Free tool

HOMA-IR Insulin Resistance Calculator

Q: Do I need to be fasting?

Yes — 8 to 12 hours. The model assumes a steady fasting state; insulin after a meal is several times higher and the result is meaningless. Draw glucose and insulin from the same sample.

Q: Why is there no single normal HOMA-IR?

Insulin assays are not standardized across labs and the threshold depends on the population studied, so published cut points range from about 2 to 2.9 (some cohorts higher). That is why the calculator shows a zone rather than one line, and why trend over time on the same lab is more useful than one number.

Q: Can HOMA-IR be used if I have diabetes or take insulin?

Not reliably. The model assumes the pancreas is still compensating; once beta-cell output fails, or when injected insulin is present, the glucose–insulin relationship it relies on breaks down.

Q: Which is better, HOMA-IR or the TyG index?

They estimate the same thing from different inputs. HOMA-IR needs a fasting insulin, which is not on a standard panel; TyG uses triglycerides and glucose that most people already have. When both are available, agreement between them strengthens the picture.

The short answer

Enter a fasting glucose and a fasting insulin from the same draw and the calculator returns HOMA-IR, the homeostasis-model estimate of insulin resistance: glucose (mg/dL) × insulin (µIU/mL) ÷ 405. A healthy insulin-sensitive adult scores about 1; published thresholds for insulin resistance fall between roughly 2 and 2.9, with 2.5 the figure most often used.

Inputs: Fasting glucose · fasting insulin
Units: mg/dL or mmol/L · µIU/mL or pmol/L
Insulin-sensitive: ≈ 1.0
Cost: Free

Fasting glucose

mg/dL

8–12 hours fasted · Glucose range

Fasting insulin

µIU/mL

µIU/mL = mIU/L = µU/mL · Fasting Insulin range

Enter your values to calculate.

HOMA-IR = fasting glucose [mg/dL] × fasting insulin [µIU/mL] ÷ 405 (or mmol/L × µIU/mL ÷ 22.5)

Educational — a derived index, not a diagnosis. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

How the HOMA-IR is calculated

HOMA-IR = fasting glucose [mg/dL] × fasting insulin [µIU/mL] ÷ 405 (or mmol/L × µIU/mL ÷ 22.5)

Worked example

Fasting glucose (mg/dL)	Fasting insulin (µIU/mL)	HOMA-IR
92	8	1.82

Falls in: Below published cut points.

How to read the result

HOMA-IR	Reads as	What it usually means
< 1	Insulin-sensitive	The model is scaled so that a healthy young adult with normal glucose handling scores about 1.0. Values at or below this indicate the pancreas is not having to over-produce insulin to hold glucose in range.
1 – 2	Below published cut points	Above the model's ideal but below every commonly used insulin-resistance threshold. Most non-diabetic adults in population studies sit in this range or the next.
2 – 2.9	In the cut-point zone	Published thresholds for insulin resistance fall between about 2.0 and 2.9 depending on the population studied; 2.5 is the figure most often quoted. A value here is a reason to look at waist, triglycerides, HDL and A1c together, not a diagnosis.
≥ 2.9	Above published cut points	Above the range of commonly used thresholds. Fasting glucose is often still normal at this stage because the extra insulin is compensating; it is the pattern clinicians look for before prediabetes appears on A1c.

Cut points reviewed by Youmna DiStefano, MD on 2026-09-26. Sources below.

Limits

HOMA-IR only applies to fasting samples in people not taking insulin; it is unreliable once beta-cell function fails (established diabetes) and insulin assays differ between labs, so cut points are not universal. It is a screening estimate of hepatic insulin resistance, not a clamp study.

Sources

Matthews DR, et al. Homeostasis model assessment: insulin resistance and β-cell function from fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in man. Diabetologia 1985;28:412–419. doi.org/10.1007/BF00280883
Wallace TM, Levy JC, Matthews DR. Use and abuse of HOMA modeling. Diabetes Care 2004;27:1487–1495. doi.org/10.2337/diacare.27.6.1487
Gayoso-Diz P, et al. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) cut-off values and the metabolic syndrome in a general adult population. BMC Endocr Disord 2013;13:47. doi.org/10.1186/1472-6823-13-47

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be fasting?

Yes — 8 to 12 hours. The model assumes a steady fasting state; insulin after a meal is several times higher and the result is meaningless. Draw glucose and insulin from the same sample.

Why is there no single normal HOMA-IR?

Insulin assays are not standardized across labs and the threshold depends on the population studied, so published cut points range from about 2 to 2.9 (some cohorts higher). That is why the calculator shows a zone rather than one line, and why trend over time on the same lab is more useful than one number.

Can HOMA-IR be used if I have diabetes or take insulin?

Not reliably. The model assumes the pancreas is still compensating; once beta-cell output fails, or when injected insulin is present, the glucose–insulin relationship it relies on breaks down.

Which is better, HOMA-IR or the TyG index?

They estimate the same thing from different inputs. HOMA-IR needs a fasting insulin, which is not on a standard panel; TyG uses triglycerides and glucose that most people already have. When both are available, agreement between them strengthens the picture.

Which biomarkers does this tool cover?

Which tests give you these numbers?

Physician-authorized, drawn at Quest, Labcorp or BioReference. Results in 1–3 business days for most tests.