Unit Conversion Cheat Sheet: Essential Conversions You Need to Know

Whether you are cooking with a recipe from another country, working on an international project, or helping a child with homework, unit conversions come up constantly. This guide covers the most useful conversions you are likely to need, organized by category.

Length and Distance

Metric to Imperial

• 1 centimeter = 0.394 inches
• 1 meter = 3.281 feet = 1.094 yards
• 1 kilometer = 0.621 miles

Imperial to Metric

• 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters
• 1 foot = 30.48 centimeters = 0.305 meters
• 1 yard = 0.914 meters
• 1 mile = 1.609 kilometers

Quick Mental Math

• Kilometers to miles — multiply by 0.6 (or more precisely, multiply by 5 and divide by 8)
• Miles to kilometers — multiply by 1.6
• Inches to centimeters — multiply by 2.5

Use our Unit Converter for precise conversions between any units of measurement.

Weight and Mass

Metric to Imperial

• 1 gram = 0.035 ounces
• 1 kilogram = 2.205 pounds
• 1 metric ton = 2,205 pounds

Imperial to Metric

• 1 ounce = 28.35 grams
• 1 pound = 453.6 grams = 0.454 kilograms
• 1 stone = 6.35 kilograms (used in the UK)

Quick Mental Math

• Kilograms to pounds — multiply by 2.2
• Pounds to kilograms — divide by 2.2 (or multiply by 0.45)

Volume and Capacity

Metric

• 1 liter = 1,000 milliliters
• 1 milliliter = 1 cubic centimeter

Metric to Imperial

• 1 liter = 0.264 US gallons = 0.220 Imperial gallons
• 1 liter = 33.814 US fluid ounces
• 1 liter = 4.227 US cups

Imperial to Metric

• 1 US gallon = 3.785 liters
• 1 Imperial gallon = 4.546 liters
• 1 US cup = 236.6 milliliters
• 1 US fluid ounce = 29.57 milliliters

Cooking Conversions

• 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 15 milliliters
• 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 237 milliliters
• 1 pint = 2 cups = 473 milliliters
• 1 quart = 4 cups = 946 milliliters

Temperature

Formulas

• Celsius to Fahrenheit — multiply by 9/5, then add 32
• Fahrenheit to Celsius — subtract 32, then multiply by 5/9

Key Reference Points

• Water freezes: 0°C = 32°F
• Room temperature: 20-22°C = 68-72°F
• Body temperature: 37°C = 98.6°F
• Water boils: 100°C = 212°F

Quick Mental Math

• Celsius to Fahrenheit — double the Celsius value and add 30 (approximate but useful)
• Fahrenheit to Celsius — subtract 30 and divide by 2 (approximate)

Area

• 1 square meter = 10.764 square feet
• 1 square foot = 0.093 square meters
• 1 acre = 43,560 square feet = 4,047 square meters
• 1 hectare = 2.471 acres = 10,000 square meters

Speed

• 1 kilometer per hour = 0.621 miles per hour
• 1 mile per hour = 1.609 kilometers per hour
• 1 knot = 1.151 miles per hour = 1.852 kilometers per hour

Data Storage

• 1 kilobyte (KB) = 1,024 bytes
• 1 megabyte (MB) = 1,024 KB
• 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1,024 MB
• 1 terabyte (TB) = 1,024 GB

Tips for Remembering Conversions

Rather than memorizing every conversion factor, remember these anchor points:

• A meter is slightly longer than a yard — about 10% more
• A kilogram is about 2.2 pounds — slightly more than double
• A liter is slightly more than a quart — about 5% more
• A kilometer is about 60% of a mile — think 5 km is roughly 3 miles

For precise calculations every time, use our Unit Converter. It handles all unit types and gives you exact results instantly, eliminating rounding errors and conversion mistakes.