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CONVERT function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation

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What is CONVERT function in Excel?

CONVERT function is one of Engineering functions in Microsoft Excel that converts a number from one measurement system to another. For example, CONVERT can translate a table of distances in miles to a table of distances in kilometers.

Syntax of CONVERT function

CONVERT(number,from_unit,to_unit)

Number     is the value in from_units to convert.

From_unit     is the units for number.

To_unit     is the units for the result.

CONVERT accepts the following text values (in quotation marks) for from_unit and to_unit.

Table 1: Conversion of Distance From_unit or to_unit

Distance From_unit or to_unit
Meter “m”
Statute mile “mi”
Nautical mile “Nmi”
Inch “in”
Foot “ft”
Yard “yd”
Angstrom “ang”
Ell “ell”
Light-year “ly”
Parsec “parsec” or “pc”
Pica (1/72 inch) “Picapt” or “Pica”
Pica (1/6 inch) “pica”
U.S survey mile (statute mile) “survey_mi”

Table 2: Conversion of Time From_unit or to_unit

Time From_unit or to_unit
Year “yr”
Day “day” or “d”
Hour “hr”
Minute “mn” or “min”
Second “sec” or “s”

Table 3: Conversion of Weight and Mass from_unit or to_unit

Weight and mass From_unit or to_unit
Gram “g”
Slug “sg”
Pound mass (avoirdupois) “lbm”
U (atomic mass unit) “u”
Ounce mass (avoirdupois) “ozm”
Grain “grain”
U.S. (short) hundredweight “cwt” or “shweight”
Imperial hundredweight “uk_cwt” or “lcwt” (“hweight”)
Stone “stone”
Ton “ton”
Imperial ton “uk_ton” or “LTON” (“brton”)

Table 4: Conversion of Pressure From_unit or to_unit

Pressure From_unit or to_unit
Pascal “Pa” (or “p”)
Atmosphere “atm” (or “at”)
mm of Mercury “mmHg”
PSI “psi”
Torr “Torr”
Worked Example:   Convert feet and inches to inches in Excel

Table 5: Conversion of Force From_unit or to_unit

Force From_unit or to_unit
Newton “N”
Dyne “dyn” (or “dy”)
Pound force “lbf”
Pond “pond”

Table 6: Conversion of Energy From_unit or to_unit

Energy From_unit or to_unit
Joule “J”
Erg “e”
Thermodynamic calorie “c”
IT calorie “cal”
Electron volt “eV” (or “ev”)
Horsepower-hour “HPh” (or “hh”)
Watt-hour “Wh” (or “wh”)
Foot-pound “flb”
BTU “BTU” (or “btu”)

Table 7: Conversion of Magnetism From_unit or to_unit

Magnetism From_unit or to_unit
Tesla “T”
Gauss “ga”

Table 8: Conversion of Power From_unit or to_unit

Power From_unit or to_unit
Horsepower “HP” (or “h”)
Pferdestärke “PS”
Watt “W” (or “w”)

Table 9: Conversion of Temperature From_unit or to_unit

Temperature From_unit or to_unit
Degree Celsius “C” (or “cel”)
Degree Fahrenheit “F” (or “fah”)
Kelvin “K” (or “kel”)
Degrees Rankine “Rank”
Degrees Réaumur “Reau”

Table 10: Conversion of Volume (or liquid measure ) From_unit or to_unit

Volume (or l iquid measure ) From_unit or to_unit
Teaspoon “tsp”
Modern teaspoon “tspm”
Tablespoon “tbs”
Fluid ounce “oz”
Cup “cup”
U.S. pint “pt” (or “us_pt”)
U.K. pint “uk_pt”
Quart “qt”
Imperial quart (U.K.) “uk_qt”
Gallon “gal”
Imperial gallon (U.K.) “uk_gal”
Liter “l” or “L” (“lt”)
Cubic angstrom “ang3” or “ang^3”
U.S. oil barrel “barrel”
U.S. bushel “bushel”
Cubic feet “ft3” or “ft^3”
Cubic inch “in3” or “in^3”
Cubic light-year “ly3” or “ly^3”
Cubic meter “m3” or “m^3”
Cubic Mile “mi3” or “mi^3”
Cubic yard “yd3” or “yd^3”
Cubic nautical mile “Nmi3” or “Nmi^3”
Cubic Pica “Picapt3”, “Picapt^3”, “Pica3” or “Pica^3”
Gross Registered Ton “GRT” (“regton”)
Measurement ton (freight ton) “MTON”
Worked Example:   Convert feet and inches to inches in Excel

