Convert micrograms to milligrams
Type a value in micrograms and read the result in milligrams. One milligram is a thousand micrograms, so 500 mcg gives 0.5 mg. The result updates as you type, and the page also lists the US daily values given in mcg and the steps for an Excel spreadsheet.
How many milligrams are in a given number of micrograms?
Divide the number of micrograms by 1,000 to get milligrams. A 500 mcg serving comes out as 0.5 mg.
Formula: milligrams = micrograms ÷ 1,000
To work it out in your head, move the decimal point three places to the left. This way, 1,000 mcg becomes 1 mg. In the same way, 250 mcg becomes 0.25 mg. A value of 25 mcg becomes 0.025 mg. The result is written without trailing zeros, so 2,500 mcg gives 2.5 mg.
The conversion is exact to the last digit. In the SI, milli and micro are two powers of ten: milli means one thousandth and micro means one millionth[1].
Any value below 1,000 mcg gives less than one milligram. Such a result starts with a zero and a decimal point: 5 mcg, for example, is 0.005 mg. The converter shows the result to six decimal places, so even half a microgram appears in the field as 0.0005 mg.
For the opposite direction, multiplying by 1,000, use the milligrams to micrograms converter.
What is a microgram, and what is a milligram?
A microgram is one millionth of a gram. Its SI symbol µg combines the Greek letter μ, which stands for the prefix micro, with g for gram[1].
The English Wikipedia article on the microgram notes that mcg is the preferred abbreviation for medical information in the United States[2]. Both forms name the same mass, so the converter treats them the same way.
A milligram is one thousandth of a gram. One milligram is therefore made up of 1,000 micrograms.
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a US organization that collects reports of medication errors, lists µg among the notations that have been read as mg. Its recommended form is mcg[3].
How many mg are 100 mcg, 500 mcg and 1,000 mcg?
| Micrograms | Milligrams | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 mcg | 0.0005 mg | 0.0000005 g |
| 1 mcg | 0.001 mg | 0.000001 g |
| 2 mcg | 0.002 mg | 0.000002 g |
| 2.4 mcg | 0.0024 mg | 0.0000024 g |
| 2.5 mcg | 0.0025 mg | 0.0000025 g |
| 5 mcg | 0.005 mg | 0.000005 g |
| 10 mcg | 0.01 mg | 0.00001 g |
| 12.5 mcg | 0.0125 mg | 0.0000125 g |
| 15 mcg | 0.015 mg | 0.000015 g |
| 20 mcg | 0.02 mg | 0.00002 g |
| 25 mcg | 0.025 mg | 0.000025 g |
| 30 mcg | 0.03 mg | 0.00003 g |
| 35 mcg | 0.035 mg | 0.000035 g |
| 40 mcg | 0.04 mg | 0.00004 g |
| 45 mcg | 0.045 mg | 0.000045 g |
| 50 mcg | 0.05 mg | 0.00005 g |
| 55 mcg | 0.055 mg | 0.000055 g |
| 60 mcg | 0.06 mg | 0.00006 g |
| 75 mcg | 0.075 mg | 0.000075 g |
| 80 mcg | 0.08 mg | 0.00008 g |
| 100 mcg | 0.1 mg | 0.0001 g |
| 120 mcg | 0.12 mg | 0.00012 g |
| 125 mcg | 0.125 mg | 0.000125 g |
| 150 mcg | 0.15 mg | 0.00015 g |
| 175 mcg | 0.175 mg | 0.000175 g |
| 200 mcg | 0.2 mg | 0.0002 g |
| 250 mcg | 0.25 mg | 0.00025 g |
| 300 mcg | 0.3 mg | 0.0003 g |
| 350 mcg | 0.35 mg | 0.00035 g |
| 400 mcg | 0.4 mg | 0.0004 g |
| 500 mcg | 0.5 mg | 0.0005 g |
| 600 mcg | 0.6 mg | 0.0006 g |
| 750 mcg | 0.75 mg | 0.00075 g |
| 800 mcg | 0.8 mg | 0.0008 g |
| 900 mcg | 0.9 mg | 0.0009 g |
| 1,000 mcg | 1 mg | 0.001 g |
| 1,200 mcg | 1.2 mg | 0.0012 g |
| 1,500 mcg | 1.5 mg | 0.0015 g |
| 2,000 mcg | 2 mg | 0.002 g |
| 2,500 mcg | 2.5 mg | 0.0025 g |
| 3,000 mcg | 3 mg | 0.003 g |
| 4,000 mcg | 4 mg | 0.004 g |
| 5,000 mcg | 5 mg | 0.005 g |
| 7,500 mcg | 7.5 mg | 0.0075 g |
| 10,000 mcg | 10 mg | 0.01 g |
| 12,500 mcg | 12.5 mg | 0.0125 g |
| 15,000 mcg | 15 mg | 0.015 g |
| 20,000 mcg | 20 mg | 0.02 g |
| 25,000 mcg | 25 mg | 0.025 g |
| 50,000 mcg | 50 mg | 0.05 g |
| 75,000 mcg | 75 mg | 0.075 g |
| 100,000 mcg | 100 mg | 0.1 g |
| 150,000 mcg | 150 mg | 0.15 g |
| 250,000 mcg | 250 mg | 0.25 g |
| 500,000 mcg | 500 mg | 0.5 g |
| 750,000 mcg | 750 mg | 0.75 g |
| 1,000,000 mcg | 1,000 mg | 1 g |
How many mg are the daily values given in mcg?
