Calculator
What the Density Converter does
Density Converter: 1 kg/m³ = 0.001 g/cm³, so multiply a kilogram per cubic metre value by 0.001 to get gram per cubic centimetre, or divide to go back. Example: 1 kg/m³ = 0.001 g/cm³.
With Value, From and To entered, the Density Converter works out Result, How it was calculated and Reverse conversion. Values update as you type, so comparing options is a matter of editing one field.
Typical users are engineers checking a datasheet. Converting once from the original figure beats chaining approximations.
Because it is all local, the tool is as fast as your device and as private as your own notes.
Field definitions, the method, and a worked example from the default values are all set out further down the page.
What do the Density Converter fields mean?
The Density Converter uses 3 inputs. Nothing is blank on load, so you can see the shape of the answer before supplying your own figures.
| Field | What to enter | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Value | required | 1 |
| From | choose from Kilogram per cubic metre (kg/m³), Gram per cubic centimetre (g/cm³), Gram per millilitre (g/mL), Kilogram per litre (kg/L), Pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) or Pound per cubic inch (lb/in³) | Kilogram per cubic metre (kg/m³) |
| To | choose from Kilogram per cubic metre (kg/m³), Gram per cubic centimetre (g/cm³), Gram per millilitre (g/mL), Kilogram per litre (kg/L), Pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) or Pound per cubic inch (lb/in³) | Gram per cubic centimetre (g/cm³) |
How does the Density Converter work?
Both units are converted through density's base unit (kg/m³), so any of the 7 units in the dropdowns can be paired in either direction without loss of accuracy.
Exact definitions are preferred throughout: the metre, the inch and the pound all have them. Only where a unit depends on a measured constant is an accepted published value substituted.
Worked example
These are the values the Density Converter loads by default, and the result it produces from them. These are the exact values loaded when the page opens, and the answer they produce.
| Value | 1 |
|---|---|
| From | Kilogram per cubic metre (kg/m³) |
| To | Gram per cubic centimetre (g/cm³) |
| Result | 0.001 g/cm³ |
|---|---|
| How it was calculated | 1 kg/m³ = 0.001 g/cm³, so 1 × 0.001 = 0.001 g/cm³ |
| Reverse conversion | 1000 kg/m³ (if you meant 1 g/cm³) |
Density
Density relates mass to volume, and one especially handy fact simplifies several of the units on this converter: 1 gram per cubic centimetre (g/cm³) is numerically identical to 1 kilogram per litre (kg/L) (both equal exactly 1,000 kg/m³), because a cubic centimetre and a millilitre are exactly the same volume.
Worth knowing
- Water’s density is almost exactly 1,000 kg/m³ (1 g/cm³, 1 kg/L) at around 4°C, which is precisely why the gram and the millilitre/cubic-centimetre were originally defined the way they were. The metric system was deliberately built so that water’s density would work out to this convenient round number.
- US engineering and materials specifications often use pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft³) instead: 1 lb/ft³ equals about 16.02 kg/m³, a conversion that comes up in construction material density specs (concrete, insulation, soil) comparing US and metric sources.
- Because density links mass and volume, it’s the quantity that determines whether something floats: anything less dense than the fluid it’s placed in (like ice at about 917 kg/m³ in water at 1,000 kg/m³) floats, and anything denser sinks.
Definitions: BIPM SI Brochure · NIST reference on units
How to use it
- Type Value.
- Pick a value for From: the options are Kilogram per cubic metre (kg/m³), Gram per cubic centimetre (g/cm³), Gram per millilitre (g/mL), Kilogram per litre (kg/L), Pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) or Pound per cubic inch (lb/in³).
- Pick a value for To: the options are Kilogram per cubic metre (kg/m³), Gram per cubic centimetre (g/cm³), Gram per millilitre (g/mL), Kilogram per litre (kg/L), Pound per cubic foot (lb/ft³) or Pound per cubic inch (lb/in³).
- No submit step is needed; the output updates while you edit.
- Look at Result, How it was calculated and Reverse conversion in the output panel.
- Print gives a tidy version without the navigation, which is handy for attaching to a file.
What this tool does not do
- Conversion factors use SI definitions; some industries use their own rounded factors.
- Repeated conversions compound rounding, so convert once from the original value where possible.
- Batch work is not supported; each run handles one set of values.
- Garbage in, garbage out: confirm each figure means what you think it does before trusting the result.
Frequently asked questions
Value, From and To. That is the whole form. Nothing starts empty, so the form is usable immediately, without filling anything in first.
With the values loaded when the page opens, result comes out as 0.001 g/cm³. Overwrite any of the starting values and the result follows.
No. The work runs in JavaScript inside this page, so your values never leave your device. You can confirm it in your browser network tab.
No payment and no login. Advertising covers the running costs.
It follows the standard definition for this operation, so the result matches what a reference implementation would give.