{"id":55850,"date":"2015-10-24T16:03:31","date_gmt":"2015-10-24T14:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wpcalc.com\/?p=55850"},"modified":"2026-09-28T09:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T06:30:14","slug":"metric-prefix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/converters\/metric-prefix\/","title":{"rendered":"Metric Prefix Converter"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"not-prose calculator-box\" aria-labelledby=\"calculator-title\"><div class=\"flex items-baseline sm:items-center justify-between gap-2 sm:gap-3\"><div class=\"flex flex-col sm:flex-row sm:items-center gap-2\"><span class=\"icon icon-calculator text-primary-700! text-base! dark:text-primary-300!\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><h2 id=\"calculator-title\" class=\"text-lg font-display font-bold\">Metric Unit Scale Converter<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"calcdash-favorite group\">\n  <button type=\"button\" class=\"favorite\" id=\"favorite\" data-favorite-id=\"55850\" data-favorite-title=\"Metric Prefix\" data-favorite-url=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/converters\/metric-prefix\/\" data-favorite-excerpt=\"Convert a value between metric prefixes, from nano to tera. Enter the value, then choose its current prefix and the prefix you want to convert to.\" aria-label=\"Add to Favorites\" data-favorite-icon=\"icon icon-other\">\n    <span class=\"icon icon-shape-star-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>\n  <\/button>\n  <div class=\"calcdash-favorite__tip\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n   <span class=\"favorite-tooltip\" id=\"favorite-tooltip\"><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n  <span class=\"sr-only\" role=\"status\" id=\"favorite-status\"><\/span>\n<\/div><\/div><form action=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/converters\/metric-prefix\/\" method=\"POST\" class=\"calculator\" id=\"calculator-55850\" data-post=\"55850\"><fieldset class=\"fieldset-input\"><legend class=\"sr-only\">Input Fields<\/legend><div class=\"field is-single has-term\" id=\"input-1\"><label for=\"field-1\">Value<\/label><div class=\"term\">V<\/div>  <div class=\"absolute bottom-0 left-16 top-8 w-2 h-0.5 bg-blue-500\"><\/div><input type=\"text\" name=\"value\" id=\"field-1\" aria-describedby=\"calc-info-1\" data-number inputmode=\"decimal\" autocomplete=\"off\" spellcheck=\"false\" min=\"0\" value=\"1\"\/><small id=\"calc-info-1\">Enter the value you want to convert<\/small><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-2\"><label for=\"field-2\">From prefix<\/label><div class=\"grid grid-cols-1\"><select id=\"field-2\" name=\"from_prefix\"><option value=\"n\">Nano (n)<\/option><option value=\"\u03bc\">Micro (\u03bc)<\/option><option value=\"m\">Milli (m)<\/option><option value=\"c\">Centi (c)<\/option><option value=\"d\">Deci (d)<\/option><option value=\"\">Base Unit<\/option><option value=\"da\">Deca (da)<\/option><option value=\"h\">Hecto (h)<\/option><option value=\"k\">Kilo (k)<\/option><option value=\"M\">Mega (M)<\/option><option value=\"G\">Giga (G)<\/option><option value=\"T\">Tera (T)<\/option><\/select><svg class=\"pointer-events-none col-start-1 row-start-1 mr-2 size-5 self-center justify-self-end text-gray-500 sm:size-4\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\">\n              <path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M4.22 6.22a.75.75 0 0 1 1.06 0L8 8.94l2.72-2.72a.75.75 0 1 1 1.06 1.06l-3.25 3.25a.75.75 0 0 1-1.06 0L4.22 7.28a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.06Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" \/>\n            <\/svg><\/div><\/div><div class=\"field\" id=\"input-3\"><label for=\"field-3\">To prefix<\/label><div class=\"grid grid-cols-1\"><select id=\"field-3\" name=\"to_prefix\"><option value=\"n\">Nano (n)<\/option><option value=\"\u03bc\">Micro (\u03bc)<\/option><option value=\"m\">Milli (m)<\/option><option value=\"c\">Centi (c)<\/option><option value=\"d\">Deci (d)<\/option><option value=\"\">Base Unit<\/option><option value=\"da\">Deca (da)<\/option><option value=\"h\">Hecto (h)<\/option><option value=\"k\">Kilo (k)<\/option><option value=\"M\">Mega (M)<\/option><option value=\"G\">Giga (G)<\/option><option value=\"T\">Tera (T)<\/option><\/select><svg class=\"pointer-events-none col-start-1 row-start-1 mr-2 size-5 self-center justify-self-end text-gray-500 sm:size-4\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\">\n              <path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M4.22 6.22a.75.75 0 0 1 1.06 0L8 8.94l2.72-2.72a.75.75 0 1 1 1.06 1.06l-3.25 3.25a.75.75 0 0 1-1.06 0L4.22 7.28a.75.75 0 0 1 0-1.06Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" \/>\n            <\/svg><\/div><\/div><\/fieldset><div class=\"buttons\"><button type=\"submit\" data-text=\"Re-Calculate\" id=\"calculate-button\" data-post=\"55850\">Calculate<\/button><button type=\"reset\">Reset<\/button><\/div><div class=\"field is-checkbox hidden!