Length Converter

About Length

Length is a measure of distance between two points. It is used in almost all walks of life, from construction and manufacturing to astronomy and everyday life.

• Meter (m) – The SI standard base unit of length.
• Kilometer, centimeter, millimeter – Metric multiples and submultiples of the meter.
• Mile, yard, foot, inch – Units of the Imperial and US customary system.
• Nautical mile, fathom – Used in naval and air navigation environments.
• Link, rod, chain – Assistant surveying units.
• Astronomical unit (AU), light year, parsec – Cosmological units to describe huge space distances.

Length Units – Interpreting Distance Measurements

Units of length are used in the measurement of physical distance between locations. They are used in engineering, physics, navigation, and astronomy. The unit of length may vary depending on the system used and the magnitude of the distance to be measured. Conversion between various length units and understanding these units are basic to accuracy and reproducibility in many applications.

Common Length Units

• Meter (m) – The SI unit of measure for length, the meter serves as a standard measurement for distance in most scientific, engineering, and everyday applications. It is often used to measure lengths, heights, and distances in many industries.
• Kilometer (km) – One kilometer is equivalent to 1,000 meters. It is often used for longer distances, such as road lengths and geographic distances.
• Centimeter (cm) – A centimeter is a hundredth of a meter (0.01 m). It is often utilized to measure shorter distances, such as objects' dimensions in everyday life.
• Millimeter (mm) – A millimeter is a thousandth of a meter (0.001 m). Millimeters are often utilized in engineering and manufacturing to measure smaller dimensions precisely.
• Micrometer (µm) – A micrometer is a millionth of a meter (10⁻⁶ m). This unit of measurement is commonly used in the life and materials sciences to measure microscopic objects and small dimensions.
• Nanometer (nm) – A nanometer is a billionth of a meter (10⁻⁹ m). This measurement is used to measure extremely small lengths, e.g., wavelength of light or molecular sizes.
• Mile (mi) – One mile is equal to 1,609.34 meters. The mile is largely used in the United States and the United Kingdom to measure larger distances, such as road distance or geographical areas.
• Yard (yd) – One yard is equal to 0.9144 meters. Yards are commonly used in the United States and the United Kingdom, particularly in buildings, sports, and measurement of land.
• Foot (ft) – A foot is 0.3048 meters. Foot is routinely used for measuring height, depth, and lengths, especially in the United States.
• Inch (in) – An inch is a twelfth of a foot, or 0.0254 meters. Inches are extensively used in most fields, especially in the United States, for measuring small objects, for example, dimensions of devices and materials.
• Thou (mil) – One thou, or mil, is a thousandth of an inch (0.0254 mm). It's applied mostly in production and material science to quantify the thickness of small components or coatings.
• Nautical Mile (NM) – A nautical mile is a nautical unit that equals 1,852 meters. It's applied mostly for sea or air travel distances.
• Fathom (ftm) – One fathom has a measurement of 1.8288 meters. It is largely used in measuring depth, particularly for sea and underwater applications.
• Link (li) – One link is a land surveying unit measuring 0.201168 meters. It belongs to the imperial system and is used in land surveying.
• Rod (rd) – A rod is a unit of measurement utilized in land surveying and equals 5.0292 meters. It is utilized intensely in surveying and measuring big plots of land.
• Chain (ch) – A chain is 20.1168 meters in length. It is used in land surveying and was used conventionally to measure long distances in agriculture and construction.
• Astronomical Unit (AU) – An astronomical unit is the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, approximately 149.6 million kilometers. It is used primarily in astronomy to quantify huge distances in space.
• Light Year (ly) – A light year is the distance light travels in one year, approximately 9.461 trillion kilometers. It is an astronomical unit of measure for extremely huge distances in space.
• Parsec (pc) – A parsec is roughly equal to 3.26 light years or 3.086 × 10¹³ kilometers. It is used extensively in astronomy for the measurement of the distance from galaxies and stars.

Why Length Units Matter

It is essential to know how to change length units in order to take correct measurements in most fields, from the construction of buildings to space exploration. From changing meters to kilometers, miles to yards, to calculating the distance in parsecs, the right measurement unit and how to convert it is essential to arrive at a correct calculation.

Length Conversion