Conversion Form

CM
EM

About the Unit

Centimeter (cm): The centimeter (cm) is a metric physical unit, equivalent to 1/100 of a meter. In CSS, the cm unit is primarily used for print design, as it allows specifying exact physical dimensions for layouts that will be printed or exported to physical formats, like PDF. Using cm ensures that the layout elements will have the exact desired size when printed, regardless of screen resolution or device size. 1cm is approximately equal to 37.795px on a 96 DPI screen, making it useful when precise print measurements are needed, but less practical for digital web design, where relative units like px or em are more flexible.

Pro Tip: cm → em

Convert cm to em for scalable text sizes.

Quick Reference: Unit Conversion by Tens

CMEM
10cm3.937008em
20cm7.874016em
30cm11.811024em
40cm15.748031em
50cm19.685039em
60cm23.622047em
70cm27.559055em
80cm31.496063em
90cm35.433071em
100cm39.370079em
110cm43.307087em
120cm47.244094em
130cm51.181102em
140cm55.11811em
150cm59.055118em
160cm62.992126em
170cm66.929134em
180cm70.866142em
190cm74.80315em
200cm78.740157em
210cm82.677165em
220cm86.614173em
230cm90.551181em
240cm94.488189em
250cm98.425197em

Live Unit Preview

See how different CSS units affect the size of the box below:

10px

10rem

10em

10%

10vw

10vh

Common Mistake

Be cautious when mixing cm and em without testing on different screen sizes.

Real Code Example

/* Mobile-first card with cm → em */
.card {
  padding: 0cm;     /* undefinedem */
  font-size: 1.5rem;
  width: min(90vw, 40ch);
}

Frequently Asked Questions About CM

When should I use cm instead of cm?

Use cm for print layouts or physical dimensions.

How many cm is 1cm?

1cm = 37.8px approximately.

Is cm affected by screen size?

No, it's a fixed physical measurement.

Is cm good for web design?

Not typically, better for print styles.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Ctrl + C: Convert
  • Ctrl + I: Invert units
  • Esc: Reset values

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