micrometre (µm)
1 micrometre = 0.000001 metres
What is micrometre?
A micrometre, also called a micron, is a unit of length equal to one millionth of a metre. It is used in microscopy, semiconductor fabrication, and the measurement of fine particles and biological cells.
Notes: Metric unit
Real-world uses
Micrometres (microns) are used to measure biological cells, bacteria, semiconductor chip features, and fine particle sizes in air quality monitoring. Paint film thickness, fibre diameters, and precision machining tolerances are also specified in µm.
History
The micrometre was formalized with SI prefix standardization in the 20th century. The term "micron" was officially revoked by the SI in 1967 in favour of "micrometre," though "micron" persists informally in many industries.
Common mistakes
Using the symbol "u" instead of the correct "µ" (Greek mu). Also, confusing micrometres with nanometres—a human hair is about 70 µm wide, not 70 nm.
When is this conversion used?
This conversion is frequently needed in construction, architecture, and real estate where building codes may specify dimensions in one system while materials are sold in another.
How to convert micrometre to metre
To convert micrometre to metre, multiply the value by 0.000001.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 0.000001
Measurement standards
The metre is one of seven SI base units, maintained by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). Since 2019, it is defined by fixing the numerical value of the speed of light in vacuum to exactly 299,792,458 metres per second.
Did you know?
A human hair is roughly 70 micrometres wide, while a single gold atom measures about 0.144 nanometres in diameter — meaning you could line up nearly half a million atoms across the width of one hair.
| micrometres | metres |
|---|---|
| 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
| micrometres | metres | |
|---|---|---|
| Height of a door | 2,100,000 micrometres | 2.1 metres |
| Basketball court length | 28,000,000 micrometres | 28 metres |
| Football field (soccer) | 105,000,000 micrometres | 105 metres |
| Marathon distance | 4.219500e+10 micrometres | 42,195 metres |
| Altitude of a cruising airplane | 1.066800e+10 micrometres | 10,668 metres |
Full micrometre conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| metre | 1 µm = 0.000001 m | × 0.000001 |
| kilometre | 1 µm = 1.000000e-09 km | × 1.000000e-09 |
| centimetre | 1 µm = 0.0001 cm | × 0.0001 |
| millimetre | 1 µm = 0.001 mm | × 0.001 |
| inch | 1 µm = 0.00003937 in | × 0.00003937 |
| foot | 1 µm = 0.00000328 ft | × 0.00000328 |
| mile | 1 µm = 6.213712e-10 mi | × 6.213712e-10 |
| yard | 1 µm = 0.00000109 yd | × 0.00000109 |
| nanometre | 1 µm = 1,000 nm | × 1,000 |