Metric/English Conversion Factors

Page 1 of 14
Length Conversion Factors
To convert length from to multiply by
mile (US Statute)
inch (in)
inch (in)
inch (in)
foot (ft)
yard (yd)
kilometer (km)
millimeter (mm)
centimeter (cm)
meter (m)
meter (m)
meter (m)
1.609347
25.4
2.54
0.0254
0.3048
0.9144

Conversion Symbols
The prefixes and symbols listed below are commonly used to form names and symbols of
the decimal multiples and sub multiples of the SI units.

Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 2 of 14
Area Conversion Factors
To convert from to multiply by
square foot (sq ft)
square inch (sq in)
square yard (sq yd)
acre (ac)
square meter (sq m)
square meter (sq m)
square meter (sq m)
hectare (ha)
0.09290304
0.00064516
0.83612736
0.4047

Volume Conversion Factors
To convert from to multiply by
cubic inch (cu in)
cubic foot (cu ft)
cubic yard (cu yd)
gallon (gal)
Canada liquid gallon (gal)
Canada liquid gallon (gal)
U.S. liquid gallon (gal)
U.S. liquid fluid ounce (fl oz)
fluid ounce (fl oz)
cubic meter (cu m)
cubic meter (cu m)
cubic meter (cu m)
liter
cubic meter (cu m)
liter
cubic meter (cu m)
milliliters (ml)
cubic meter (cu m)
0.00001639
0.02831685
0.7645549
4.546
0.004546
3.7854118
0.00378541
29.57353
0.00002957

Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 3 of 14
Force Conversion Factors
For ce
To convert from to multiply by
ki p ( 1000 l b) ki l ogr am( kg) 453. 6
ki p ( 1000 l b) newt on ( N) 4, 448. 222
pound ( l b) ki l ogr am( kg) 0. 4535924
avoi r dupoi s
pound ( l b) newt on ( N) 4. 448222
Pressure or Stress Conversion Factors
Pressure or stress

ki p per squar e megapascal ( MPa) 6. 894757

i nch ( ksi )

pound per ki l ogr amper 4. 8824

squar e f oot ( psf ) squar e met er ( kg/ sq m)

pound per squar e pascal ( Pa) 47. 88

f oot ( psf )

pound per squar e pascal ( Pa) 6, 894. 757

i nch ( psi )

pound per squar e megapascal ( MPa) 0. 00689476

i nch ( psi )
Mass Conversion Factors
Mass (weight)
pound ( l b) ki l ogr am( kg) 0. 4535924
avoi r dupoi s
t on, 2000 l b ki l ogr am( kg) 907. 1848
gr ai n ki l ogr am( kg) 0. 0000648
Mass (weight) per length
ki p per l i near ki l ogr amper met er ( kg/ m) 0. 001488
f oot ( kl f )
pound per l i near ki l ogr amper met er ( kg/ m) 1. 488
f oot ( pl f )
Mass per volume (density)
pound per cubi c ki l ogr amper cubi c 16. 01846
f oot ( pcf ) met er ( kg/ cu m)
pound per cubi c ki l ogr amper cubi c 0. 5933
yar d ( l b/ cu yd) met er ( kg/ cu m)

Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 4 of 14
Temperature Conversion Factors
Temperature
degr ee Fahr enhei t ( F) degr ee Cel si us ( C) t c=( t F-
32) / 1. 8
degr ee Fahr enhei t ( F) kel vi n ( K) t k =
( t F+459. 7) / 1. 8
kel vi n ( K) degr ee Cel si us ( C) t c=t k- 273. 15
Energy and heat
Br i t i sh t her mal j oul e ( J ) 1055. 056
uni t ( Bt u)
cal or i e ( cal ) j oul e ( J ) 4. 1868E
Bt u/ degr ee F x hr x f t 2 W/ m2 - degr ee K
5. 678263
ki l owat t - hour ( kwh) j oul e ( J ) 3, 600, 000E
Br i t i sh t her mal cal or i es per gr am 0. 55556
uni t per pound ( Bt u/ l b) ( cal / g)
Br i t i sh t her mal uni t wat t ( W) 0. 2930711
per hour ( Bt u/ hr )

