Unit Converter

🔄 What is Unit Conversion?

Unit conversion is the process of transforming measurements from one unit system to another while preserving the actual quantity being measured. Whether you're working with the metric system, imperial units, or specialized scientific measurements, accurate conversion is essential for engineering calculations, international collaboration, and everyday practical applications.

This comprehensive tool provides instant, precise conversions across 10 major categories with over 60 different units. Perfect for engineers, scientists, students, and anyone who works with measurements in their daily life.

⚙️ How This Unit Converter Works

Our converter uses mathematically precise conversion factors to ensure accuracy across all unit systems. Simply select your category, choose your source unit, enter a value, and instantly see results in all available units for that category.

🔥 Key Features:

10 Conversion Categories: Length, Weight, Temperature, Pressure, Speed, Area, Volume, Data Size, Time, and Energy
Real-time Conversion: Instant results as you type with no calculation delays
Comprehensive Unit Support: Over 60 units covering metric, imperial, and scientific standards
High Precision: Uses accurate conversion factors from international standards
Smart Formatting: Automatic decimal precision based on value magnitude
Binary/Decimal Toggle: Choose between 1024 (binary) or 1000 (decimal) base for data sizes
Visual Highlighting: Source unit highlighted in results table for easy reference
Persistent Settings: Saves your preferences to browser storage

📊 Supported Unit Categories

📏 Length

Units: Millimeter (mm), Centimeter (cm), Meter (m), Kilometer (km), Inch, Foot (ft), Yard, Mile, Nautical Mile

Common Uses: Construction, engineering drawings, distance measurement, navigation, fabric measurement

Example: 1 mile = 1.609344 km = 5280 ft = 1760 yards

⚖️ Weight

Units: Milligram (mg), Gram (g), Kilogram (kg), Ton, Ounce (oz), Pound (lb), Stone

Common Uses: Cooking recipes, shipping calculations, scientific measurements, health and fitness, precious metals

Example: 1 lb = 0.453592 kg = 16 oz = 453.592 g

🌡️ Temperature

Units: Celsius (°C), Fahrenheit (°F), Kelvin (K)

Common Uses: Weather forecasting, cooking, HVAC systems, scientific research, industrial processes

Example: Water freezes at 0°C = 32°F = 273.15K

Note: Temperature conversions use formulas rather than simple multiplication due to offset scales

💨 Pressure

Units: Pascal (Pa), Kilopascal (kPa), Megapascal (MPa), Bar, PSI, Atmosphere (atm), Millimeter of Mercury (mmHg)

Common Uses: Tire pressure, hydraulic systems, weather forecasting, medical equipment, vacuum systems

Example: Standard atmospheric pressure = 101.325 kPa = 1 atm = 14.7 PSI = 760 mmHg

🚗 Speed

Units: Meter per Second (m/s), Kilometer per Hour (km/h), Mile per Hour (mph), Knot, Mach

Common Uses: Vehicle speed, wind speed, aviation, maritime navigation, physics calculations

Example: Highway speed: 100 km/h = 62.137 mph = 27.778 m/s = 54.0 knots

📐 Area

Units: Square Meter (m²), Square Kilometer (km²), Acre, Hectare

Common Uses: Real estate, land measurement, agriculture, construction, urban planning

Example: 1 acre = 4046.86 m² = 0.404686 hectares

🧪 Volume

Units: Milliliter (ml), Liter (L), Cubic Meter (m³), Gallon, Fluid Ounce (fl oz), Cup

Common Uses: Cooking, fuel capacity, chemical measurements, liquid storage, beverage serving

Example: 1 gallon (US) = 3.785 L = 128 fl oz = 16 cups

💾 Data Size

Units: Bit, Byte, Kilobyte (KB), Megabyte (MB), Gigabyte (GB), Terabyte (TB)

Common Uses: File sizes, storage capacity, bandwidth calculations, data transfer rates

Binary vs Decimal:

Binary (1024): Used by operating systems: 1 KB = 1024 Bytes, 1 MB = 1024 KB
Decimal (1000): Used by storage manufacturers: 1 KB = 1000 Bytes, 1 MB = 1000 KB

Example: 1 GB (binary) = 1,073,741,824 Bytes vs 1 GB (decimal) = 1,000,000,000 Bytes

⏱️ Time

Units: Millisecond (ms), Second (s), Minute, Hour, Day, Week, Month, Year

Common Uses: Programming timing, project planning, cooking, scientific measurements, scheduling

Example: 1 hour = 60 minutes = 3600 seconds = 3,600,000 milliseconds

Note: Month assumes 30 days, Year assumes 365 days (not accounting for leap years)

⚡ Energy

Units: Joule (J), Kilojoule (kJ), Calorie (cal), Kilocalorie (kcal), Watt-hour (Wh), Kilowatt-hour (kWh)

Common Uses: Food energy, electrical consumption, physics calculations, HVAC systems, exercise tracking

Example: 1 kWh = 3.6 MJ = 860.42 kcal (dietary calories)

💼 Real-World Applications

1. 🏗️ Engineering & Construction

Engineers frequently work with international standards and specifications that use different unit systems. Converting between metric and imperial units is essential for:

Reading international blueprints and technical drawings
Ordering materials from international suppliers
Ensuring compliance with building codes in different countries
Converting pressure ratings for hydraulic and pneumatic systems
Calculating structural loads across different measurement systems

Example: A pipe specification calls for 150 PSI pressure rating. Converting to Bar (10.34 bar) helps when ordering from European suppliers.

