Converts a number from one measurement system to another. For example, CONVERT can translate a table of distances in miles to a table of distances in kilometers.
Syntax
CONVERT(number,from_unit,to_unit)
Number is the value in from_units to convert.
From_unit is the units for number.
To_unit is the units for the result. CONVERT accepts the following text values (in quotation marks) for from_unit and to_unit.
Measurement systems
Weight and Mass
| Weight and mass | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Gram | "g" |
| Slug | "sg" |
| Pound mass (avoirdupois) | "lbm" |
| U (atomic mass unit) | "u" |
| Ounce mass (avoirdupois) | "ozm" |
| Grain | "grain" |
| U.S. (short) hundredweight | "cwt" or "shweight" |
| Imperial hundredweight | "uk_cwt" or "lcwt" ("hweight") |
| Stone | "stone" |
| Ton | "ton" |
| Imperial ton | "uk_ton" or "LTON" ("brton") |
Distance
| Distance | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Meter | "m" |
| Statute mile | "mi" |
| Nautical mile | "Nmi" |
| Inch | "in" |
| Foot | "ft" |
| Yard | "yd" |
| Angstrom | "ang" |
| Ell | "ell" |
| Light-year | "ly" |
| Parsec | "parsec" or "pc" |
| Pica (1/72 inch) | "Picapt" or "Pica" |
| Pica (1/6 inch) | "pica" |
| U.S survey mile (statute mile) | "survey_mi" |
Time
| Time | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Year | "yr" |
| Day | "day" or "d" |
| Hour | "hr" |
| Minute | "mn" or "min" |
| Second | "sec" or "s" |
Pressure
| Pressure | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Pascal | "Pa" (or "p") |
| Atmosphere | "atm" (or "at") |
| mm of Mercury | "mmHg" |
| PSI | "psi" |
| Torr | "Torr" |
Force
| Force | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Newton | "N" |
| Dyne | "dyn" (or "dy") |
| Pound force | "lbf" |
Energy
| Energy | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Joule | "J" |
| Erg | "e" |
| Thermodynamic calorie | "c" |
| IT calorie | "cal" |
| Electron volt | "eV" (or "ev") |
| Horsepower-hour | "HPh" (or "hh") |
| Watt-hour | "Wh" (or "wh") |
| Foot-pound | "flb" |
| BTU | "BTU" (or "btu") |
Power
| Power | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Horsepower | "HP" (or "h") |
| Pferdestärke | "PS" |
| Watt | "W" (or "w") |
Magnetism
| Magnetism | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Tesla | "T" |
| Gauss | "ga" |
Temperature
| Temperature | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Degree Celsius | "C" (or "cel") |
| Degree Fahrenheit | "F" (or "fah") |
| Kelvin | "K" (or "kel") |
| Degrees Rankine | "Rank" |
| Degrees Réaumur | "Reau" |
Volume
| Volume (or liquid measure) | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Teaspoon | "tsp" |
| Modern teaspoon | "tspm" |
| Tablespoon | "tbs" |
| Fluid ounce | "oz" |
| Cup | "cup" |
| U.S. pint | "pt" (or "us_pt") |
| U.K. pint | "uk_pt" |
| Quart | "qt" |
| Imperial quart (U.K.) | "uk_qt" |
| Gallon | "gal" |
| Imperial gallon (U.K.) | "uk_gal" |
| Liter | "l" or "L" ("lt") |
| Cubic angstrom | "ang3" or "ang^3" |
| U.S. oil barrel | "barrel" |
| U.S. bushel | "bushel" |
| Cubic feet | "ft3" or "ft^3" |
| Cubic inch | "in3" or "in^3" |
| Cubic light-year | "ly3" or "ly^3" |
| Cubic meter | "m3" or "m^3" |
| Cubic Mile | "mi3" or "mi^3" |
| Cubic yard | "yd3" or "yd^3" |
| Cubic nautical mile | "Nmi3" or "Nmi^3" |
| Cubic Pica | "Picapt3", "Picapt^3", "Pica3" or "Pica^3" |
| Gross Registered Ton | "GRT" ("regton") |
| Measurement ton (freight ton) | "MTON" |
Area
| Area | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| International acre | "uk_acre" |
| U.S. survey/statute acre | "us_acre" |
| Square angstrom | "ang2" or “ang^2" |
| Are | "ar" |
| Square feet | "ft2" or "ft^2" |
| Hectare | "ha" |
| Square inches | "in2" or "in^2" |
| Square light-year | "ly2" or "ly^2" |
| Square meters | "m2" or "m^2" |
| Morgen | "Morgen" |
| Square miles | "mi2" or "mi^2" |
| Square nautical miles | "Nmi2" or "Nmi^2" |
| Square Pica | "Picapt2", "Pica2", "Pica^2" or "Picapt^2" |
| Square yards | "yd2" or "yd^2" |
Information
| Information | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Bit | "bit" |
| Byte | "byte" |
Speed
| Speed | From_unit or to_unit |
|---|---|
| Admiralty knot | "admkn" |
| Knot | "kn" |
| Meters per hour | "m/h" or "m/hr" |
| Meters per second | "m/s" or "m/sec" |
| Miles per hour | "mph" |
The following abbreviated unit prefixes can be prepended to any metric from_unit or to_unit.
