Units: mmol/L vs mg/dL¶
Strimma supports both glucose units used worldwide.
The Two Units¶
| Unit | Used in | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| mmol/L (millimoles per litre) | Europe, Australia, Canada, most of Asia | 5.5 |
| mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre) | USA, Germany, Austria, Japan, some other countries | 99 |
They measure the same thing — glucose concentration in blood — just with different scales.
Conversion¶
mg/dL = mmol/L × 18.0182
mmol/L = mg/dL ÷ 18.0182
Strimma uses the factor 18.0182 for all conversions. This is the standard molecular weight conversion factor for glucose.
Quick Reference¶
| mmol/L | mg/dL | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | 36 | Severe hypoglycemia |
| 3.0 | 54 | Urgent low (international threshold) |
| 3.9 | 70 | Low (clinical threshold) |
| 4.0 | 72 | Strimma default low |
| 5.5 | 99 | Normal fasting |
| 7.0 | 126 | Typical post-meal target |
| 10.0 | 180 | Strimma default high |
| 13.0 | 234 | Urgent high |
| 22.2 | 400 | Very high |
How Strimma Handles Units¶
Internal Storage¶
All glucose values are stored internally as mg/dL integers. This matches the Nightscout protocol and is the standard in the CGM industry (SGV = Sensor Glucose Value in mg/dL).
Display Conversion¶
When you select mmol/L in settings, Strimma converts at display time:
- mmol/L: 1 decimal place (e.g., "5.5")
- mg/dL: integer (e.g., "99")
Threshold Storage¶
All threshold settings (low, high, alert thresholds) are also stored in mg/dL internally. When you change units in settings, the displayed threshold values update automatically.
Settings Migration¶
If you started with mmol/L thresholds (older versions), Strimma automatically migrates them to mg/dL storage on first launch. This is a one-time migration.
Changing Units¶
- Go to Settings > Display
- Tap mmol/L or mg/dL
The change takes effect immediately across the entire app — main screen, graph axes, notification, widget, statistics, and all threshold displays.
Note
Changing units does not affect your data or thresholds. It only changes how values are displayed. A reading of 100 mg/dL is always 5.6 mmol/L, regardless of the display setting.