Power Conversion Factors
Power horsepower (hp) watt (W) 745.6999 E (550 ft-lb/sec) Velocity mile per hour (mph)
kilometer per hour(km/hr) 1.60934 mile per hour (mph) meter per second (m/s) 0.44704
Permeability darcy centimeter per 0.000968 second (cm/sec) feet per day (ft/day)
centimeter per 0.000352 second (cm/sec) ---------- *indicates that the factor given is exact.
**One U.S. gallon equals 0.8327 Canadian gallon. t--A pascal equals 1.000 newton per
square meter. Note: One U.S. gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds (U.S.) at 60 degrees F.
One cubic foot of water weighs 62.4 pounds (U.S.). One milliliter of water has a mass of 1
gram and has a volume of one cubic centimeter. One U.S. bag of cement weighs 94 lbs.
Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 5 of 14
More Useful Conversion Factors
USEFUL CONVERSI ON FACTORS

Quantity Fr omEngl i sh To Met r i c Mul t i pl y
Uni t s Uni t s by*

Length mi l e km 1. 609347
yar d m 0. 9144**
f oot m 0. 3048**
i nch mm 25. 40**

Area squar e mi l e km2 2. 590
acr e m2 4047
acr e hect ar e 0. 4047
squar e yar d m2 0. 8361
squar e f oot m2 0. 092 90
squar e i nch mm2 645. 2

Volume acr e f oot m3 1 233
cubi c yar d m3 0. 7646
cubi c f oot m3 0. 028 32
cubi c f oot L ( 1000 cm3) 28. 32
100 boar d f eet m3 0. 2360
gal l on L ( 1000 cm3) 3. 785

Mass l b kg 0. 4536
ki p ( 1000 l b) met r i c t on ( 1000kg) 0. 4536

Mass/unit length pl f kg/ m 1. 488

Mass/unit area psf kg/ m2 4. 882

Mass density pcf kg/ m3 16. 02

Force l b N 4. 448
ki p kN 4. 448

Force/unit length pl f N/ m 14. 59
kl f kN/ m 14. 59

Pressure, stress,
modules of
elasticity psf Pa 47. 88
ksf kPa 47. 88
psi kPa 6. 895
ksi MPa 6. 895

Bending moment, f t - l b N . m 1. 356
torque, moment of force f t - ki p kN . m 1. 356
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* 4 si gni f i cant di gi t s
**denot es exact conver si on

USEFUL CONVERSI ON FACTORS

Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 6 of 14
Quantity From English Units To Metric Units Multiply by*
Moment of mass l b . f t kg . m 0. 1383

Moment of i ner t i a l b . f t 2 kg . m2 0. 042 14

Second moment of ar ea i n4 mm4 416 200

Sect i on modul us i n3 mm3 16 390

Power t on ( r ef r i g) kW 3. 517
Bt u/ s kW 1. 054
hp ( el ect r i c) W 745. 7
Bt u/ h W 0. 2931

Vol ume r at e of f l ow f t 3/ s m3/ s 0. 028 32
cf m m3/ s 0. 000 471
9
cf m L/ s 0. 4719
mgd m3/ s 0. 0438

Vel oci t y, speed f t / s m/ s **0. 3048

Accel er at i on f / s 2 m/ s 2 0. 3048

Moment um l b . f t / sec kg . m/ s 0. 1383

Angul ar moment um l b . f t 2/ s kg . m2/ s 0. 042 14

Pl ane Angl e degr ee r ad 0. 017 45
mr ad 17. 45
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
* 4 si gni f i cant di gi t s
**denot es exact conver si on

Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 7 of 14
Sheet Metal Conversion Factors
SHEET METAL Most specification references use gage number followed by the decimal
inch thickness. Example: 22 gage (0.034 inch) Metric specifications use the absolute mm
thickness. It is not the intent of this guidance to change the thickness of currently used
sheeting. The following chart may be used to specify sheet metal. The thickness under
"Specify" is thinner than the actual gage thickness, since specifications give minimum
thickness.
Gage Inch Exact Specify Percent
Thinner
(mm) (mm) Than
"Exact"

