Units

All the units recognized by the add-in are listed below grouped by their dimension.

Common abbreviations may often be used in place of the unit's name, e.g. 'm' for meter.  In addition, prefixes such as 'kilo' or 'nano' are allowed on units where they are typically used.  Abbreviations for prefixes are also understood, e.g. 'km' for kilometer.

The definition of each dimension is immediately below the dimension name. So for compound dimensions, for example speed, the definition is written Length . Time[-1] - meaning speed is defined as the length traveled per time. 

Some dimensions, such as acceleration do not have their own units. Sometimes units are defined for certain dimensions as a convenience or to match common conventions e.g. mph (miles-per-hour) for speed.

Here is the key to reading the entries

The Dimension Name

A description of the fundamental units with this dimension. 

 

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
a unit in this dimensionthe unit's abbreviation if any  Yes if it accepts common prefixes (kilo, milli etc.) Some notes about the unit

 

The dimensions below are listed alphabetically.


Absolute Viscosity

Mass . Length[-1] . Time[-1]

Also known as:Dynamic Viscosity

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
poisePYes
reynoldreynYesA reyn is 1 lbf s / in^2


Absorbed Radiation Dose

Length[2] . Time[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
grayGyYesSI unit, see also : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_(unit)
rad Yes
rem Yes
sievertSvYes


Absorbed Radiation Dose Rate

Length[2] . Time[-3]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Acceleration

Length . Time[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
galileoGalNo
gravity NoOne gravity on Earth's surface


Angular Acceleration

Plane Angle . Time[-2]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Angular Momentum

Length[2] . Mass . Time[-1]

Also known as:Action

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
atomic-unit-of-action Yes


Angular Velocity

Plane Angle . Time[-1]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
strob Yes


Area

Length[2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
acre NoDifferences exist between international and US acre - this is the US definition, repeated as acre-us
acre-it NoInternational definition
acre-us No
are Yes
barn YesVery small area measure used humourously by nuclear physicists in scattering experiments
barony YesFour thousand intenational acres , acre-it
bovate NoVery old English
bunder YesIn modern times same as a hectare
carucate NoSame as an old English 'hide-old'
circular-inchcirc-inNoUS defintion
circular-inch-it NoInternational defintion
circular-inch-us NoUS defintion
circular-mil NoUS definition
circular-mil-it NoInternational definition
circular-mil-us NoUS definition
circular-thou-it NoInternational definition
dunam NoIs 1000 m^2
feddan YesMiddle Eastern unit
hectarehectYes
hide No
hide-it No
hide-old NoVery old English defintion
hide-us No
jerib YesMiddle Eastern unit, commonly equal to the hectare. See jerib-afghan
jerib-afghan YesAfghan jeribs are 1/5th of a hectare
jitro NoCzech
joch NoAustrian
jutro NoCroat
meter-square YesEntered under this name as a convenience, better to use m^2.
mile-square YesEntered under this name as a convenience, better to use mile^2
ngarn YesThai unit
rai YesThai unit
rood-area No1 rood = 1/4 of an acre, this is based on acre-us, see rood-area-us
rood-area-it NoBased on acre-it
rood-area-us No
shed No
stremma NoIs 1000 m^2, same as a dunam
talangwah YesThai unit
township NoUS definition on mile-us (36 square US miles)
yardland NoDefinition based on acre-it (30 acres)


Capacitance

Time[2] . Mass[-1] . Length[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
abfaradGFYes
faradFYes


Current

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
abampereaAYes
ampereAYes
statampere Yes


Density

Mass . Length[-3]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Dimensionless

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
basis-pointbpsNo
brixdegBxNoFood and wine industry unit
dozen No
flock NoTwo score
gross No
nest NoOld English term
none No
one No
percent%No
score No
unity1No


Dot Pitch

Item . Length[-1]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
dots-per-cmdot-per-cmNo


Electric Charge

Current . Time

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
abcoulombaCYes
coulombCYes
faraday Yes
franklinFrYes
statcoulombstatCYes


Electric Conductance

Time[3] . Current[2] . Mass[-1] . Length[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
siemenSYes
siemenmhoYesThe mho is an old term for siemens http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mho#Mho


Electric Field Strength

Length . Mass . Current[-1] . Time[-3]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Electric Potential

