Metric Converter — Length, Mass & Volume
Convert between all metric (SI) units for length — nanometers to megameters — mass — micrograms to kilotonnes — and volume — microliters to megaliters. All conversions are exact powers of ten.
Measurement type
From unit
To unit
1 m = 0.001 km
- 1
Convert to base unit (m)
1 m × 1 = 1 - 2
Convert to Kilometers
1 ÷ 1,000 = 0.001000
How does this calculator work?
All metric conversions are exact powers of ten through the base unit (meter, kilogram, liter). Select the measurement type, choose from- and to-units, and get the full conversion table instantly. For example, 1 kg = 1000 g = 0.001 t; 1 L = 1000 mL = 0.001 kL.
Formula
How this is calculated
The metric system (formally the International System of Units, SI) is built on a small set of base units plus standardized decimal prefixes. For length the base unit is the meter; for mass it is the kilogram; for volume the liter (not an SI base unit but an accepted metric unit equal to one cubic decimeter). Each prefix multiplies or divides the base by a power of ten: kilo = ×10³, hecto = ×10², deca = ×10¹, deci = ×10⁻¹, centi = ×10⁻², milli = ×10⁻³, micro = ×10⁻⁶, nano = ×10⁻⁹.
All conversions pass through the base unit in two steps: (1) multiply the input by the source unit's base factor to get the value in meters/kilograms/liters; (2) divide by the target unit's base factor. Because the factors are exact powers of ten, conversions within the metric system are free of rounding drift — results are exact ratios.
This converter covers practical ranges: lengths from nanometers (used in semiconductor engineering) to megameters (roughly planetary scales), masses from micrograms (pharmacology) to kilotonnes (industrial), and volumes from microliters (laboratory pipetting) to megaliters (reservoir capacity). Select the measurement type, the source unit and target unit, and the entire table of conversions updates instantly.
Frequently asked questions
Each metric prefix is a power of ten applied to the base unit. For example, kilo = 10³, so 1 km = 1000 m. Milli = 10⁻³, so 1 mm = 0.001 m. The full ladder: nano (10⁻⁹), micro (10⁻⁶), milli (10⁻³), centi (10⁻²), deci (10⁻¹), base, deca (10¹), hecto (10²), kilo (10³), mega (10⁶).
When SI was formalised, the kilogram was already the established unit in science and trade, so it was chosen as the base even though the name contains a prefix. Since 2019 the kilogram is defined by fixing Planck's constant h = 6.62607015 × 10⁻³⁴ J·s, not by a physical artifact.
The liter is not an SI base unit but is accepted for use with SI. 1 L = exactly 1 dm³ = 0.001 m³. Because the cubic meter is very large for everyday use, liters and milliliters are standard for volume in science, medicine and everyday life.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Metric Converter — Length, Mass & Volume [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/metric-converter
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Metric Converter — Length, Mass & Volume." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/metric-converter.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Metric Converter — Length, Mass & Volume," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/metric-converter
@misc{wecalculate_metric_converter, title = {Metric Converter — Length, Mass & Volume}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/metric-converter}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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