Value
32 0. 0134 0. 3404 0. 34
0. 1
30 0. 0157 0. 3988 0. 39
2. 2
28 0. 0187 0. 4750 0. 47
1. 1
26 0. 0217 0. 5512 0. 55
0. 2
24 0. 0276 0. 7010 0. 70
0. 1
22 0. 0336 0. 8534 0. 85
0. 4
20 0. 0396 1. 0058 1. 0
0. 6
18 0. 0516 1. 3106 1. 3
0. 8
16 0. 0635 1. 6129 1. 6
0. 8
14 0. 0785 1. 9939 1. 9
4. 7
12 0. 1084 2. 7534 2. 7
1. 9
10 0. 1382 3. 5103 3. 5
0. 3
8 0. 1681 4. 2697 4. 2
1. 6
This schedule was developed since no existing material was found to clearly identify
existing sheeting in metric units. Until a more efficient method is developed to address this
issue, specifiers may wish to retain the gage number in specifications, and couple this with
a rounded mm size in parenthesis.
Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 8 of 14
Pipe Conversion Factors
Pipe is one of the most ubiquitous products in construction. It is made of a wide variety of
materials, including galvanized steel, black steel, copper, cast iron, concrete, and various
plastics such as ABS, PVC, CPVC, polyethylene, and polybutylene, among others.

But like wood 2-by-4's which are not really 2 inches by 4 inches, pipe is identified by
"nominal" or "trade" names that are related only loosely to actual dimensions. For instance,
a 2-inch galvanized steel pipe has n inside diameter of about 2-1/8 inches and an outside
diameter of about 2-5/8 inches. It is called "2-inch pipe" only for the sake of convenience.

Since few, if any, pipe products have actual dimensions that are in even, round inch-pound
numbers, there is no need to convert them to even, round metric numbers. Instead, only
their names will change--from inch-pound to metric. Pipe cross sections will not change.
Fittings, flanges, couplings, valves, and other piping components will be renamed in like
manner as will pipe threads. Here are the inch-pound names for pipe products (called NPS
or "nominal pipe size") and their metric equivalents (called DN or "diameter nominal").
The metric names conform to International Standards Organization (ISO) usage and apply
to all plumbing, natural gas, heating oil, drainage, and miscellaneous piping used in
buildings and civil works projects.
NPS DN NPS DN
----------------------------------------
1/ 8" 6 mm 8" 200 mm
3/ 16" 7 mm 10" 250 mm
1/ 4" 8 mm 12" 300 mm
3/ 8" 10 mm 14" 350 mm
1/ 2" 15 mm 16" 400 mm
5/ 8" 18 mm 18" 450 mm
3/ 4" 20 mm 20" 500 mm
1" 25 mm 24" 600 mm
1- 1/ 4" 32 mm 28" 700 mm
1- 1/ 2" 40 mm 30" 750 mm
2" 50 mm 32" 800 mm
2- 1/ 2" 65 mm 36" 900 mm
3" 80 mm 40" 1000 mm
3- 1/ 2" 90 mm 44" 1100 mm
4" 100 mm 48" 1200 mm
4- 1/ 2" 115 mm 52" 1300 mm
5" 125 mm 56" 1400 mm
6" 150 mm 60" 1500 mm
**( For pi pe over 60 i nches, use 1 i nch equal s 25 mm)




Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 9 of 14
Metric Symbol
To Convert
From
To
Application
Tech
Corres
Comptr
Appl
Metric Unit English Unit
Multiply
Metric
Unit by
Factor
mm milimeter inch 0.03937
m M meter foot 3.28084
m M meter yard 1.09361
Length
km KM kilometer mile (international) 0.62137
mm
2

square
milimeters
square inch 0.00155
m
2
M2 square meters square foot 10.76422
m
2
M2 square meters square yard 1.19599
ha HA
hectare
(10,000 m
2
)
acre 2.47105
Area
km
2