Length[2] . Mass . Current[-1] . Time[-3]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
abvoltabVYes
statvoltstatVYes
voltVYes


Electric Resistance

Length[2] . Mass . Current[-2] . Time[-3]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
ohm Yes


Electric Resistivity

Length[3] . Mass . Current[-2] . Time[-3]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Energy

Length[2] . Mass . Time[-2]

Also known as:Moment/Torque

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
CaloriekcalYes
british-thermal-unitbtuYesSame as BTU (all caps) below and BTU-it, this is BTU(IT)
british-thermal-unitBTUYes
british-thermal-unit-ISOBTU-isoYes
british-thermal-unit-ITBTU-itYes
caloriecalYes
centigrade-heat-unitCHUYes
electron-volteVYes
erg Yes
foot-poundftlbYes
inch-ounceinozYes
inch-poundinlbYes
jouleJYes
kilocaloriekcalYes
pound-footftlbYes
rydbergRyYes
therm YesSame as therm-us
therm-ec Yes
therm-uk Yes1 therm-uk is 100,000 Btu
therm-us Yes
ton-of-tnt Yes


Entropy

Length[2] . Mass . Temperature[-1] . Time[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
clausius Yes


Flow

Length[3] . Time[-1]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Force

Length . Mass . Time[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
Strong-Cobb YesPharmacuetical Industry unit
dyne Yes
gram-forcegfYes
kilogram-forcekgfNo
kilopondkpYes
kip YesKips have two different common abbreviations kip and klb
kip-forceklbYes
long-ton-force Yes
millinewtonmNNo
newtonNYes
ounce-forceozfNo
pound-forcelbfYes
poundalpdlYes
short-ton-force Yes
sthenesnYes
ton-force Yes
tonne-force Yes


Frequency

One . Time[-1]

Also known as:Activity/Wave Count

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
becquerelBqYes
curieCiYes
cycle Yes
hertzHzYes
revolution-per-minuterpmNo
revolution-per-secondrpsNo
rutherfordRdYes


Fuel Consumption

One . Length[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
kilometers-per-literkplNo
miles-per-gallonmpgNo


Fuel Efficiency Mass

Length[2] . Mass[-1] . Time[-2]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Information

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
bitbYes
byteBYes
gigabyteGBNo
kilobytekBNo
megabyteMBNo
nibble No
nybble No
terabyteTBNo
word No


Information Rate

Information . Time[-1]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
baud Yes


Insolation

Mass . Time[-2]

Also known as:Energy Distribution Over Area

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
langleyLyYes


Item

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
dot No
pixel No


Kinematic Viscosity

Length[2] . Time[-1]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
stokeStYes


