gram (g)
1 gram = 0.001 kilograms
What is gram?
A gram is a metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram. It is widely used in cooking, food labelling, and the measurement of small quantities in science and pharmacy.
Notes: Metric unit
Real-world uses
Grams are used for food nutrition labelling, postal weight limits, cooking recipes (especially in baking where precision matters), and jewellery weights. Pharmacists measure drug dosages in grams and fractions thereof.
History
The gram was the original base unit of mass in the French metric system of 1795, defined as the mass of one cubic centimetre of water. It later became the base unit in the CGS system before the kilogram took precedence in SI.
Common mistakes
Confusing grams with grains (1 grain ≈ 0.065 g), a common error in pharmaceutical contexts. Also, mistaking "g" for "G" in digital contexts where G means giga.
When is this conversion used?
Body weight, grocery items, and luggage limits are commonly expressed in kilograms in most countries and pounds in the US and UK, making this one of the most frequently needed mass conversions. Cooking recipes and food packaging often switch between grams and ounces, especially when adapting recipes from different culinary traditions.
How to convert gram to kilogram
To convert gram to kilogram, multiply the value by 0.001.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 0.001
Measurement standards
The kilogram is defined by fixing the Planck constant to exactly 6.62607015 × 10⁻³⁴ joule-seconds, as established at the 26th General Conference on Weights and Measures in 2018. This ended the last SI definition based on a physical artefact.
Did you know?
The International Prototype of the Kilogram, a platinum-iridium cylinder stored near Paris since 1889, was found to have drifted by about 50 micrograms relative to its copies over a century — roughly the mass of a fingerprint.
| grams | kilograms |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 0.0001 |
| 0.5 | 0.0005 |
| 1 | 0.001 |
| 2 | 0.002 |
| 5 | 0.005 |
| 10 | 0.01 |
| 25 | 0.025 |
| 50 | 0.05 |
| 100 | 0.1 |
| 250 | 0.25 |
| 500 | 0.5 |
| 1,000 | 1 |
Common values
| grams | kilograms | |
|---|---|---|
| A paperclip | 1 gram | 0.001 kilograms |
| A smartphone | 175 grams | 0.175 kilograms |
| A bag of sugar | 1,000 grams | 1 kilogram |
| Average adult human | 70,000 grams | 70 kilograms |
| A small car | 1,200,000 grams | 1,200 kilograms |
Full gram conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| kilogram | 1 g = 0.001 kg | × 0.001 |
| pound | 1 g = 0.00220462 lb | × 0.00220462 |
| ounce | 1 g = 0.03527396 oz | × 0.03527396 |
| tonne | 1 g = 0.000001 t | × 0.000001 |
| milligram | 1 g = 1,000 mg | × 1,000 |
| microgram | 1 g = 1,000,000 µg | × 1,000,000 |
| stone | 1 g = 0.00015747 st | × 0.00015747 |
| short ton (US) | 1 g = 0.0000011 short ton | × 0.0000011 |
| long ton (UK) | 1 g = 9.842065e-07 long ton | × 9.842065e-07 |