What is square centimetre?
A square centimetre is a metric unit of area equal to one ten-thousandth of a square metre. It is used in textiles, printing, medical surface measurements, and small-scale technical applications.
Real-world uses
Square centimetres are used for cross-sectional areas of cables and pipes, skin wound sizes in medicine, and stamp collecting. PCB (printed circuit board) dimensions and bandage sizes are often specified in cm².
History
The square centimetre was the base area unit in the CGS system and was widely used in physics before SI standardization. It remains commonly used in everyday contexts where square metres are too large a unit for practical description.
Common mistakes
Confusing cm² with mm²—there are 100 mm² in 1 cm², not 10. This is a common error when converting between metric area units because area scales as the square of the linear conversion factor.
What is are?
An are is a metric unit of area equal to 100 square metres. While largely replaced by the hectare for most practical uses, it is still referenced in some European countries for measuring agricultural plots.
Real-world uses
The are (100 m²) is used in some European countries for small land parcels and garden plots. In France, small agricultural plots and building lots may be listed in ares. It is most commonly encountered as the basis for the hectare (100 ares).
History
The are was defined in 1795 during the creation of the metric system in France as 100 square metres. Though the hectare eclipsed it in common usage, the are remains a legally recognized metric unit in several European countries.
Common mistakes
Confusing the are (a unit of area equal to 100 m²) with the word "are" (verb). Also, many people are unfamiliar with this unit and do not realize that 1 hectare = 100 ares.
When is this conversion used?
Converting square centimetre to are is useful in the area domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.
Worked examples
1 square centimetre = 0.000001 are
1 are = 100 square metre
How to convert square centimetre to are
To convert square centimetre to are, multiply the value by 0.000001.
To convert are back to square centimetre, multiply by 1,000,000.
Measurement standards
The square metre is the SI derived unit of area. The hectare (10,000 m²) is accepted for use with the SI by the BIPM, particularly for land measurement, though it is not an SI unit itself.
Did you know?
Vatican City, the world's smallest independent state, covers just 0.44 km² (about 109 acres) — smaller than many golf courses. By contrast, Russia spans over 17.1 million km², nearly 39 million times larger.
Quick reference: square centimetre to are
| square centimetre | are |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 1.000000e-07 |
| 0.5 | 5.000000e-07 |
| 1 | 0.000001 |
| 2 | 0.000002 |
| 5 | 0.000005 |
| 10 | 0.00001 |
| 25 | 0.000025 |
| 50 | 0.00005 |
| 100 | 0.0001 |
| 250 | 0.00025 |
| 500 | 0.0005 |
| 1,000 | 0.001 |
Common values
| square centimetre | are | |
|---|---|---|
| A4 paper | 620 square centimetre | 0.00062 are |
| Parking space | 125,000 square centimetre | 0.125 are |
| Tennis court | 2,608,700 square centimetre | 2.6087 are |
| Football field (soccer) | 71,400,000 square centimetre | 71.4 are |
| Central Park, NYC | 3.410000e+10 square centimetre | 34,100 are |
Available Area units
More square centimetre conversions
- Convert square centimetre to square metre
- Convert square centimetre to square kilometre
- Convert square centimetre to square foot
- Convert square centimetre to square mile
- Convert square centimetre to acre
- Convert square centimetre to hectare
- Convert square centimetre to square inch
- Convert square centimetre to square yard
- Convert square centimetre to are