Length

A fundamental dimension

Also known as:Distance

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
angstromAngNo
arpent NoAn old French measure, still in use in Canada and Louisianna
arshin YesCommonly used as an area unit too, squared
astronomical-unitAUNo
atomic-unit-of-length NoSame as a Bohr (the radius of Hydrogen)
barleycorn NoDefunct historical measure
bicron NoSame as a picometer
bohr No
brasse NoEquivalent of the English Fathom
braza NoSpanish measure, can vary
breadth NoHistorical measure of interest in flags
cable NoUS standard
cable-imp NoImperial measure
cable-it NoInternational standard
cable-us NoUS standard
chainchNoGunter's Surveyor's standard
charriere No
cubit NoA cubit is 18 International inches by modern convention, historically it's all over the place
ell NoBased on US inch
ell-it NoBased on International inch
ell-us NoBased on US inch
encablure NoEquivalent to the English cable
fall-scots NoMostly a Scots unit
fathom No1 fathom is 6 feet
fermifmYes
finger No
finger-cloth No
footftNoUS (foot-us) definition
foot-ben NoA historical foot definition Benoit
foot-cape NoA historical foot definition Clarke's Cape
foot-indian NoA historical foot definition Indian
foot-it NoInternational foot
foot-jersey NoSee pied-perche
foot-scots No
foot-sears NoA historical foot definition used by the Sears Company
foot-us No
french NoSame as a charriere
furlongfurNo
furlong-it No
furlong-scots NoBased on 'falls'
furlong-us No1 furlong-us is 220 yard-us
hand NoFour International inches
hundred-foot No
inchinNoUS inch, same as inch-us
inch-it NoInch based on international foot , foot-it
inch-us No
knot-length No
league NoA statue league, see nautical-league also
light-day No
light-hour No
light-minute No
light-second No
light-yearlyNo
light-yearl.y.NoAlternative abbreviation
ligne NoA Canadian version also exists as linge-ca. Equivalent to a 'line'
ligne-ca No
line-lengthlnNoNot to be confused with electrical 'lines'
line-length-button NoGarment industry measure
link No
link-gun NoLink per Gunther's Surveyor's = 1/100 chain
link-ram NoLink per Ramsden's Engineer's, same as international foot
lug NoSame as a rod-it, see also lug-great.
lug-great NoOne more international yard than a regular lug.
lunar-distanceLDNoThe length of the semi-major axis of the moon's orbit. Used to measure astronomical distance near to earth.
metermYes
mickey No1/200th of a US inch, inch-us
micron No
mil No
mil-swe NoNorway and Sweden the mil is a large measure of length ~10km, not a fine one
milemi.NoUS mile
mile-geo NoGeographical mile, of historical interest
mile-it NoInternation mile
mile-scots NoBased on 'falls'
mile-tele NoTelegraph mile, of historical interest
mile-usmi.NoUS mile
nail NoCloth measure = 2.25 inch-it
nautical-league No
nautical-milenmi.NoSame as International Nautical Mile
nautical-mile-adm NoAdmiralty Nautical Mile
nautical-mile-itnmi.NoThe international nautical mile
pace No
palm No
palmo No
parsecpcYes
perch No1 perch is 1 rod, historical measure
pica-ps NoPostscript definition
pied NoSee pied-de-roi and pied-ca.
pied-ca NoSee pied-de-roi-ca.
pied-de-roi NoAlso called the Paris foot. A Canadian version also exists as pied-de-roi-ca.
pied-de-roi-ca NoAlso called the Paris foot. An English version also exists as pied-de-roi.
pied-perche NoA Channel Islands measure also called the Jersey Foot.
point NoMetric definition
point-ata NoAdvertising Typographers Association definition
point-eur NoEuropean, Didot definition
point-ps NoPostscript definition
pole No1 rod same as 1 pole
pouce NoA Canadian version also exists as pouce-ca. Pouce is the French for 'thumb'. Equivalent to 'inch'
pouce-ca No
rod NoRods and roods are the same units in length, for rood area see rood-area
roodroNo40 rods in a furlong-us
rope No20 international feet, foot-it, uncommon now
siegbahn NoSame as an x-unit
span NoHistorical measure
spat No
stick No2 international inches, historical only
stigma NoSame as a picometer
stunde YesSwiss
thoumilNoSame as a mil
toise No
twip No
vara No
verhst YesAlternate spelling of verst
verst YesRussian, also speleed werst
x-unit NoSame as a siegbahn
yardyd.NoUS definition, same as yard-us
yard-it NoInternational yard definition
yard-us No


Linear Momentum

Length . Mass . Time[-1]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Luminance

Luminous Intensity . Length[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
foot-lambertfLaYes
lambertLaYesSome times Lamberts are abbreviated 'L' but this is officially a liter
meter-lambertnitYesSame as a nit
nit Yes1 Candela / meter^2 = 1 nit
stilb Yes


Luminous Energy

Luminous Intensity . Time

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
talbot Yes


Luminous Flux

Length[2] . Luminous Intensity

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
lumenlmYes


Luminous Intensity

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
bougiebgYesSame as candela
candelacdYes
candle YesSame as candela
candle-powercpYes
carcel Yes
centimeter-candle No
flame Yes
foot-candleftcNo
luxlxYes1 lux = 1 lumen per square meter
meter-candle No
nox Yes
photphYes


Magnetic Flux

Length[2] . Mass . Current[-1] . Time[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
abampere-turnabAtYes
ampere-turnAtYes
gilbertGiYes
line YesMaxwells used to be 'lines'
maxwellMxYes
weberWbYesOne weber / m^2 = 1 tesla


Magnetic Flux Density

Mass . Current[-1] . Time[-2]

Also known as:Magnetic Field/Magnetic Induction

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
gaussGYes
oerstedOeYeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oersted
teslaTYes


