Mounjaro UK conversion to mL and units
…and why pen strength (mg) changes how many units you draw

Heads-up: this is general information for UK readers. Always follow your own prescriber's advice.

Why this matters: In the UK, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) pens deliver a fixed 0.6 mL per injection. Syringes often show units rather than mL on a U-100 scale. The tables and examples below show how units ↔ mL ↔ mg relate for each UK pen strength, so you can understand the maths.

UK quick facts

  • Dose volume per injection: 0.6 mL for all strengths
  • Doses per pen: 4 per pen → total 2.4 mL per pen
  • Available strengths (per dose): 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg

The three quantities: units, mL, mg

  • mL is the volume of liquid.
  • mg is the amount of medicine in that liquid.
  • Units on a U-100 insulin syringe are just another way to show volume: 100 units = 1.00 mL.

A simple analogy:

Think of making squash in a measuring jug.

  • The jug volume is in mL.
  • The strength depends on how much concentrate you add. That's like mg per mL in a pen.
  • The tick marks on the jug help you pour precisely. A U-100 syringe is like a jug with 100 tiny ticks per mL.

So 1 unit = 0.01 mL.

Same mL can contain different mg depending on the pen's strength. That is why pen strength (mg) changes how many units you draw to reach the same mg.

Diagram explaining Mounjaro UK units ↔ mL ↔ mg using orange squash and a U-100 syringe.

What is a U-100 syringe?

A U-100 syringe shows volume in units where:

  • 100 units = 1.00 mL
  • 10 units = 0.10 mL
  • 60 units = 0.60 mL

This aligns neatly with UK Mounjaro's per-injection volume of 0.6 mL.

U-100 insulin syringe scale (100 units = 1 mL) for Mounjaro UK conversion to mL and units.

Worked examples

Example 1: 40 units from a 5 mg UK pen

If you draw 40 units, that is 0.40 mL. A UK 5 mg pen delivers 5 mg in 0.6 mL, so 0.40 mL corresponds to about 3.33 mg. In words: forty units from a 5 mg pen gives roughly three and a third milligrams.

Example 2: aiming for about 3 mg at different strengths

From a 5 mg pen, about 3 mg is 36 units. From a 10 mg pen, about 3 mg is 18 units. Same mg, fewer units from the stronger pen.

Example 3: reading back from units to mg

If you took 24 units from a 7.5 mg pen, that is 0.24 mL. Because the 7.5 mg pen is stronger per mL, 0.24 mL equals about 3 mg.

Master conversion table (UK)

How to read this: If you want about 3 mg from a 5 mg pen, look down the 5 mg pen column. You'll see 36 units ≈ 3.000 mg and 40 units ≈ 3.333 mg. For the same ~3 mg from a 10 mg pen, the 10 mg pen column shows 18 units = 3.000 mg.

This shows why pen strength matters: stronger pens need fewer units for the same mg.

U-100 syringe; rows are units (5 → 60). "mL" is the same for all pens. Each pen column shows what that volume contains in mg for that UK strength (0.6 mL per injection).

UnitsmL2.5 mg pen5 mg pen7.5 mg pen10 mg pen12.5 mg pen15 mg pen
50.050.2080.4170.6250.8331.0421.250
100.100.4170.8331.2501.6672.0832.500
150.150.6251.2501.8752.5003.1253.750
200.200.8331.6672.5003.3334.1675.000
250.251.0422.0833.1254.1675.2086.250
300.301.2502.5003.7505.0006.2507.500
350.351.4582.9174.3755.8337.2928.750
400.401.6673.3335.0006.6678.33310.000
450.451.8753.7505.6257.5009.37511.250
500.502.0834.1676.2508.33310.41712.500
550.552.2924.5836.8759.16711.45813.750
600.602.5005.0007.50010.00012.50015.000

Target dose look-up (by pen strength)

You can also read the maths this way: pick your target mg, then read across to find the units for each pen strength.

Using the same example: with a 5 mg pen and about 3 mg, the row shows 36 units. With a 10 mg pen for about 3 mg, the row shows 18 units.

Pen strength0.5 mg1.0 mg2.5 mg3.0 mg5.0 mg
2.5 mg12 u24 u60 u72 u*
5 mg6 u12 u30 u36 u60 u
7.5 mg4 u8 u20 u24 u40 u
10 mg3 u6 u15 u18 u30 u
12.5 mg2–3 u5 u12 u14–15 u24 u
15 mg2 u4 u10 u12 u20 u

*72 units exceeds 0.6 mL, which is more than one labelled UK dose volume.

Try the dose tracker free – log units, mL and mg with automatic UK conversions.

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Why "real-world use" can differ from the theoretical maths

The tables show pure arithmetic based on volume and strength. For example, a 5 mg pen contains about 20 mg in total, so you can calculate how many draws you'd get at a given mg.

In real-world use, the device and label rules limit that arithmetic:

  • The UK pen is designed for four weekly injections of 0.6 mL each.
  • Leftover liquid may remain after four doses to ensure accurate delivery, but you are instructed to discard the pen and not use any remainder.
  • There is an in-use time limit after first use (for example, discard after 30 days), which can cap how much is usable from a pen.

So even if the maths suggests "more is left", the instructions for use take priority.

References

Written by Anna Bromley, Healthcount Founder

Last reviewed: October 2025

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