What this calculator does
A nanometre is one billionth of a metre, so converting nm to m is a matter of moving the decimal point nine places, or multiplying by 10⁻⁹. It is a small enough unit that it barely comes up outside science: wavelengths of visible light, atomic and molecular sizes, and features on a computer chip are all measured in nanometres.
This calculator converts nanometres to metres, or metres to nanometres, using that exact factor, and also shows the value in micrometres and angstroms, two other units common in the same size range, so a result can be read in whichever unit is most familiar.
The formula
Because "nano" means one billionth (10⁻⁹), a value in nanometres is converted to metres by multiplying by 10⁻⁹, and a value in metres is converted to nanometres by multiplying by 10⁹. Both directions use the same exact power-of-ten factor, just applied in opposite directions.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nm | Nanometre: one billionth (10⁻⁹) of a metre. |
| m | Metre: the SI base unit of length. |
| μm | Micrometre: one millionth of a metre, equal to 1,000 nanometres. |
| Å | Angstrom: a unit equal to 0.1 nanometres, common in chemistry and crystallography. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Value | The value to convert. |
| Convert | Whether you are converting nanometres to metres, or metres to nanometres. |
When to use it
Working with wavelengths of light
Visible light runs from roughly 380 nm to 700 nm; converting a wavelength to metres is often needed to plug it directly into a physics formula that expects SI units.
Reading semiconductor or nanotechnology specifications
Chip fabrication processes and nanomaterials are described by feature sizes in nanometres, and comparing them against a metre-scale measurement needs a direct conversion.
Converting between very small and very large scales
A measurement taken in metres, such as a laboratory instrument reading, sometimes needs restating in nanometres to match the scale a paper, spec sheet or standard uses.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
Nanometres to metres, across a range of light wavelengths
A range of nanometre values, including common visible-light wavelengths, converted to metres, micrometres and angstroms.
| Nanometres | Metres | In micrometres | In angstroms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 nm | 1.0000e-9 m | 0.001000 μm | 10.00 Å |
| 10 nm | 1.0000e-8 m | 0.010000 μm | 100.00 Å |
| 100 nm | 0.00000010 m | 0.100000 μm | 1,000.00 Å |
| 500 nm | 0.00000050 m | 0.500000 μm | 5,000.00 Å |
| 700 nm | 0.00000070 m | 0.700000 μm | 7,000.00 Å |
| 1000 nm | 0.00000100 m | 1.0000 μm | 10,000.00 Å |
Questions
How many metres are in a nanometre?
One nanometre equals 10⁻⁹ metres, or 0.000000001 m. It takes one billion nanometres to make one metre.
How do I convert nm to m?
Multiply the nanometre value by 10⁻⁹ (or move the decimal point nine places to the left). For example, 500 nm becomes 0.0000005 m.
What is the difference between a nanometre and a micrometre?
A micrometre (μm) is one millionth of a metre and equals 1,000 nanometres. Nanometres are used for smaller-scale measurements such as light wavelengths and molecular sizes; micrometres are used for things like bacteria, dust and human hair width.
Why are nanometres used for light wavelengths?
Visible light wavelengths fall between roughly 380 and 700 nanometres, a range that is awkward to express in metres without a lot of leading zeros, so nanometres are the conventional unit for describing colour and spectral measurements.
For a everyday-scale length conversion, see the inches to cm converter. For converting a speed rather than a length, see the m/s to km/h converter.