Calculate cell doubling time and growth rate from two cell counts.
Doubling time is only meaningful during exponential growth, so counts must be taken before the culture approaches confluence. Taking the base-two logarithm of the fold change converts it directly into a doubling count. Doubling time drifting upward across passages is an early indicator of senescence or contamination, which makes it worth tracking rather than measuring once.
Cell Doubling Time
Doubling time = elapsed time ÷ log₂(final ÷ initial)
Doubling time = elapsed time ÷ log₂(final ÷ initial) Doubling time is only meaningful during exponential growth, so counts must be taken before the culture approaches confluence. Taking the base-two logarithm of the fold change converts it directly into a doubling count.
Doubling time drifting upward across passages is an early indicator of senescence or contamination, which makes it worth tracking rather than measuring once.
This calculator takes 3 inputs: Initial cell count, Final cell count, Elapsed time. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.