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Millimeters to centimeters converter

Convert millimeters to centimeters (mm to cm) with the exact factor, a conversion chart and worked steps.

Updated Checked against 3 worked examples

mm
Try
Centimeters
cm
Centimeters: 2.5 cm
Shown to 12 significant figures, half-up
Conversion
25 mm = 2.5 cm
1 cm in millimeters
10mm

25 millimeters is 2.5 centimeters. Going the other way, 1 cm is 10 mm.

Millimeters to centimeters

02040100200300400500mmcm25 → 2.5
Mm to cm chart (12 rows)
MillimetersCentimeters
10.1
20.2
50.5
101
151.5
202
252.5
303
505
757.5
10010
50050
How it's calculated S
  1. Conversion factor

    1 mm=0.1 cm1\ \text{mm} = 0.1\ \text{cm}

    Exact by definition.

  2. Multiply

    25×0.1=2.5 cm25 \times 0.1 = 2.5\ \text{cm}

About the millimeters to centimeters converter

Millimeter readings are useful for small clearances, fasteners and drawing dimensions. Retain the tolerance with the original measurement: converting the number cannot make a manufactured part more accurate. Check whether a nominal part size describes its actual measured diameter.

One millimetre is exactly 0.1 centimeters, so 25 mm is 2.5 cm. To convert mm to cm, multiply by 0.1; to convert back, multiply by 10.

The millimetre is one thousandth of a metre, the SI base unit of length. Because both units are defined exactly, the factor above is exact and the results here carry no conversion error.

Worked examples

25 mm to cm

Millimeters (mm)
25 mm
Centimeters
2.5 cm

Checked against: Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions (scripts/gen-pairs.py, Python fractions)

15 mm to cm

Millimeters (mm)
15 mm
Centimeters
1.5 cm

Checked against: Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions (scripts/gen-pairs.py, Python fractions)

100 mm to cm

Millimeters (mm)
100 mm
Centimeters
10 cm

Checked against: Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions (scripts/gen-pairs.py, Python fractions)

Questions

When would I convert mm to cm?

Millimeter readings are useful for small clearances, fasteners and drawing dimensions. Retain the tolerance with the original measurement: converting the number cannot make a manufactured part more accurate. Check whether a nominal part size describes its actual measured diameter.

How many centimeters are in a millimetre?

One millimetre is exactly 0.1 centimeters. The millimetre is one thousandth of a metre, the SI base unit of length.

How do you convert mm to cm?

Multiply the number of millimeters by 0.1. For example, 25 mm × 0.1 = 2.5 cm. To go the other way, divide by 0.1.

How accurate is the millimeters to centimeters converter?

Accuracy depends on your inputs and the method's assumptions. Decimal arithmetic uses 50 significant digits, but estimates, numerical methods and source data can be less precise; the displayed rounding does not remove those limits. It is checked against 3 worked examples whose answers come from independent sources; for example, “25 mm to cm” is checked against Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions (scripts/gen-pairs.py, Python fractions).

Where does the method come from?

NIST SP 811 (2008), Guide for the Use of the International System of Units, Appendix B; NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General tables of units of measurement; BIPM, The International System of Units (SI Brochure), 9th edition.

About this calculator

centimeters=millimeters×0.1\text{centimeters} = \text{millimeters} \times 0.1

Sources

  1. NIST SP 811 (2008), Guide for the Use of the International System of Units, Appendix B
  2. NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General tables of units of measurement
  3. BIPM, The International System of Units (SI Brochure), 9th edition

Checked against references

3 worked examples with independently sourced answers ship with this calculator. They run in the test suite; you can run them here too.

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