Struggling With Medical Conversions?

Here is a list of common medical conversions. The most widely used system of measurement used around the world is the metric system, otherwise known as the International System of Units (SI). However, the United States (US) often uses the imperial system.

The Metric (SI) will be detailed on the left while the Imperial (US) will be on the right. These two systems are compared and contrasted on this page in order to calculate them correctly. Click one of the links below to skip to that section.

How to convert  Length  Mass  Volume  Temperature  Time  Pin

Click here to download and print this medical conversions chart (pdf)


How to Convert

To convert a specific measurement, simply multiply that measurement by the one it is equal to. For fahrenheit (f) and celsius (c) conversions, use one of the formulas provided in the temperature section.

For example, If you want to know what 10 kilograms (kg) equals in pounds (lb), simply multiply (X) by 2.2. You do this because 1 kg = 2.2 lb as stated below. So the answer would be 10 X 2.2 = 22. Therefore, 10 kg = 22 lb.

You can also divide (/) in order to get the correct answer. Using the 10 kg example, 1 lb = 0.45 kg as stated below. Therefore, 10 / 0.45 = 22. This gives you the same answer which is 22 lb = 10 kg.

Use the calculator below as needed.

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Length

Metric (SI)

Abbreviations

mm- millimeter

cm - centimeter

m - meter

km - kilometer

Equal to

1 km = 1,000 m = 100,000 cm = 1,000,000 mm

1 m = 100 cm = 1,000 mm

1 cm = 10 mm

SI = US

1 mm = 0.04 in

1 cm = 0.39 in

1 cm = 0.03 ft

1 m = 39.37 in

1 m = 3.28 ft

1 m = 1.09 yd

1 km = 3,281 ft

1 km = 1,094 yd

1 km = 0.62 mi

Imperial (US)

Abbreviations

in - inch

ft - foot

yd - yard

mi - mile

Equal to

1 mi = 1,760 yd = 5,280 ft = 63,360 in

1 yd = 3 ft = 36 in

1 ft = 12 in

US = SI

1 in = 25.4 mm

1 in = 2.54 cm

1 in = 0.0254 m

1 ft = 304.8 mm

1 ft = 30.48 cm

1 ft = 0.3 m

1 yd = 914.4 mm

1 yd = 91.44 cm

1 yd = 0.9144 m

1 mi = 1,609 m

1 mi = 1.6 km


Mass

Metric (SI)

Abbreviations

mcg - microgram

mg - milligram

g - gram

kg - kilogram

Equal to

1 kg = 1,000 g = 1,000,000 mg = 1,000,000,000 mcg

1 g = 1,000 mg = 1,000,000 mcg

1 mg = 1,000 mcg

SI = US

1 g = 0.035 oz

1 kg = 35.27 oz

1 kg = 2.2 lb

Imperial (US)

Abbreviations

oz - ounce

lb - pound

t - ton

Equal to

1 t = 2,000 lb = 32,000 oz

1 lb = 16 oz

US = SI

1 oz = 28,350 mg

1 oz = 28.35 g

1 oz = 0.028 kg

1 lb = 454 g

1 lb = 0.45 kg

1 t = 907 kg


Volume

Metric (SI)

Abbreviations

mL - milliliter

L - liter

cc - cubic centimeter

Equal to

1 L = 1,000 mL = 1,000 cc

1 mL = 1 cc

SI = US

1 mL (cc) = 0.2 tsp

1 mL (cc) = 0.07 tbsp

1 mL (cc) = 0.03 fl oz

1 L = 203 tsp

1 L = 67.6 tbsp

1 L = 33.8 fl oz

1 L = 2.1 pt

1 L = 1.06 qt

1 L = 0.26 gal

No longer widely used

gtts - drops

(values are highly approximated)

1 gtt = 0.05 mL (cc)

1 mL (cc) = 20 gtts

Imperial (US)

Abbreviations

tsp - teaspoon

tbsp - tablespoon

fl oz - fluid ounce

pt - pint

qt - quart

gal - gallon

Equal to

1 gal = 4 qt = 8 pt = 128 fl oz = 256 tbsp = 768 tsp

1 qt = 2 pt = 32 fl oz = 64 tbsp = 192 tsp

1 pt = 16 fl oz = 32 tbsp = 96 tsp

1 fl oz = 2 tbsp = 6 tsp

1 tbs = 3 tsp

US = SI

1 tsp = 5 mL (cc)

1 tbsp = 15 mL (cc)

1 oz = 30 mL (cc)

1 oz = 0.03 L

1 pt = 473 mL (cc)

1 pt = 0.47 L

1 qt = 946 mL (cc)

1 qt = 0.95 L

1 gal = 3,785 mL (cc)

1 gal = 3.79 L


Temperature

Metric (SI)

Abbreviation

c - celsius

SI = US

0 c = 32 f

100 c = 212 f

Imperial (US)

Abbreviation

f - fahrenheit

US = SI

0 f = -17.8 c

100 f = 37.8 c

Temperature conversion formulas

c = ( f - 32 ) X ( 5 / 9 )

Example using 98.6 f

c = ( 98.6 - 32 ) X ( 5 / 9 )

c = 66.6 X 0.556

c = 37

37 c = 98.6 f

f = c X ( 9 / 5 ) + 32

Example using 37 c

f = 37 X ( 9 / 5 ) + 32

f = 37 X 1.8 + 32

f = 66.6 + 32

f = 98.6

98.6 f = 37 c


Time

Abbreviations

s (sec) - second

m (min) - minute

hr - hour

d - day

wk - week

mo - month

yr - year

Equal to

1 yr = 12 mo = 52 wk = 365 d = 8,760 hr = 525,600 m = 31,536,000 s

1 mo = 4.3 wk = 30 d = 730 hr = 43,800 m = 2,628,000 s

1 wk = 7 d = 168 hr = 10,080 m = 604,800 s

1 d = 24 hr = 1,440 m = 86,400 s

1 hr = 60 m = 3,600 s

1 m = 60 s

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