives an insufficient dose \u2014 an antibiotic may fail or pain may go unrelieved. A rate that is too high can cause overdose, toxicity, or dangerous fluid overload. Because infusion pumps execute the programmed rate precisely, any error in the calculation is reproduced faithfully, which is why independent double-checking of infusion calculations is a standard safety practice.<\/p>\n<h2>Assumptions, limitations, and practical tips<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Units must be consistent in meaning, not in size.<\/strong> The calculator converts ng, mcg, mg, g, kg, and gr (grains) automatically, but you must make sure the dose ordered and standard dose refer to the same drug and the same form (e.g. both as the salt or both as the base).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Volume is assumed to be in mL.<\/strong> If your bag is labeled in liters, enter 0.5 L as 500 mL.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The formula assumes a constant rate.<\/strong> It does not model boluses, titration schedules, or ramped rates (e.g. starting slow and increasing). For titrated drugs, calculate each step separately.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It does not account for patient weight.<\/strong> Many critical-care infusions are ordered in mcg\/kg\/min. Convert the weight-based order into a total dose per hour first, then use this calculator.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Double-check the result.<\/strong> Use a second practitioner, or verify by estimating: with the example above, 100 mL\/hr for 30 min = 50 mL, and 50 mL at 0.1 mg\/mL = 5 mg. The round trip should reproduce the ordered dose.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Account for dead volume in the tubing.<\/strong> At very low rates with concentrated drugs, drug left in the line can alter the delivered dose; follow your institution's protocol for priming and flush volumes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For related calculations, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/medical\/liquid-dose-medicine\/\">Liquid Dose Calculator<\/a> for oral and injectable liquid medications, the <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/medical\/half-life-time-medicine\/\">Half-Life Time Calculator<\/a> for estimating drug accumulation, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/medical\/dextrose-intravenous-target-concentration\/\">Dextrose Intravenous Target Concentration Calculator<\/a> for IV fluid planning. The <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/medical\/dialysis-dose\/\">Dialysis Dose (Kt\/V) Calculator<\/a> may also be useful when managing patients on renal replacement therapy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Calculate the IV infusion rate in mL\/hr from the dose ordered, infusion time, standard dose, and volume ordered. Supports mg, mcg, g, and other units for safe medication administration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[32],"class_list":["post-61713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-medical","tag-pharmacology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61713"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66319,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61713\/revisions\/66319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}