\" id=\"field-auto-calc\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"auto-calc\"><label for=\"auto-calc\">Calculate automatically<\/label><small>If enabled, the result will update automatically when you change any value.<\/small><\/div><div class=\"fieldset-result is-hidden\" aria-labelledby=\"result-title\" aria-live=\"polite\" role=\"region\"> <h3 class=\"result-title bg-gradient-to-r from-primary-50 to-gray-50 dark:from-primary-900 dark:to-gray-800\" id=\"result-title\"><span class=\"icon icon-s-pulse\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span> Your Results<\/h3><div class=\"result-box\"><div class=\"field-result\" id=\"output-1\"><span class=\"field-title\"><span>Converted Value<\/span><span class=\"result-term\">result<\/span><\/span><span class=\"field-value\" id=\"result-1\"><\/span><button type=\"button\" class=\"copy-result\" data-tooltip=\"Copy Result\" aria-label=\"Copy Result\"><span class=\"copy-icon icon icon-document-copy\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/button><\/div><\/div><div class=\"result-actions\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"copy-link\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M12.232 4.232a2.5 2.5 0 0 1 3.536 3.536l-1.225 1.224a.75.75 0 0 0 1.061 1.06l1.224-1.224a4 4 0 0 0-5.656-5.656l-3 3a4 4 0 0 0 .225 5.865.75.75 0 0 0 .977-1.138 2.5 2.5 0 0 1-.142-3.667l3-3Z\"\/><path d=\"M11.603 7.963a.75.75 0 0 0-.977 1.138 2.5 2.5 0 0 1 .142 3.667l-3 3a2.5 2.5 0 0 1-3.536-3.536l1.225-1.224a.75.75 0 0 0-1.061-1.06l-1.224 1.224a4 4 0 1 0 5.656 5.656l3-3a4 4 0 0 0-.225-5.865Z\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"copy-link__text\">Copy link to this calculation<\/span><\/button><span class=\"sr-only\" role=\"status\" id=\"copy-link-status\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><a href=\"#respond\" class=\"hidden transition-opacity duration-300 opacity-0 w-50 text-sm justify-center items-center gap-2 px-4 py-2 rounded bg-gray-200 text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-300\" id=\"leave-comment\"><span class=\"icon icon-comments\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span>Leave a Comment<\/a><\/form><\/section><section id=\"calc-reactions\" class=\"not-prose hidden my-12 bg-gradient-to-r from-primary-50 to-gray-50 border border-indigo-100 rounded-xl px-6 py-4 shadow-sm\" data-post=\"55850\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-labelledby=\"calc-reactions-title\"><p id=\"calc-reactions-title\" class=\"text-sm text-gray-500 text-center mb-2\">How did this result make you feel?<\/p><div role=\"group\" aria-labelledby=\"calc-reactions-title\" class=\"grid grid-cols-3 sm:flex sm:flex-row sm:justify-around gap-4 sm:items-center sm:flex-wrap\"><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"like\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"like\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\ude00 <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Like <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"helpful\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"helpful\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\udca1 <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Helpful <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"confused\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"confused\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\ude15 <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Confused <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"disappointed\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"disappointed\">0<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\ud83d\ude1e <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Disappointed <\/span><\/button><button type=\"button\" aria-pressed=\"false\" class=\"reaction-btn