Appendix C: Units and Conversion Factors
Units of Length, Mass, Energy & Pressure
| Unit | Equivalent Units |
|---|---|
| meter (m) | = 39.37 inches (in.)
= 1.094 yards (yd)
|
| centimeter (cm) | = 0.01 m (exact, definition) |
| millimeter (mm) | = 0.001 m (exact, definition) |
| kilometer (km) | = 1000 m (exact, definition) |
| angstrom (Å) | = 10–8 cm (exact, definition)
= 10–10 m (exact, definition)
|
| yard (yd) | = 0.9144 m |
| inch (in.) | = 2.54 cm (exact, definition) |
| mile (US) | = 1.60934 km |
| Unit | Equivalent Units |
|---|---|
| liter (L) | = 0.001 m3 (exact, definition)
= 1000 cm3 (exact, definition) = 1.057 (US) quarts
|
| milliliter (mL) | = 0.001 L (exact, definition)
= 1 cm3 (exact, definition)
|
| microliter (μL)(μL) | = 10–6 L (exact, definition)
= 10–3 cm3 (exact, definition)
|
| liquid quart (US) | = 32 (US) liquid ounces (exact, definition)
= 0.25 (US) gallon (exact, definition) = 0.9463 L
|
| dry quart | = 1.1012 L |
| cubic foot (US) | = 28.316 L |
| Unit | Equivalent Units |
|---|---|
| gram (g) | = 0.001 kg (exact, definition) |
| milligram (mg) | = 0.001 g (exact, definition) |
| kilogram (kg) | = 1000 g (exact, definition)
= 2.205 lb
|
| ton (metric) | =1000 kg (exact, definition)
= 2204.62 lb
|
| ounce (oz) (avoirdupois) | = 28.35 g |
| pound (lb) (avoirdupois) | = 0.4535924 kg |
| ton (short) | =2000 lb (exact, definition)
= 907.185 kg
|
| ton (long) | = 2240 lb (exact, definition)
= 1.016 metric ton
|
| Unit | Equivalent Units |
|---|---|
| 4.184 joule (J) | = 1 thermochemical calorie (cal) |
| 1 thermochemical calorie (cal) | = 4.184 × 107 erg |
| erg | = 10–7 J (exact, definition) |
| electron-volt (eV) | = 1.60218 × 10−19 J = 23.061 kcal mol−1 |
| liter∙atmosphere | = 24.217 cal = 101.325 J (exact, definition) |
| nutritional calorie (Cal) | = 1000 cal (exact, definition) = 4184 J |
| British thermal unit (BTU) | = 1054.804 J[1] |
| Unit | Equivalent Units |
|---|---|
| torr | = 1 mm Hg (exact, definition) |
| pascal (Pa) | = N m–2 (exact, definition)
= kg m–1 s–2 (exact, definition)
|
| atmosphere (atm) | = 760 mm Hg (exact, definition)
= 760 torr (exact, definition) = 101,325 N m–2 (exact, definition) = 101,325 Pa (exact, definition)
|
| bar | = 105 Pa (exact, definition)
= 105 kg m–1 s–2 (exact, definition)
|
Attribution & References
Except where otherwise noted, this page is adapted from “Appendix C: Units and Conversion Factors” In General Chemistry 1 & 2 by Rice University, a derivative of Chemistry (Open Stax) by Paul Flowers, Klaus Theopold, Richard Langley & William R. Robinson and is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Access for free at Chemistry (OpenStax)
- BTU is the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. Therefore, the exact relationship of BTU to joules and other energy units depends on the temperature at which BTU is measured. 59 °F (15 °C) is the most widely used reference temperature for BTU definition in the United States. At this temperature, the conversion factor is the one provided in this table. ↵
