MELD Score Calculator (MELD 3.0 and PELD)
The scores used for U.S. liver transplant priority. Your numbers stay on this page.
Calculate your MELD 3.0 or PELD score
Use the MELD tab for patients 12 and older and the PELD tab for children under 12. Enter values from your most recent blood test in U.S. units (see the conversion table below if your lab uses µmol/L or g/L).
Privacy: the calculation runs in your browser. Your lab values are not sent to us, saved, or shared with analytics tools. Educational tool, not medical advice.
What your MELD score means
MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) estimates the risk of dying within three months without a transplant. It runs from 6 to 40, and a higher score means higher priority on the liver transplant waiting list.
| Score | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| 6–14 | Lower short-term risk. A low score does not mean low risk overall: see what MELD does not count. |
| 15–24 | The range where practice guidance recommends a transplant evaluation if one has not happened. Read who qualifies for a liver transplant. |
| 25–29 | High priority. In some regions patients are transplanted in this range; in others they wait longer. |
| 30–40 | The sickest patients on the list. |
The same score can mean weeks at one center and years at another. After you calculate, use Compare transplant centers with this score to open the adult or pediatric comparison tool with your score filled in, or read median MELD at transplant to see where patients at your score are transplanted.
The MELD 3.0 formula
U.S. liver allocation has used MELD 3.0 since July 2023. For patients 18 and older at listing:
MELD 3.0 = 1.33 × (female) + 4.56 × ln(bilirubin) + 0.82 × (137 − Na) − 0.24 × (137 − Na) × ln(bilirubin) + 9.09 × ln(INR) + 11.14 × ln(creatinine) + 1.85 × (3.5 − albumin) − 1.83 × (3.5 − albumin) × ln(creatinine) + 6
For patients listed before age 18 who are now 12 or older, the sex term is dropped and the constant is 7.33 instead of 6.
Limits applied before calculating
- Bilirubin, INR and creatinine below 1.0 are set to 1.0.
- Creatinine above 3.0 is set to 3.0, and it is set to 3.0 for anyone who had dialysis at least twice in the past 7 days (or 24 hours of continuous dialysis).
- Sodium is held between 125 and 137 mEq/L; albumin between 1.5 and 3.5 g/dL.
- The result is rounded to the nearest whole number and held between 6 and 40.
Example: bilirubin 2.5, creatinine 1.4, INR 1.8, sodium 130, albumin 2.8, female: MELD 3.0 = 26.
Converting lab units
| Lab | If your report shows | Enter in the calculator |
|---|---|---|
| Bilirubin | µmol/L | µmol/L ÷ 17.1 = mg/dL |
| Creatinine | µmol/L | µmol/L ÷ 88.4 = mg/dL |
| Albumin | g/L | g/L ÷ 10 = g/dL |
| Sodium | mmol/L | Same number (mmol/L = mEq/L) |
| INR | ratio | No conversion |
MELD, MELD-Na, MELD 3.0 and PELD
- MELD (2002): bilirubin, INR and creatinine. Replaced a system that leaned on time spent waiting.
- MELD-Na (2016): added sodium. Looking for a MELD-Na calculator? MELD-Na is no longer used for U.S. allocation; MELD 3.0 includes sodium and adds albumin and sex.
- MELD 3.0 (July 2023): the current score for patients 12 and older. The study behind it found it predicts 90-day survival better than MELD-Na and reduces a disadvantage women faced.
- PELD (updated July 2023): the score for children under 12, using bilirubin, INR, albumin, creatinine, age and growth.
More in our MELD score guide. If your score has reached the transplant range, compare liver transplant centers and consider dual listing.
How this calculator was built and checked
- Formulas: MELD 3.0 and the updated PELD, as adopted by the OPTN for U.S. liver allocation in July 2023, including the separate MELD 3.0 equation for patients listed before age 18 who are now 12 or older. Equation and limits are published in Kim et al., Gastroenterology 2021, and OPTN Policy 9.
