nanometre (nm)
1 nanometre = 1.000000e-09 metres
What is nanometre?
A nanometre is a unit of length equal to one billionth of a metre. It is used to measure wavelengths of visible light, atomic radii, and dimensions of nanostructures in materials science.
Notes: Metric unit
Real-world uses
Nanometres are the standard unit in semiconductor fabrication (e.g., 5 nm chip processes), wavelength of visible light (380–700 nm), and molecular biology for measuring DNA strand widths and protein structures.
History
The nanometre gained prominence in the late 20th century with advances in electron microscopy and semiconductor technology. The prefix "nano-" comes from the Greek "nanos" meaning dwarf. It was officially adopted as an SI prefix in 1960.
Common mistakes
Confusing nanometres with angstroms—1 nm equals 10 angstroms. People also mistakenly equate "nano" products in marketing with actual nanometre-scale technology, which is not always the case.
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 nanometre to metre
To convert nanometre to metre, multiply the value by 1.000000e-09.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 1e-9
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.
| nanometres | metres |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 1.000000e-10 |
| 0.5 | 5.000000e-10 |
| 1 | 1.000000e-09 |
| 2 | 2.000000e-09 |
| 5 | 5.000000e-09 |
| 10 | 1.000000e-08 |
| 25 | 2.500000e-08 |
| 50 | 5.000000e-08 |
| 100 | 1.000000e-07 |
| 250 | 2.500000e-07 |
| 500 | 5.000000e-07 |
| 1,000 | 0.000001 |
Common values
| nanometres | metres | |
|---|---|---|
| Height of a door | 2.100000e+09 nanometres | 2.1 metres |
| Basketball court length | 2.800000e+10 nanometres | 28 metres |
| Football field (soccer) | 1.050000e+11 nanometres | 105 metres |
| Marathon distance | 4.219500e+13 nanometres | 42,195 metres |
| Altitude of a cruising airplane | 1.066800e+13 nanometres | 10,668 metres |
Full nanometre conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| metre | 1 nm = 1.000000e-09 m | × 1.000000e-09 |
| kilometre | 1 nm = 1.000000e-12 km | × 1.000000e-12 |
| centimetre | 1 nm = 1.000000e-07 cm | × 1.000000e-07 |
| millimetre | 1 nm = 0.000001 mm | × 0.000001 |
| inch | 1 nm = 3.937008e-08 in | × 3.937008e-08 |
| foot | 1 nm = 3.280840e-09 ft | × 3.280840e-09 |
| mile | 1 nm = 6.213712e-13 mi | × 6.213712e-13 |
| yard | 1 nm = 1.093613e-09 yd | × 1.093613e-09 |
| micrometre | 1 nm = 0.001 µm | × 0.001 |