Density Converter

1. Enter the value you want to convert.
2. Choose the from unit.
3. Choose the to unit.
4. Read the result and the conversion rate.

Here is what each result means:

Density is how much mass is packed into a given volume. A dense material like lead has a lot of mass in a small space, while a light one like polystyrene has little. Because both metric and imperial systems measure mass and volume differently, density appears in several units, and a figure from a datasheet or textbook might use any of them.

The SI unit is kilograms per cubic metre. A very handy fact is that water has a density of 1,000 kilograms per cubic metre, which is the same as 1 gram per cubic centimetre or 1 kilogram per litre. Those metric units line up neatly, while imperial units like pounds per cubic foot use different mass and volume measures.

This converter bridges every unit through kilograms per cubic metre. It multiplies your value by the number of kilograms per cubic metre in its unit, then divides by the number in the target unit. Because each unit has a fixed value, the conversions are exact and never change.

Grams per cubic centimetre, grams per millilitre and kilograms per litre are all numerically equal, because a cubic centimetre is a millilitre and a litre is a thousand of them. That is why the density of water is 1 in all three, a coincidence of the metric system that makes it a convenient reference point.

It converts through kilograms per cubic metre, the SI unit of density.

1. Your value is multiplied by its unit's value in kilograms per cubic metre.
2. That gives the density in kilograms per cubic metre, the common base.
3. Dividing by the target unit's value gives the result.

For the physics side, see the density calculator and the pressure converter.

Convert 1,000 kg/m3 to grams per cubic centimetre.

Result: 1,000 kg/m3 is 1 g/cm3, the density of water. That is the same as 1 gram per millilitre and 1 kilogram per litre, and about 62.4 pounds per cubic foot.

Every unit has a fixed value in kilograms per cubic metre.

The three thousand-value units, grams per cubic centimetre, grams per millilitre and kilograms per litre, are all equal. Pounds per cubic inch is a very large unit, because a cubic inch is tiny, so even light materials give big numbers per cubic metre.

Density tells you at a glance how heavy a material is for its size.

Anything with a density below that of water, like cork, floats, while denser materials sink. Comparing densities is a quick way to judge whether a material is light or heavy for its size, whichever unit the figure is quoted in.

The Two Units

The ratio between the from-unit and to-unit sets the result; each has a fixed value in kg/m3.

Metric Coincidences

g/cm3, g/mL and kg/L are all equal, so converting among them changes only the label.

The Size of the Volume Unit

A small volume unit like the cubic inch gives large numbers per cubic metre.

Science and Chemistry

Convert a density between kg/m3 and g/cm3 for a calculation.

Engineering

Move between metric and imperial density units for materials.

Everyday Questions

Compare a material's density with water to see if it floats.

1. Slipping a Factor of 1,000

g/cm3 is 1,000 times kg/m3. Missing this is a common thousand-fold error.

2. Confusing Similar Metric Units

g/cm3, g/mL and kg/L are equal, but g/L is a thousand times smaller.

3. Mixing Mass and Weight

Density uses mass. Pounds here are treated as a mass unit, matching common usage.

4. Wrong Direction

Check which unit is the from and which is the to; swapping them inverts the result.

5. Ignoring Temperature

Density changes slightly with temperature; the converter uses the value as given.

Conversions use fixed factors relative to kilograms per cubic metre.

1,000 kilograms per cubic metre, which is the same as 1 gram per cubic centimetre, 1 gram per millilitre and 1 kilogram per litre.

Divide by 1,000. So 2,700 kg/m3 is 2.7 g/cm3. To go the other way, multiply grams per cubic centimetre by 1,000.

The kilogram per cubic metre. Grams per cubic centimetre is also very common, and it is 1,000 times larger.

Yes, numerically. A cubic centimetre is a millilitre, and a litre is a thousand of them with a thousand grams, so all three give the same number.

Multiply pounds per cubic foot by about 16.02. So 62.4 lb/ft3, the density of water, is about 1,000 kg/m3.

Anything below 1,000 kg/m3, or 1 g/cm3. Cork at about 240 kg/m3 floats, while iron at 7,870 kg/m3 sinks.

Yes, slightly. Most materials expand and become a little less dense as they warm. This converter uses the value you enter, without a temperature adjustment.

Related but not the same. Specific gravity is density compared with water, so for water-based units the numbers match, but specific gravity has no unit.

No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere, unless you choose Save, which keeps the result only on this device.

• Density (Wikipedia).
• Kilogram per cubic metre (Wikipedia).
• Orders of magnitude (density) (Wikipedia).