2. 🍳 Cooking & Baking

Recipe conversions are crucial when using international cookbooks or scaling recipes:

Converting between cups, milliliters, and fluid ounces for liquids
Adjusting oven temperatures between Celsius and Fahrenheit
Scaling ingredient weights from grams to ounces or pounds
Understanding metric vs US customary measurement systems

Example: British recipe calls for 180°C oven temperature = 356°F (round to 350°F for most US ovens)

3. 💻 Computing & Data Management

Understanding storage capacity and data transfer requires accurate conversions:

Calculating actual usable storage space (binary vs decimal difference)
Estimating file transfer times based on bandwidth
Understanding why a 1TB drive shows as 931GB in Windows (binary calculation)
Planning backup storage requirements

Example: Hard drive labeled 500GB (decimal) = 465.66 GiB (binary) actually available in your OS

4. 🚗 Automotive & Transportation

Vehicle specifications and performance metrics use various unit systems:

Converting fuel economy between MPG and L/100km
Understanding tire pressure in PSI vs Bar
Converting engine specifications across markets
Calculating travel times with different speed limits

Example: Tire pressure: 32 PSI = 2.21 Bar = 220.6 kPa

5. 🏥 Medical & Healthcare

Medical professionals need accurate conversions for patient care:

Converting patient weight between kg and lb for medication dosing
Blood pressure measurements in mmHg
Temperature readings across different thermometer types
Fluid volume calculations for IV administration

Example: Body temperature: Normal is 37°C = 98.6°F = 310.15K

6. 🌾 Agriculture & Land Management

Land measurement and agricultural planning require area conversions:

Converting between acres and hectares for international land deals
Calculating fertilizer application rates per unit area
Planning irrigation based on volume requirements
Understanding property boundaries in different systems

Example: Farm size: 100 acres = 40.47 hectares = 404,686 m²

📚 Technical Details & Accuracy

🎯 Conversion Methodology

Our converter uses a base-unit system for maximum accuracy:

Convert to Base Unit: Each category has a standard base unit (e.g., meter for length, kilogram for weight)
Store as Base: The value is temporarily stored in this standardized form
Convert to Target: The base value is converted to all target units using precise conversion factors

This methodology eliminates cumulative rounding errors that can occur with direct unit-to-unit conversions.

📏 Conversion Factor Standards

Our conversion factors are based on international standards:

Length: International foot (1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly) - adopted 1959
Weight: International avoirdupois pound (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg exactly)
Pressure: Standard atmosphere (1 atm = 101,325 Pa exactly)
Energy: Thermochemical calorie (1 cal = 4.184 J exactly)
Speed: Speed of sound at sea level, 15°C (Mach 1 ≈ 343 m/s)

⚠️ Important Notes

Temperature: Conversions involve formulas with offsets, not simple multiplication. 0°C ≠ 0°F
Data Size: Always specify binary (1024) vs decimal (1000) base. Storage manufacturers typically use decimal, operating systems use binary
Time: Month = 30 days, Year = 365 days (leap years not accounted for)
Volume: US gallon (3.785 L) differs from UK imperial gallon (4.546 L) - we use US gallon
Precision: Results are formatted based on magnitude for readability while maintaining accuracy

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do my file sizes show differently in Windows vs the manufacturer spec?

A: Storage manufacturers use decimal (1000-based) units, so a 1TB drive has 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. But Windows uses binary (1024-based) units, displaying this as 931.32 GB (GiB). Both are technically correct - just different standards. Use our Data Size converter with the Binary toggle to see both values.

Q: How accurate are the conversions?

A: We use internationally recognized conversion factors with full precision. The results are formatted for readability (showing fewer decimal places for large numbers) but the underlying calculations maintain high precision throughout. For most practical purposes, the displayed precision is more than sufficient.

Q: Why can't I convert between different categories (e.g., length to weight)?

A: Different measurement categories represent fundamentally different physical quantities. You cannot directly convert length to weight without additional information about density, material properties, or other context. Each category works independently.

Q: What's the difference between Mach and other speed units?

A: Mach number is the ratio of an object's speed to the speed of sound. The speed of sound varies with temperature and altitude, but we use the standard sea level value at 15°C (343 m/s or 1,235 km/h) for conversions. For precise aviation calculations, actual atmospheric conditions should be considered.

Q: Are my settings and inputs saved?

A: Your category selection, source unit, and binary/decimal preference are saved to browser local storage and restored when you return. Your input values are not saved for privacy. All conversions happen locally in your browser - no data is sent to any server.

Q: Can I use this offline?

A: Yes! Once the page loads, all conversions happen in your browser using WebAssembly. No internet connection is needed for performing conversions.

💡 Pro Tips

Scientific Notation: For very small or large numbers, the tool automatically switches to scientific notation (e.g., 1.23e-8)
Data Size Conversions: Toggle between binary and decimal to understand manufacturer specs vs actual OS display
Temperature Precision: Remember that temperature scales have different zero points - only Kelvin has absolute zero
Quick Reference: The source unit row is highlighted in bold in the results table for easy identification
Bulk Conversions: Select your source unit once and see all target units simultaneously - no need for multiple conversions
Mobile Friendly: The results table scrolls independently, making it easy to view many units on small screens

🔗 Related Tools

Number Base Converter - Convert numbers between binary, decimal, hexadecimal, and octal with precision
Quaternion / Euler Angle Converter - Convert between quaternions and Euler angles for 3D rotations and animations

Conversion Settings

Category:

From Unit:

Input Value (mm)

Conversion Results

Unit	Value
mm
cm	-
m	-
km	-
inch	-
ft	-
yard	-
mile	-
nautical mile	-