Metric conversion chart
The metric system names its units with prefixes: kilo means 1,000, centi means 1/100 and milli means 1/1,000. This chart lays out the prefixes for meters, grams and liters, then matches the metric units to inches, pounds and gallons.
Free printable PDF, 4th grade to 6th grade.
One page, black and white, prints the same every time.
What is on the sheet
The metric prefixes
| Prefix | Times the unit | Length | Mass | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kilo (k) | 1,000 | kilometer (km) | kilogram (kg) | kiloliter (kL) |
| hecto (h) | 100 | hectometer (hm) | hectogram (hg) | hectoliter (hL) |
| deka (da) | 10 | dekameter (dam) | dekagram (dag) | dekaliter (daL) |
| No prefix | 1 | meter (m) | gram (g) | liter (L) |
| deci (d) | 0.1 | decimeter (dm) | decigram (dg) | deciliter (dL) |
| centi (c) | 0.01 | centimeter (cm) | centigram (cg) | centiliter (cL) |
| milli (m) | 0.001 | millimeter (mm) | milligram (mg) | milliliter (mL) |
Metric and customary
| Customary to metric | Metric to customary |
|---|---|
| 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters | 1 centimeter ≈ 0.394 inch |
| 1 foot = 30.48 centimeters | 1 meter ≈ 3.281 feet |
| 1 mile ≈ 1.609 kilometers | 1 kilometer ≈ 0.621 mile |
| 1 ounce ≈ 28.35 grams | 1 gram ≈ 0.035 ounce |
| 1 pound ≈ 0.454 kilogram | 1 kilogram ≈ 2.205 pounds |
| 1 cup ≈ 236.6 milliliters | 1 liter ≈ 4.227 cups |
| 1 gallon ≈ 3.785 liters | 1 liter ≈ 1.057 quarts |
Moving along the prefixes
Each row down the prefix table is 10 times smaller than the one above it, so a metric conversion is always a multiplication or division by 10, 100 or 1,000. 3.5 kilometers is 3,500 meters: three rows down, so multiply by 1,000. 450 centimeters is 4.5 meters: two rows up, so divide by 100. The digits stay the same and the decimal point moves.
Many classes remember the order with "King Henry died by drinking chocolate milk": kilo, hecto, deka, the base unit, deci, centi, milli.
Going between the two systems
The second table crosses from one system to the other. The lines with an equals sign are exact, because an inch is defined as 2.54 centimeters. The rest are rounded and marked ≈. Fourth and 5th grade convert inside one system (CCSS 4.MD.A.1 and 5.MD.A.1); crossing between systems comes in 6th grade, with ratios and unit rates (6.RP.A.3d).
Common questions
- Is it deka or deca?
- Both spellings are in use. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology writes deka, and the symbol is da either way.
- How many centimeters are in a meter?
- 100. Centi means one hundredth, so a centimeter is 1/100 of a meter. A millimeter is 1/1,000 of a meter, so a meter holds 1,000 of those.