| Prefix | Multiplier | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| yotta | 1E+24 | "Y" |
| zetta | 1E+21 | "Z" |
| exa | 1E+18 | "E" |
| peta | 1E+15 | "P" |
| tera | 1E+12 | "T" |
| giga | 1E+09 | "G" |
| mega | 1E+06 | "M" |
| kilo | 1E+03 | "k" |
| hecto | 1E+02 | "h" |
| dekao | 1E+01 | "da" or "e" |
| deci | 1E-01 | "d" |
| centi | 1E-02 | "c" |
| milli | 1E-03 | "m" |
| micro | 1E-06 | "u" |
| nano | 1E-09 | "n" |
| pico | 1E-12 | "p" |
| femto | 1E-15 | "f" |
| atto | 1E-18 | "a" |
| zepto | 1E-21 | "z" |
| yocto | 1E-24 | "y" |
| Binary Prefix | Prefix Value | Abbreviation | Derived from |
|---|---|---|---|
| yobi | 2^80 = 1 208 925 819 614 629 174 706 176 | "Yi" | yotta |
| zebi | 2^70 = 1 180 591 620 717 411 303 424 | "Zi" | zetta |
| exbi | 2^60 = 1 152 921 504 606 846 976 | "Ei" | exa |
| pebi | 2^50 = 1 125 899 906 842 624 | "Pi" | peta |
| tebi | 2^40 = 1 099 511 627 776 | "Ti" | tera |
| gibi | 2^30 = 1 073 741 824 | "Gi" | giga |
| mebi | 2^20 = 1 048 576 | "Mi" | mega |
| kibi | 2^10 = 1024 | "ki" | kilo |
Remarks
- If the input data types are incorrect, CONVERT returns the #VALUE! error value.
- If the unit does not exist, CONVERT returns the #N/A error value.
- If the unit does not support a binary prefix, CONVERT returns the #N/A error value.
- If the units are in different groups, CONVERT returns the #N/A error value.
- Unit names and prefixes are case-sensitive.
Examples
This is an example of how a formula uses CONVERT.
| Formula | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
| =CONVERT(1, "lbm", "kg") | Converts 1 pound mass to kilograms. | 0.4535924 |
| =CONVERT(68, "F", "C") | Converts 68 degrees Fahrenheit to Celsius. | 20 |
| =CONVERT(2.5, "ft", "sec") | Data types are not the same, so an error is returned. | #N/A |
| =CONVERT(CONVERT(100,"ft","m"),"ft","m") | Converts 100 square feet into square meters. | 9.290304 |
You can see how CONVERT works in Excel. Copy the following table (starting with the "6") and paste it to a blank Excel worksheet, placing the "6" in cell A1.
| 6Formula****Description (Result)=CONVERT(A1,"C","F")Convert 6 degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit (42.8)=CONVERT(A1,"tsp","tbs")Convert 6 teaspoons to tablespoons (2)=CONVERT(A1,"gal","l")Convert 6 gallons to liters (22.71741274)=CONVERT(A1,"mi","km")Convert 6 miles to kilometers (9.656064)=CONVERT(A1,"km","mi")Convert 6 kilometers to miles (3.728227153)=CONVERT(A1,"in","ft")Convert 6 inches to feet (0.5)=CONVERT(A1,"cm","in")Convert 6 centimeters to inches (2.362204724) |
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