Interactive metric conversion table

How do you read a conversion table?

Choose what you are measuring: length, mass, capacity, area or volume. Each cell below shows the same quantity in a different unit. Read each value separately; the cells are not the individual digits of one number.

1. Find your starting unit and target unit in the same measurement type.
2. Move right to a smaller unit and multiply for each column: by 10 for length, mass and capacity; by 100 for area; by 1,000 for volume.
3. Move left to a larger unit and divide by the same factor for each column. For example, cm² to m² takes two steps: divide by 100, then by 100 again.

Length conversion table: meters and kilometers

5 km = 5,000 m. Moving three columns from km to m multiplies the value by 10 three times: 5 × 10 × 10 × 10 = 5,000.

Mass conversion table: grams and kilograms

5 g = 0.005 kg. Moving three columns from g to kg divides the value by 1,000. This table measures mass; weight in physics is a force.

Capacity conversion table: liters and milliliters

1 L = 100 cL = 1,000 mL. To convert 75 cL to liters, move two columns left: 75 ÷ 100 = 0.75 L.

Area conversion table: m², dm², cm² and mm²

2 m² = 20,000 cm². From m² to cm², move two columns right: 2 × 100 × 100 = 20,000. Divide by 10,000 to convert back to m².

Volume conversion table: m³, dm³, cm³ and mm³

1 m³ = 1,000 dm³ = 1,000,000 cm³. Multiply by 1,000 for each column: a cubic meter holds 1,000 cubes with sides of one decimeter.

Areas and volumes use different factors

For square units, each column means ×100 or ÷100: 2 m² = 20,000 cm². For cubic units, each column means ×1,000 or ÷1,000: 1 m³ = 1,000,000 cm³. To connect volume and capacity, remember that 1 dm³ = 1 L and 1 cm³ = 1 mL.

Worked examples: convert before adding

Convert all measurements to the same unit before adding them. Keep length and area separate: meters and square meters measure different things.

1. 2 m 35 cm + 80 cm: 2 m = 200 cm, so 200 + 35 + 80 = 315 cm, or 3.15 m.
2. 1.25 L + 250 mL: 1.25 L = 1,250 mL, so 1,250 + 250 = 1,500 mL, or 1.5 L.
3. 0.8 m² + 2,500 cm²: 2,500 ÷ 10,000 = 0.25 m², so 0.8 + 0.25 = 1.05 m².

Check volume against capacity: 0.002 m³ × 1,000 = 2 dm³, which is 2 L. One cubic meter equals 1,000 L; one liter equals 1,000 cm³.

Can you convert grams or kilograms to liters?

Grams and kilograms measure mass; milliliters and liters measure volume or capacity. You cannot convert between them with this table alone: you need the material’s density. Use volume = mass ÷ density, keeping the units consistent. If the density is 1 g/mL, 500 g takes up 500 mL, or 0.5 L. That factor does not work for every ingredient: 500 g of flour is not automatically 0.5 L.

Print a completed or blank table

Choose the measurement and unit in the form, then enter your value. The table updates. “Print” keeps the result; “Print a blank table”, below the table, prepares five rows for exercises. You can choose “Save as PDF” if your browser offers it.