How to read an insulin syringe
Insulin syringes are marked in units, which are a measure of volume. What one unit holds depends on the syringe type and how concentrated your vial is.
Steps
- Check the syringe type. Look for U-100, U-50 or U-40 on the packet or barrel. On U-100, 100 units is 1 mL.
- Find the size. U-100 syringes come in 1 mL (100 units), 0.5 mL (50 units) and 0.3 mL (30 units).
- Read the tick spacing. On 0.3 and 0.5 mL syringes each small line is usually 1 unit. On 1 mL syringes each small line is usually 2 units.
- Read from the plunger edge. Line up the top edge of the black rubber plunger, the flat edge nearest the needle, with the mark.
- Remove air bubbles. Tap the barrel so bubbles rise, then push them out before reading the final mark.
Units are not milligrams
Ten units is always 0.1 mL on a U-100 syringe, but how many micrograms that holds depends on how much water you added. Use the calculator to convert.