| Nutrient | Reference Daily Intake | Milligrams |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 900 mcg | 0.9 mg |
| Vitamin D | 20 mcg | 0.02 mg |
| Vitamin K | 120 mcg | 0.12 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.4 mcg | 0.0024 mg |
| Folate (DFE) | 400 mcg | 0.4 mg |
| Biotin | 30 mcg | 0.03 mg |
| Iodine | 150 mcg | 0.15 mg |
| Selenium | 55 mcg | 0.055 mg |
| Chromium | 35 mcg | 0.035 mg |
| Molybdenum | 45 mcg | 0.045 mg |
Which number formats does this converter handle?
| What you type | What the converter shows | How we read it |
|---|---|---|
| 500.5 | 0.5005 mg | The decimal point from the numeric keypad, written the way English writes it |
| 500,5 | 0.5005 mg | A comma pasted from a market that writes decimals that way is read as a decimal point, so the result is the same |
| 1,500 | 1.5 mg | Three digits follow the comma, so we read it as a thousands separator: the field holds one thousand five hundred. A note under the field shows the other possible reading, 1.5. |
| 1 000 | 1 mg | A space between thousands, the way a spreadsheet pastes it, does not split the number in two |
| 3/4 | 0.00075 mg | We work the fraction out ourselves, so there is no need to turn it into a decimal first |
| 250½ | 0.2505 mg | The ½ character copied from a recipe or a label is added to the number in front of it |
| 500.5 µg | 0.5005 mg | A unit symbol pasted along with the number is no trouble: we take the number and leave the symbol out |
How do you convert micrograms to milligrams in a spreadsheet?
Excel gives the result with plain division or with the CONVERT function, where the microgram has the code “ug”.
Enter the micrograms in a cell
Use cell A1, for example. Put any further values from the label in the rows below it, in the same column.Divide the cell by 1,000
In the next cell, type=A1/1000. For 500 mcg the sheet shows 0.5. For 25 mcg it shows 0.025.Or use CONVERT with the ug code
The syntax isCONVERT(number,from_unit,to_unit), and the function writes the micro prefix as the letter “u”[5]. The conversion from cell A1 therefore reads=CONVERT(A1,"ug","mg").Type unit codes in lower case
Unit names and prefixes are case-sensitive in this function. Type “ug” and “mg” in lower case, even when the label says µg or mcg.
Convert other units to Milligrams
Convert Micrograms to other units
Sources
- Metric (SI) Prefixes — National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Microgram — Wikipedia
- ISMP List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations — Institute for Safe Medication Practices
- 21 CFR § 101.9 – Nutrition labeling of food — Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- CONVERT function — Microsoft
Every figure in the tables was computed from the unit definitions and checked arithmetically before publication. Historical values and the names of local units come from the sources listed above.
Content last reviewed: · written and checked by the Arteon team
Common questions about converting micrograms to milligrams
How many mg is 1,000 mcg?
One thousand micrograms is exactly 1 mg. The symbol µg names the same unit, so 1,000 µg is also 1 mg.
Is 500 mcg the same as 0.5 mg?
Yes. Five hundred micrograms is half of a thousand, which is half a milligram. Both forms describe the same mass.
How do I enter a value written as ug or µg?
Type just the number into the converter field, because ug, µg and mcg are all ways of writing the microgram. The mcg symbol is shown next to the field, and the result appears in milligrams.
How many micrograms are in a gram?
A gram is one million micrograms. It is made up of 1,000 mg, and each of those milligrams is 1,000 mcg. The grams to micrograms converter does both steps at once.
Can the converter field take a fraction?
Yes. You can type 2.5 mcg as a decimal and half a microgram as 1/2. The result in milligrams changes as you type.
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