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