Conversion Form

CM
VW

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 → vw

Use cm for print sizes and vw for screen widths.

Quick Reference: Unit Conversion by Tens

CMVW
10cm19.685039vw
20cm39.370079vw
30cm59.055118vw
40cm78.740157vw
50cm98.425197vw
60cm118.110236vw
70cm137.795276vw
80cm157.480315vw
90cm177.165354vw
100cm196.850394vw
110cm216.535433vw
120cm236.220472vw
130cm255.905512vw
140cm275.590551vw
150cm295.275591vw
160cm314.96063vw
170cm334.645669vw
180cm354.330709vw
190cm374.015748vw
200cm393.700787vw
210cm413.385827vw
220cm433.070866vw
230cm452.755906vw
240cm472.440945vw
250cm492.125984vw

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 vw without testing on different screen sizes.

Real Code Example

/* Mobile-first card with cm → vw */
.card {
  padding: 0cm;     /* undefinedvw */
  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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