Drops Per Minute (IV Drip Rate) Calculator

Your details

Choose the unknown you want to find. The remaining three fields become your inputs.
Total volume of fluid or medication to be infused, in millilitres.
mL
Total infusion duration in minutes. Convert hours to minutes by multiplying by 60 (e.g. 8 hours = 480 min).
min
The drop factor is printed on your IV administration set packaging. Macrodrip sets deliver 10-20 gtt/mL; microdrip sets deliver 60 gtt/mL.
Drip rateStandard infusion rate
31.3gtt/min

Drops per minute - set or count to this rate

Rounded drip rate31gtt/min
15-second count8drops in 15 s
Flow rate125mL/hr
31.3 gtt/min
Slow<20Standard20-60Fast60-120Very fast120+

Set your drip rate to 31 drops per minute.

  • Set the roller clamp so you count 8 drops in any 15-second window to confirm the rate at the bedside.
  • The equivalent flow rate is 125.0 mL/hr, which you can program directly into an infusion pump.
  • The exact rate is 31.25 gtt/min; in practice you round to 31 gtt/min because you cannot control a fraction of a drop.

Next stepAlways cross-check the calculated rate against the original medication order and your facility infusion policy before starting the infusion.

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