- Checked against a published example: bilirubin 2.5, creatinine 1.4, INR 1.8, sodium 130, albumin 2.8, female gives an unrounded 25.664 and a MELD 3.0 of 26, matching the published value.
- One calculator, everywhere: this page and the calculator in our adult and pediatric center comparison tools run the same code, tested automatically on every change with fixed test cases for adults, the 12–17 equation, the under-12 hand-off to PELD, and PELD.
- Medical review: reviewed by the National Friends Medical Advisory Board, James F. Trotter, MD, and Joseph S. Redman, MD, PhD, both transplant hepatologists who use MELD in listing decisions.
- Kept current: when the OPTN changes the MELD or PELD formula, we update the calculator and this page and record the new review date.
- Who we are: Friends of the National Liver Waiting List is a 501(c)(3) patient advocacy charity founded by a liver transplant recipient. We do not sell anything on this page and have no financial ties to any transplant center.
Educational tool for patients and caregivers. It does not determine eligibility, exception points, or organ offers, and it is not medical advice. Your transplant team calculates your official score.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my MELD score?
Enter your bilirubin, INR, creatinine, sodium and albumin, your sex, your date of birth and the date you were listed, and whether you had dialysis twice in the past week. The calculator applies the MELD 3.0 formula used by the OPTN since July 2023. The full equation is shown on this page.
What is the MELD 3.0 formula?
MELD 3.0 = 1.33 (if female) + 4.56 × ln(bilirubin) + 0.82 × (137 − sodium) − 0.24 × (137 − sodium) × ln(bilirubin) + 9.09 × ln(INR) + 11.14 × ln(creatinine) + 1.85 × (3.5 − albumin) − 1.83 × (3.5 − albumin) × ln(creatinine) + 6, rounded to a whole number between 6 and 40.
Is there still a MELD-Na calculator?
MELD-Na was replaced by MELD 3.0 for U.S. liver allocation in July 2023, so this calculator uses MELD 3.0. MELD 3.0 includes sodium, as MELD-Na did, and adds albumin and sex.
What is the PELD score?
PELD (Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease) is the score used for children under 12. It uses bilirubin, INR, albumin, creatinine, age and a growth z-score. Use the PELD tab of the calculator.
My labs are in µmol/L or g/L. How do I convert them?
Divide bilirubin in µmol/L by 17.1 and creatinine in µmol/L by 88.4 to get mg/dL. Divide albumin in g/L by 10 to get g/dL. Sodium in mmol/L is the same number in mEq/L.
Is my calculated score the same as my official MELD?
Not necessarily. Your official score is calculated by your transplant center from labs reported to the OPTN on a schedule. Use this calculator to understand your number, not to replace your center's score.
What MELD score do you need for a liver transplant?
There is no single cutoff. It depends on the center and the donor livers nearby. See median MELD at transplant.
Do you store the lab values I enter?
No. The calculation runs in your browser. Your values are not sent to our servers, put in the page address, or passed to analytics tools.
Sources
- Kim WR et al. MELD 3.0: The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Updated for the Modern Era. Gastroenterology 2021
- OPTN Policies: Policy 9, Allocation of Livers and Liver-Intestines (MELD 3.0)
- OPTN: Updated PELD (PELD-Cr) and MELD 3.0 implementation, July 2023 (HRSA liver and intestine resources)
- Martin P et al. Evaluation for liver transplantation in adults: 2013 practice guideline by AASLD and AST. Hepatology 2014
About this content
Medically reviewed by James F. Trotter, MD and Joseph S. Redman, MD, PhD of the National Friends Medical Advisory Board on . Reviewers check clinical statements against the cited sources; data tables come from the public SRTR program-specific reports and OPTN policy.
Published by Friends of the National Liver Waiting List, a 501(c)(3) patient advocacy charity. Updated . Not medical advice: talk with your hepatologist or transplant team about your own care.