Magnetic Inductance

Length[2] . Mass . Current[-2] . Time[-2]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
abhenryabHYes
henryHYes
stathenrystatHYes


Mass

A fundamental dimension

Also known as:Weight

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
atomic-mass-unituNo
atomic-mass-unitamuNo
caratct.NoMetric carat
clove Yes
crith Yes
daltonDaNo
dram NoDo not confuse with drams-fluid
dram-troy NoApothecary or troy standard, much more than regular dram
funt NoRussian
gammaSame as a microgramYes
geepound YesSame as a slug
grain Yes
gramgYes
grave YesSame as a kg
hundredweighthwgtNoAlso known as a short hundredweight
karatkt.NoUS/English karat
long-hundredweight No
long-ton No
mark No
metric-tontNo
metric-tonnetNo
mite Yes
mite-metric Yes
ounceozNo
ounce-troyoztNo
pennyweightpwtNoSometimes abbreviated dwt too
poundlbYes
pound-troylbtYes
quintal No
scruple NoDo not confuse with fluid-scruples
sheet No
short-hundredweight No
short-tontonNo
slug Yes
stone Yes
sun NoThe mass of our Sun
ton Yes
tonnetYes


Mass Flow

Mass . Time[-1]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Molar Flow

Substance . Time[-1]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Mole Flux

Substance . Time[-2]

Also known as:Catalytic Activity

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
katalkatYes


Moment Of Inertia

Length[2] . Mass

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
inertial-masskgm2Yes


Musical Tempo

A fundamental dimension

Also known as:Beat

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
breve No
crotchet No
minim-tempo No
note No
quaver No
semibreve No
semiquaver No


Plane Angle

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
Pi NoSince this software defines derivative units in terms of reference units, it's convenient to have Pi defined for purposes of angles
angular-mil No
arc-second No
arcminute'No
arcsecond"NoSingle double quote
arcsecond''YesDouble single quote abbreviation
degreedegNo
gradiangradNoSometimes also known as a 'gon'
octant No
quadrant No
radian NoWe cannot use rad to be the abreviation for 'radian' because rad is abbreviation for Radiation Dose Quantity.
revolution No
sextant No
sign No


Power

Length[2] . Mass . Time[-3]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
horsepowerhpYes
horsepower-electrical No
horsepower-euro-electric Yes
horsepower-metric Yes
lusec NoPower unit common in measuring the performance of pumps.
poncelet No
wattWYes


Pressure

Mass . Length[-1] . Time[-2]

Also known as:Energy Density/Mechanical Stress

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
atmosphereatmYes
bar Yes
barye Yes
centimeters-of-mercurycmHgYes
centimeters-of-watercmH2ONo
feet-of-water No
inches-of-mercuryinHgNo
inches-of-water No
millimeters-of-mercurymmHgNo
millimeters-of-watermmH2ONo
pascalPaYes
pound-per-square-inchpsiYes
technical-atmosphereatYes
torr Yes


Solid Angle

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
steradiansrYes


Specific Heat Capacity

Length[2] . Temperature[-1] . Time[-2]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Specific Volume

Length[3] . Mass[-1]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Substance

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
molemolYes


Subtance Concentration

Substance . Length[-3]

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
molar-concentratemol-concentrateYes


Surface Tension

Mass . Time[-2]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Temperature

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
celsiusdegCNo
centigradedegCNo
fahrenheitdegFNo
kelvinKNo
rankineRYes
rankinedegRNo
reaumurReaumurNo


Thermal Conductivity

Length . Mass . Temperature[-1] . Time[-3]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Thermal Resistance

Time[3] . Temperature . Mass[-1] . Length[-2]

Dimension has no declared units of its own


Time

A fundamental dimension

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
atomic-unit-of-time Yes
day No
fortnight NoA fortnight is two weeks
hourhrNo
jiffy YesJiffies are a little informal and there are numerous definitions
lunation NoLunar month, approximate. For true astronomical calculations use dedicated software.
minuteminNo
secondsYes
shake Yes
sigma Yes
svedberg Yes
week No
yearyrNoYears are converted in seconds per year rather than by the calendar so 1 year ~= 365.26 days.