square
kilometers
square mile (U.S. statute) 0.38610
mL
mililiter (1
mm
3
)
ounce (U.S. fluid) 0.03381
L L liter (mm
3
) quart (U.S. liquid) 1.05669
L L liter (mm
3
) gallon (U.S. liquid) 0.26417
kL KL 1,000 liter 1,000 gallon 0.26417
m
3
M3 cubic meter cubic foot 35.31466
m
3
M3 cubic meter cubic yard 1.30795
Volume
m
3
M3 cubic meter acre-foot 0.00081
L/min
liter per
minute
gallon per minute 0.26417
Discharge
m
3
/s
cubic meter
per sec
cubic foot per sec 35.31466
kPa kilopascal pound-force per square inch 0.14504
Pa pascal pound-force per square foot 0.02089
MPa megapascal kip per square inch 0.14504
Force per
unit
area,
pressure,
stress
kPa kilopascal kip per square foot 0.02089
Volume per
unit
time
m
3
.h M3H
cubic meter
hour
cubic yard hour 1.30800
N newton pound-force 0.22481
Force
kN kilonewton kip (1,000 lbf) 0.22481
Gravitational
Constant
m/s
2

9.8066 meters
per second
squared
32.174 feet per second squared N/A
g gram ounce 0.03527
Mass
kg KG kilogram pound 2.20462
Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 10 of 14
Mg MG megagram ton (2,000 lbs) 1.10231
kg/m
3

kilogram per
cubic meter
pound per cubic foot 0.06243
kg/m
3

kilogram per
cubic meter
pound per cubic yard 1.68556
Mass density
Mg/m
3

megagram
per cubic
meter
ton per cubic yard 0.84278
L/m
2

liter per
square meter
gallon per square foot 0.02431
L/m
2

liter per
square meter
gallon per square yard 0.22088
Rate of
application
L/ha
liter per
hectare
gallon per acre 0.10691
Temperature C
degree
Celsius
Fahrenheit
(Tc x 1.8)
+32
N.m newton meter pound-force inch 8.85075
N.m newton meter pound-force foot 0.73756
Torque
kN.m KNM
kilonewton
meter
pound-force foot 737.56212
m/s
meter per
second
feet per second 3.28084
Velocity
km/h
kilometer per
hour
miles per hour 0.62137



Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 11 of 14

METRIC LANGUAGE AND RULES
This document gives a brief and general overview of the basic units of metric
measure and the department conventions in writing and speaking them.
PREFIXES

Prefix Symbol Expression
giga G 1,000,000,000(one billion)
mega M 1,000,000 (one million)
kilo k 1,000 (one thousand)
milli c 0.001 (one thousandth)
micro u 0.000001 (one millionth)
nano n 0.000000001 (one billionth)

The kilo (k) and milli(m) are most commonly used prefixes for metric units in
design and construction.
The prefixes mega (M) for on million, giga (G) for one billion, micro (u) for one
millionth, and nano (n) for one billionth are used in some engineering calculations.
The prefixes deci (d) for one tenth, centi (c) for one hundredth, and deca (da) for
ten should not be used.
PRONUNCIATION

Observe the following pronunciation conventions:
candela Accent the second syllable: can-dell-ah.
hectare Accent the first syllable: heck-tare; the second syllable rhymes with
care.
joule Rhymes with pool.
kilometer Webster's Dictionary finds acceptable with an accent on the first
syllable: kill-o-meter (the o is long), or an accent on the second
syllable: kill-om-uh-ter.
pascal Rhymes with rascal.
Siemens Sounds like seamen's.


Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 12 of 14
CONVERSION AND ROUNDING
When converting number from English to metric, the metric value must be carried
to a sufficient number of digits to maintain the accuracy implied or required in the
English number (11 miles at 1.609 km/mi equals 17.699 km, which should be
rounded to 18 km.
When converting mixed English units (feet and inches, pounds and ounces), the
primary concern is to maintain the same order of magnitude. Convert the mixed
English units to either the smaller or the larger English unit before converting to
metric and rounding (10 feet 3 inches =123 inches; 123 inches x 25.4 mm/inch =
3124.2 mm which should be rounded to 3120 mm; or 10 feet 3 inches =10.25 ft.;
10.25 ft. x 0.3048 m/ft. =3.1242 m which should be rounded to 3.12 m).
In a "soft" conversion, an English measurement is converted to its mathematical
metric equivalent. With "hard" conversion, a new, rounded, standard rationalized
metric number is created that is convenient to work with and remember.
RULES FOR LINEAR MEASUREMENT
The meter and millimeter are preferred. Do not use the centimeter, decimeter and
decameter.
Use the kilometer for long distances and the millimeter for precision measurement.
RULES FOR AREA
The square meter is the preferred unit of measurement.
Very large area may be expressed in square kilometers and very small areas in
square millimeters.
Use the hectare for land and water measurement only.
Do not use the square centimeter, decimeter and decameter.
Linear dimensions such as 40 mm x 90 mm may be used; if so, indicated width
first and height second.
Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 13 of 14
RULES FOR VOLUME AND FLUID CAPACITY
The cubic meter is preferred for volumes in construction and for large storage
tanks.
Use liter (L) and milliliter (mL) for fluid capacity.
RULES FOR CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
The metric units used in civil and structural engineering are:
meter (m) length
kilogram (kg) mass
second (s) time
newton (N) force or weight
pascal (Pa) pressure
Use these rules in civil and structural engineering:
there are separate units for mass and force.
The kilogram (kg) is the base unit for mass, which is the unit quantity of matter
independent of gravity.
The newton (N) is the derived unit for force (mass times acceleration). It replaces
the unit "kilogram-force" (kgf), which should not be used.
Do not use the joule to designate torque; always use newton meters.
The pascal (Pa) is the unit for pressure and stress. The term "bar" is not a metric
unit and should not be used. Structural calculations should be shown in MPa or
kPa.
Plane angles in surveying (cartography) will continue to be measured in degrees
(either decimal degrees, or degrees, minutes and seconds) rather than metric
radian.
Slope is expressed in nondimensional ratios with the vertical component shown
first and then the horizontal (V:H). The vertical component is unitary for slopes less
than 45 degrees and the horizontal is unitary for slopes greater than 45 degrees.
The units that are compared are the same (metric to meters, millimeters to
millimeters). Base tapers normally shown as 8:1 will now be shown as 1:8.
Metric/English Conversion Factors
Page 14 of 14
RULES FOR USING DUAL UNITS
Dual units should not be used except when documents are used specifically for
public viewing. The metric unit should be shown first followed by the English
equivalent in parenthesis. A note should be appended to documents with dual
units advising that the English units are provided for information only.
For test procedures where dual units are used, the following statement will be
included under "Scope" of the test procedure.
The value stated in either SI units or English units are to be regarded as standard.
Within the text, the English units are shown in parenthesis. The values stated in
each system are not exact equivalents; therefore, each system must be used
independently of the other.
SIMILAR TERMINOLOGY
ENGLISH UNIT METRIC UNIT
AC ACRE HA HECTARE
BBL BARREL KG KILOGRAM
BF BOARD FOOT M METER
CF CUBIC FOOT M3 CUBIC METER
CY CUBIC YARD M3 CUBIC METER
CYC CYCLE CYC CYCLE
DAY DAY DAY DAY
EA EACH EA EACH
GAL GALLON L LITER
HR HOUR HR HOUR
LB POUND KG KILOGRAM
LF LINEAR FOOT M METER
LS LUMP SUM LS LUMP SUM
MBF 1000 BOARD FOOT M METER
MFB 1000 FOOT BOARD M METER
MIN MINUTE MIN MINUTE
MG 1000 GALLONS KL KILOLITER
MKF 1000 KIP-FEET KNM KILONEWTON*METER
MO MONTH MO MONTH
ROL ROLL M METER
SAC SACK KG KILOGRAM
SF SQUARE FOOT M2 SQUARE METER
STA STATION KM KILOMETER
SY SQUARE YARD M2 SQUARE METER
TON TON MGR MEGAGRAM
YH CUBIC YARD HOUR

M3H CUBIC METER*HOUR