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IV drip rate calculator

Find the drops per minute (gtt/min) for an IV that runs by gravity. Enter the volume, the time and the drop factor from the tubing package. The math is shown step by step.

For study only. Not for patient care or clinical decisions.

Use it to check your homework and exam practice. In practice, follow the order, your facility's policy and the tubing package.

mL
Time
hr
min
Drop factor (on the tubing package)
gtt/mL

Drip rate

31 gtt/min

31.25 before rounding · 125 mL/hr

15 gtt1 mL×1,000 mL8 hr×1 hr60 min=31.25 gtt/min

Round drops to a whole number: you can't count part of a drop.

The example (1,000 mL over 8 hours, 15 gtt/mL tubing) is filled in. Change any number to recalculate.

How to work it out by hand

gtt/min = total mL × drop factor ÷ total minutes
  1. Find the drop factor on the tubing package (gtt/mL).
  2. Change hours to minutes (1 hr = 60 min), or start from mL/hr and divide by 60.
  3. Multiply and divide, then round to a whole number at the end.

Shortcut: with microdrip tubing (60 gtt/mL), gtt/min is the same number as mL/hr.

Practice drip rate problems

Drip rate chart

Drops per minute for common rates, rounded to a whole drop.

Rate10 gtt/mL15 gtt/mL20 gtt/mL60 gtt/mL
25 mL/hr46825
50 mL/hr8131750
75 mL/hr13192575
100 mL/hr172533100
125 mL/hr213142125
150 mL/hr253850150
200 mL/hr335067200
250 mL/hr426383250

Drop factors and pumps

  • Macrodrip tubing gives 10, 12, 15 or 20 drops per mL. It is usually used for general IV fluids for adults.
  • Microdrip tubing gives 60 drops per mL. It is used to give small, exact amounts, often to children and infants.
  • Pumps are set in mL/hr, not drops. In the United States, most IV medicines run on a pump for safety; drip math is for when a pump isn't used.

Keep going

Dosage calculation practiceFree problems with step-by-step answers Dosage calculation lessonTablets, liquids, mg/kg and IV rates Free NCLEX-RN practice questionsWith a rationale for every answer

Sources

All accessed October 15, 2026.

  1. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e, 5.4 Equivalencies
  2. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e, 5.5 Rounding
  3. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e, 5.13 Intravenous Infusions
  4. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e, 5.14 IV Infusion by Gravity
  5. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e, 5.15 IV Infusion by Pump

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