Metres to Nanometres Converter
1 m = 1,000,000,000 nm exactly. Type in either box.
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Nine zeros
Nano means a thousand-millionth, so a metre is 109 nanometres.
1 m = 1,000,000,000 nm exactly
It is the scale of light and molecules. Visible light runs from about 380 nm (violet) to 700 nm (red); a DNA helix is about 2 nm wide; a virus is tens to hundreds of nanometres.
The metre
The SI base unit of length. It began in 1793 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole, then became a platinum bar, and since 1983 has been defined by the speed of light: the distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
That definition makes the metre exact and reproducible anywhere, which is why every other unit on this page is now defined in terms of it — including the foot and the inch.
The nanometre
A thousand millionth of a metre. Visible light runs from about 380 nm at the violet end to 700 nm at the red; a DNA helix is about 2 nm wide; a sheet of paper is roughly 100,000 nm thick.
It is the working unit of nanotechnology and semiconductor manufacturing, although the "nanometre" in a chip process name has not described a physical dimension for some years now.
The working, step by step
Every line updates with whatever you type above. The point is the method, which is the same for any pair of units in this family.
The same quantity, two different numbers
One physical amount, read off two scales. The tick marks do not line up, and the gap between them is the conversion factor made visible.
How much is that?
A number is easier to judge next to something familiar.
Your turn
Reading a method and being able to use it are different things. Answer within half a per cent and it counts as correct.
Score: 0 of 0
How to use this converter
- Type into either box. The other side updates as you go; there is no button to press.
- Swap the direction with the button between the boxes, carrying your value across.
- Set the decimals if the default is more or less precision than you need.
- Copy the answer with its unit, ready to paste.
- Use the shortcut buttons for the values that come up most often.
- Share the result. The address bar tracks what you type, so the link you copy opens on the same number.
Common uses and tips
Where length conversions come up
- Height. Quoted in feet and inches in Britain and America, and in centimetres nearly everywhere else. 5 ft 10 in is 178 cm.
- Buying things online from another market, where the dimensions are in units your tape measure does not have.
- DIY and building, where materials come in metric sizes and older plans are in imperial.
- Screens, tyres and pipes, which stay in inches worldwide even in fully metric countries.
- Running and cycling, where race distances are metric and training apps may report either.
Numbers worth carrying
- 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly. Everything imperial in this family descends from it.
- 1 foot = 30.48 cm, twelve inches.
- 1 yard = 0.9144 m, a little shorter than a metre.
- 1 mile = 1.609 km, and 1 km = 0.621 mile.
- A metre is about 39.37 inches, or 3 ft 3 in.
Mental shortcuts
Kilometres to miles: multiply by six and drop the last digit. 80 km × 6 = 480, drop the digit for 48 miles, against a true 49.7.
Miles to kilometres: add sixty per cent. 50 miles plus 60 % is 80 km, against a true 80.5.
Centimetres to inches: divide by 2.5 and take off a little. Dividing by 2.5 gives an answer about 1.6 % high.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Feet and inches are not decimal. 5.5 feet is 5 ft 6 in, not 5 ft 5 in. Multiply the decimal part by twelve.
- Do not use length factors for area or volume. A foot is 0.3048 m, but a square foot is 0.0929 m² and a cubic foot 0.0283 m³.
- Check which mile. A nautical mile is 1,852 m, about 15 % longer than a statute mile.
Values people look up most
Each one opens the converter with the number already in it.
- 0.000000001 m to nm
- 0.00000055 m to nm
- 0.000001 m to nm
- 0.00001 m to nm
- 0.0001 m to nm
- 0.001 m to nm
- 0.01 m to nm
- 0.1 m to nm
- 1 m to nm
Quick reference
| Metres | Nanometres |
|---|---|
| 0.000000001 m | 1 nm |
| 0.00000055 m | 550 nm |
| 0.000001 m | 1,000 nm |
| 0.0001 m | 100,000 nm |
| 0.001 m | 1,000,000 nm |
| 0.01 m | 10,000,000 nm |
| 1 m | 1,000,000,000 nm |
Questions people ask
How many nanometres in a metre?
Exactly 1,000,000,000.
What is the wavelength of green light?
About 550 nm, which is 5.5 × 10⁻⁷ m.
How small is a nanometre?
A sheet of paper is roughly 100,000 nm thick.