flex flex-col items-center gap-1 text-sm text-gray-700 hover:text-primary-600 cursor-pointer transition-transform hover:scale-105\" data-reaction=\"inaccurate\"><span class=\"reaction-count\" data-reaction-count=\"inaccurate\">1<\/span><span class=\"reaction text-3xl\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u274c <\/span><span class=\"reaction-description font-medium\">Inaccurate <\/span><\/button><\/div><div id=\"reaction-message\" class=\"hidden mt-8 rounded-md border border-primary-100 bg-white\/50 backdrop-blur-sm px-4 py-2 text-sm text-center shadow-sm\"><\/div><\/section><div class=\"calcdash-ad not-prose calcdash-ad--calc_result calcdash-ad--in-article\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1721569815777345\" data-ad-slot=\"6317458308\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div>\n<style id=\"wpcoderpro-inline-1\">.formula-box {\r\n\tborder-bottom: none !important;\r\n}<\/style><section class=\"formula-box\" aria-labelledby=\"formula-title\">\r\n\t<div id=\"formula-title\" class=\"not-prose font-display mb-4\"><span class=\"icon icon-formula\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><h2>Metric Prefix Formula<\/h2><\/div>\r\n\t<figure class=\"not-prose formula\">\r\n\t\t<figcaption class=\"formula-title\">Formula<\/figcaption>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"text-base text-gray-800\" id=\"formula\">\n\\[V_{\\mathrm{to}}=V_{\\mathrm{from}}\\times\\frac{10^{e_{\\mathrm{from}}}}{10^{e_{\\mathrm{to}}}}=V_{\\mathrm{from}}\\times 10^{e_{\\mathrm{from}}-e_{\\mathrm{to}}}\\]\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/figure>\r\n\t<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\\(V_{\\mathrm{from}}\\) \u2014 the value entered in the starting prefix.<\/li>\n<li>\\(V_{\\mathrm{to}}\\) \u2014 the converted value in the target prefix.<\/li>\n<li>\\(e_{\\mathrm{from}}\\) and \\(e_{\\mathrm{to}}\\) \u2014 the powers of ten represented by the starting and target prefixes; the unprefixed base unit has exponent zero.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Each prefix scales the same underlying unit by a power of ten. The formula converts the entered value to the unprefixed unit, then expresses it using the target prefix.<\/p>\n<p>\r\n<\/section>\n<style id=\"wpcoderpro-inline-459\">.calculation-box {\r\n\tborder-bottom: none !important;\r\n}<\/style><section id=\"calculation\" class=\"calculation-box\" aria-labelledby=\"calculation-title\">\r\n\t<div id=\"calculation-title\" class=\"not-prose font-display\"><span class=\"icon icon-unordered-list\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><h2>Metric Prefix \u2013 Calculation Example<\/h2><\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Example:<\/strong> with the default settings, convert 1 base unit to kilo-units. The base unit has exponent 0, and kilo has exponent 3.<\/p>\n<p>\\[1\\times\\frac{10^0}{10^3}=0.001\\]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result:<\/strong> 1 base unit equals 0.001 kilo-units. For example, 1 meter equals 0.001 kilometers.<\/p>\n<p>\n\r\n<\/section>\n<h2>How to use the calculator<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Enter a nonnegative number in <strong>Value<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Choose its current scale under <strong>From prefix<\/strong>. Select <strong>Base Unit<\/strong> if the unit has no prefix.<\/li>\n<li>Choose the desired scale under <strong>To prefix<\/strong>. The <strong>Converted Value<\/strong> shows how many units with that prefix equal the amount you entered.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Keep the underlying unit the same in both selections. For example, choose milli and kilo to convert millimeters to kilometers, or milliwatts to kilowatts. The calculator does not ask which unit you are using because the prefix calculation is identical in both cases.<\/p>\n<h2>What metric prefixes mean<\/h2>\n<p>A metric prefix changes the size of a unit by a stated power of ten. Kilo means 1,000 times the unprefixed unit, while milli means one-thousandth of it. Thus, 1 kilometer is 1,000 meters, and 1 millimeter is 0.001 meters. Moving between prefixes changes the number used to describe an amount, not the amount itself.<\/p>\n<p>The direction of conversion matters. If the target unit is larger, fewer of those units are needed, so the converted number becomes smaller. If the target unit is smaller, the converted number becomes larger. For instance, 2.5 kilograms equals 2,500 grams; going the other way, 2,500 grams equals 2.5 kilograms.