Velocity

Length . Time[-1]

Also known as:Speed

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
kilometer-per-hourkphNo
knotknNoSometimes also abbreviated as kt but also is kilotonne, so we stick with kn
knotktsNo
knot-admiralty No
mach NoThis is mach as defined by the speed of sound in air at a fixed temperature,pressure and humidity
meter-per-second No
mile-per-hourmphNo
noeud NoFrench, same as a knot


Volume

Length[3]

Both wet and dry volumes are represented here

Also known as:Capacity/Dry Volume/Wet Volume

UnitAbbreviationPrefixesNotes
acre-foot NoUS survey standard, usually used for measuring water in agriculture
acre-inch No
almude NoSpanish and Portugese measure
bag NoImperial mesaure, same as an Imperial sack
barrelblNoUS standard, repeated as barrel-us
barrel-impbl-impNoImperial standard
barrel-oilbl-oilNo
barrel-usbl-usNoUS standard
barrel-us-dry No
board NoDo not confuse with length units board-foot
board-foot No
boiler-horsepower-equivalent-direct-radiationbhp-EDRNo
breakfast-cup NoImperial measure, bigger than an Imperial cup
bucket NoImperial measure
bushelbuNoUS standard, dry and level
bushel-imp NoImperial standard
bushel-us NoUS standard, dry and level
bushel-us-heaped NoUS standard, dry and heaped
butcher NoAustralian drinks measure
butt NoUsually a wine measure
cord NoDo not confuse this with 'cord-firewood' a volume unit, 1 cord = 192 board
cuartillos NoSpanish measure
cubic-centimeterccNo
cubic-footccfNo
cup No
cup-imp NoImperial or Canadian cup measure
cup-metric NoQuarter of a liter
cup-us No
dash NoUS standard
dash-imp No
dash-us No
dessertspoon NoImperial measure, 2 imperial teaspoons
dram-fluid NoUS standard = 1/8 of a fluid ounce
drop NoThere is an alternative definition for a US drop, this is 1/360 US floz.
drop-imp No
drop-medical No
drop-metric No
drop-us No
fanega NoSpanish measure, do not confuse with similar area measure
fatt No
fillette YesHalf bottle of Champagne
firkin No
flagon NoUsually a drinks measure
fluid-drachamfldrNoImperial unit
fluid-ounceflozNo
fluid-ounce-imp NoImperial fluid ounce
fluid-ounce-us No
fluid-scrupleflsNoImperial unit
fluidram NoSame as a dram fluid
gallongalNo
gallon-imp No
gallon-us No
gallon-us-dry No
gallon-us-dry No
galopin NoFrench drinks measure
garnets NoRussian
gill NoUS gill 4 US fluid ounces
gill-imp No
gill-us NoUS gill 4 US fluid ounces
hogsheadhhdNo
hogshead-imp NoBasically two Imperial barrels
hogshead-us No
jigger No
kilderkin No
lambda Yes
last NoImperial mesaure
literLYes
meter-cubed No
minim NoUS standard
minim-imp No
minim-us No
nebuchadnezzar NoLarge wine measure
nip NoEnglish drinks measure
nip-us NoUS drinks measure
noggin No
peckpkNoUS standard, a dry measure
peck-imp No
peck-us NoA dry measure
pinch NoUS standard
pinch-imp No
pinch-us No
pintpt.NoFluid Pint, dry print is pint-us-dry
pint-dry NoSame as pint-us-dry
pint-imp No
pint-us No
pint-us-dry No
pipe No
pony No
pottle No
quartqt.No
quart-imp No
quart-us No
quart-us-dry No
quarten No
sack No
sack-imp No
sack-us No
shot No
strike No
strike-imp No
strike-us No
stubbie NoAustralian drinks measure
super-foot NoAustralian equivalent to a board-foot
tablespoonTspNoUS standard
tablespoon-canada NoCanadian tablespoon measure slightly smaller than US tablespoon
tablespoon-impTsp-impNoThe Imperial measure
tablespoon-metric No
tablespoon-usTsp-usNoUS standard
teaspoontspNoUS standard
teaspoon-imp No
teaspoon-metric No
teaspoon-us No
tumblerful NoSame as a breakfast-cup
tun No252 US gallons = 1 tun = 210 imperial gallons : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun_(unit)
wey NoUS mesaure


 

Did you know...

There are four common dimensions in the physical world:  the three spacial dimensions and one time dimension.

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