Conversion Form

EM
REM

About the Unit

EM: EM is a relative unit that depends on the font size of the parent element in which the current element is inserted. That is, 1em will be equivalent to the font size of the parent element. If the font size of the parent element is 20px, 1em will be equal to 20px. This unit is particularly useful when you want to create dynamic layouts that adjust based on the context of the parent element. For example, using em instead of px ensures that the size of fonts, margins, or other layout elements will scale relative to the text size of the parent component, making the design more flexible and responsive. A key detail about em is that it can accumulate when used in chain (i.e., if a child element uses em to set its size and the parent element also uses em, the value will multiply), which can lead to unexpected results if not used carefully.

Pro Tip: emrem

Em scales with the parent font size, while rem scales independently for global consistency.

Quick Reference: Unit Conversion by Tens

EMREM
10em10rem
20em20rem
30em30rem
40em40rem
50em50rem
60em60rem
70em70rem
80em80rem
90em90rem
100em100rem
110em110rem
120em120rem
130em130rem
140em140rem
150em150rem
160em160rem
170em170rem
180em180rem
190em190rem
200em200rem
210em210rem
220em220rem
230em230rem
240em240rem
250em250rem

Live Unit Preview

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

10px

10rem

10em

10%

10vw

10vh

Common Mistake

Em scales with the parent font size, while rem scales independently for global consistency.

Real Code Example

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

Frequently Asked Questions About EM

When should I use em instead of em?

Use em when scaling relative to parent is needed.

How many em is 1em?

Depends on parent font size.

Is em affected by zoom?

Yes, it scales with parent and zoom.

Is em good for fonts?

Yes, especially for nested components.

Keyboard Shortcuts

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

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