<\/p>\n<p>The calculator supports the prefixes in the table below. Prefix symbols are case-sensitive: lowercase <strong>m<\/strong> means milli, while uppercase <strong>M<\/strong> means mega. The symbol for micro is <strong>\u03bc<\/strong>, and deca uses two letters, <strong>da<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Supported metric prefixes<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Prefix<\/th>\n<th>Symbol<\/th>\n<th>Multiplier<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Nano<\/td>\n<td>n<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^{-9}\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Micro<\/td>\n<td>\u03bc<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^{-6}\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Milli<\/td>\n<td>m<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^{-3}\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Centi<\/td>\n<td>c<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^{-2}\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Deci<\/td>\n<td>d<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^{-1}\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Base Unit<\/td>\n<td>\u2014<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^0\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Deca<\/td>\n<td>da<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^1\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hecto<\/td>\n<td>h<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^2\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kilo<\/td>\n<td>k<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^3\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mega<\/td>\n<td>M<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^6\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Giga<\/td>\n<td>G<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^9\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tera<\/td>\n<td>T<\/td>\n<td>\\(10^{12}\\)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Assumptions and practical limits<\/h2>\n<p>This is a prefix converter, not a general unit converter. It can convert centimeters to kilometers because both are lengths measured in meters. It cannot convert meters to feet, or watts to joules. For a conversion between different length units, use the <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/converters\/meters-to-feet\/\">Meters to Feet calculator<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The listed multipliers apply directly when the prefix is attached to a unit of the quantity being converted, such as meters, grams, or hertz. Squared and cubed units need additional care: 1 square kilometer is \\((1{,}000\\text{ meters})^2\\), or 1,000,000 square meters\u2014not 1,000 square meters. If you are converting area or volume, account for the exponent on the entire unit.<\/p>\n<p>The displayed result is rounded to six decimal places. A very small nonzero result may therefore appear as zero; convert in the opposite direction or calculate from the formula when more precision is needed. The available range runs from nano through tera, so prefixes outside that range are not selectable.<\/p>\n<p>Metric prefixes represent powers of ten. Digital storage can also use binary-based units, which follow different multipliers; use the <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/converters\/byte\/\">Digital Storage converter<\/a> when those distinctions matter. For conversions between units of frequency rather than just their prefixes, see the <a href=\"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/converters\/frequency\/\">Frequency converter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Convert a value between metric prefixes, from nano to tera. Enter the value, then choose its current prefix and the prefix you want to convert to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-55850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-converters","tag-other-units"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55850"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65296,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55850\/revisions\/65296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcalc.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}