Enter the average cells per square, the dilution factor, and the volume of the square to determine the cell density.

Cell Density Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the density of a cell in a hemocytometer. 

CD = ACSQ * DF / VC
  • Where CD is the cell density per mL
  • ACSQ is the average number of cells per square
  • DF is the dilution factor (this is 1 if the sample has not been diluted at all)
  • VC is the volume of 1 cell (mL)

To calculate a cell density, multiply the average number of cells per square by the dilution factor, then divide by the volume of the cell.

Cell Density Definition

What is cell density?

Cell density is a unit of measure that describes the total number of cells, often only viable living cells, per unit volume.

What is the cell density of human tissue?

Human tissues average between, 1 billion and 3 billion viable living cells per milliliter of tissue.

How to calculate cell density?

The following example outlines how to calculate the cell density of a sample.

First, determine the average number of cells per square under the microscope. This is usually the average of at least 4 or more square. In this example, the average number of cells is 500.

Next, determine the total volume of each square sample. For this example, the cell volume is measured to be .05 mL.

Next, determine the dilution factor. In his problem, there was no dilution the factor is 1.

Finally, calculate the cell density using the formula above:

CD = ACSQ * DF / VC

CD = 50,000 * 1 / .05

CD = 1,000,000 cells / mL.