Table 11: onversion of Area From_unit or to_unit

Area From_unit or to_unit
International acre “uk_acre”
U.S. survey/statute acre “us_acre”
Square angstrom “ang2″ or “ang^2”
Are “ar”
Square feet “ft2” or “ft^2”
Hectare “ha”
Square inches “in2” or “in^2”
Square light-year “ly2” or “ly^2”
Square meters “m2” or “m^2”
Morgen “Morgen”
Square miles “mi2” or “mi^2”
Square nautical miles “Nmi2” or “Nmi^2”
Square Pica “Picapt2”, “Pica2”, “Pica^2” or “Picapt^2”
Square yards “yd2” or “yd^2”

Table 12: Conversion of Information From_unit or to_unit

Information From_unit or to_unit
Bit “bit”
Byte “byte”

Table 13: Conversion of Speed From_unit or to_unit

Speed From_unit or to_unit
Admiralty knot “admkn”
Knot “kn”
Meters per hour “m/h” or “m/hr”
Meters per second “m/s” or “m/sec”
Miles per hour “mph”

The following abbreviated unit prefixes can be prepended to any metric from_unit or to_unit.

Binary Prefix Prefix Value Abbreviation Derived from
yobi 2^80 = 1 208 925 819 614 629 174 706 176 “Yi” yotta
zebi 2^70 = 1 180 591 620 717 411 303 424 “Zi” zetta
exbi 2^60 = 1 152 921 504 606 846 976 “Ei” exa
pebi 2^50 = 1 125 899 906 842 624 “Pi” peta
tebi 2^40 = 1 099 511 627 776 “Ti” tera
gibi 2^30 = 1 073 741 824 “Gi” giga
mebi 2^20 = 1 048 576 “Mi” mega
kibi 2^10 = 1024 “ki” kilo
Prefix Multiplier Abbreviation
yotta 1E+24 “Y”
zetta 1E+21 “Z”
exa 1E+18 “E”
peta 1E+15 “P”
tera 1E+12 “T”
giga 1E+09 “G”
mega 1E+06 “M”
kilo 1E+03 “k”
hecto 1E+02 “h”
dekao 1E+01 “da” or “e”
deci 1E-01 “d”
centi 1E-02 “c”
milli 1E-03 “m”
micro 1E-06 “u”
nano 1E-09 “n”
pico 1E-12 “p”
femto 1E-15 “f”
atto 1E-18 “a”
zepto 1E-21 “z”
yocto 1E-24 “y”
Worked Example:   Convert feet and inches to inches in Excel

 

CONVERT formula explanation

  • If the input data types are incorrect, CONVERT returns the #VALUE! error value.
  • If the unit does not exist, CONVERT returns the #N/A error value.
  • If the unit does not support a binary prefix, CONVERT returns the #N/A error value.
  • If the units are in different groups, CONVERT returns the #N/A error value.
  • Unit names and prefixes are case-sensitive.

Example of CONVERT function

Steps to follow:

1. Open a new Excel worksheet.

2. Copy data in the following table below and paste it in cell A1

Note: For formulas to show results, select them, press F2 key on your keyboard and then press Enter.

You can adjust the column widths to see all the data, if need be.

Formula Description Result
=CONVERT(1, “lbm”, “kg”) Converts 1 pound mass to kilograms. 0.4535924
=CONVERT(68, “F”, “C”) Converts 68 degrees Fahrenheit to Celsius. 20
=CONVERT(2.5, “ft”, “sec”) Data types are not the same, so an error is returned. #N/A
=CONVERT(CONVERT(100,”ft”,”m”),”ft”,”m”) Converts 100 square feet into square meters. 9.290304

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