Correlation of pleural fluid cholesterol levels with Light’s criteria to differentiate exudate from transudate pleural effusion was studied in 100 patients. Cholesterol levels showed a sensitivity of 79.55%, specificity of 91.07%, positive predictive value of 87.50%, and negative predictive value of 85.00% when compared to protein values. Compared to LDH, sensitivity was 86.36%, specificity 94.64%, positive predictive value 92.68%, and negative predictive value 89.83%. Routine measurement of pleural fluid cholesterol is a valuable diagnostic indicator. © 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.