This page converts nanometers into picas using the factor 2.362204724e-07, and shows the reverse figure alongside it. Both units measure length, which is why one number does the whole job.
One billionth of a metre — the scale of light wavelengths and chip lithography. Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout.
The mil and the millimetre are not the same thing and are out by a factor of about forty. A mil is one thousandth of an inch — 0.0254 mm — and a spec sheet that quotes film thickness in mils means the small unit. British drawings write the same size as "thou". Below the calculator there is a step table for the values people look up most, and a second table putting real length figures into picas so the number you get has something to be compared against.
The formula
nanometers- The amount you are converting, in nanometers
2.36220472441e-07- The exact number of picas in one nanometer
picas- The converted result
How it works, step by step
- Enter the value in nanometers.
- It is multiplied by 2.36220472441e-07, the exact factor between the two units.
- The answer is shown in picas, with the reverse conversion beneath it.
- Check the reference table if you want a figure of comparable size.
Worked examples
A round figure: 1 nm in picas
A round figure comes to about 1 nm. Multiplying by the factor: 1 × 2.3622e-07 = 2.3622e-07 pica. Dividing the answer back by 2.3622e-07 returns the figure you started with, which is the quickest way to check you have the factor the right way up.
A larger figure: 100 nm in picas
Take a larger figure, roughly 100 nm. The conversion is a single multiplication — 100 × 2.3622e-07 — giving 2.3622e-05 pica. Because the relationship is proportional, doubling the input doubles the answer to 4.72441e-05 pica.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many picas are in one nanometer?
Exactly 2.36220472441e-07. Every figure on this page is that one number multiplied by your input, so the only rounding is at the display step.
What is the formula to convert nanometers to picas?
picas = nanometers × 2.36220472441e-07. Reversed, nanometers = picas ÷ 2.36220472441e-07, which is the same as multiplying by 4,233,333.33333.
Which is the bigger unit, the nanometer or the pica?
The pica. One nanometer is only 2.3622e-07 of a pica, so it takes 4.23333e+06 nanometers to make one pica.
What does this quantity actually measure?
Both units measure length. That is why a single factor is enough: there is no temperature offset and no material property involved, unlike conversions that cross between different quantities.
What is a nanometer?
One billionth of a metre — the scale of light wavelengths and chip lithography.
What is a pica?
Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout.
Why does my answer differ from another converter?
Almost always because the other tool rounded the factor before multiplying. This page keeps full double precision through the calculation and rounds only for display, and it prints the factor it used so you can see where any difference came from.
Is there a quick way to do nm to pica in my head?
Plenty of people do this in their head: divide by 4200000.000000 instead of using the exact factor 0.000000. At 100 that shortcut gives 0.000024 picas, off by 0.000000 picas or about 0.79%. Fine for a rough estimate, not fine for anything you are cutting to size or dosing.
Nanometers to picas reference tables
| Nanometers | Picas |
|---|---|
| 0.5 nm | 1.1811e-07 pica |
| 1 nm | 2.3622e-07 pica |
| 2 nm | 4.72441e-07 pica |
| 3 nm | 7.08661e-07 pica |
| 5 nm | 1.1811e-06 pica |
| 10 nm | 2.3622e-06 pica |
| 20 nm | 4.72441e-06 pica |
| 25 nm | 5.90551e-06 pica |
| 50 nm | 1.1811e-05 pica |
| 75 nm | 1.77165e-05 pica |
| 100 nm | 2.3622e-05 pica |
| 250 nm | 5.90551e-05 pica |
| 500 nm | 0.00011811 pica |
| 1000 nm | 0.00023622 pica |
| 5000 nm | 0.0011811 pica |
Exact factor: 1 nanometer = 2.36220472441e-07 picas.
| Quantity | nm | pica |
|---|---|---|
| A credit card’s long edge | 8.56e+07 nm | 20.22 pica |
| A door height | 2.032e+09 nm | 480 pica |
| An Olympic pool | 5e+10 nm | 1.181e+04 pica |
| The Eiffel Tower | 3.3e+11 nm | 7.795e+04 pica |
| A marathon | 4.22e+13 nm | 9.967e+06 pica |
| Earth’s diameter | 1.274e+16 nm | 3.01e+09 pica |
Published reference values, converted with the same factor this page uses.