One pica is exactly 2.285817135e-06 nautical miles, so converting picas to nautical miles is a single multiplication. Enter any figure and the result appears as you type — the arithmetic runs in your browser, so nothing is sent anywhere.
Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout. Exactly 1,852 metres — one minute of latitude, the basis of marine and air navigation.
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 nautical miles so the number you get has something to be compared against.
The formula
picas- The amount you are converting, in picas
2.28581713463e-06- The exact number of nautical miles in one pica
nautical miles- The converted result
How it works, step by step
- Enter the value in picas.
- It is multiplied by 2.28581713463e-06, the exact factor between the two units.
- The answer is shown in nautical miles, with the reverse conversion beneath it.
- Check the reference table if you want a figure of comparable size.
Worked examples
A door height: 480 pica in nautical miles
Take a door height, roughly 480 pica. The conversion is a single multiplication — 480 × 2.28582e-06 — giving 0.00109719 nmi. Because the relationship is proportional, doubling the input doubles the answer to 0.00219438 nmi.
The Eiffel Tower: 7.8e+04 pica in nautical miles
Take the eiffel tower, roughly 7.8e+04 pica. The conversion is a single multiplication — 7.8e+04 × 2.28582e-06 — giving 0.178294 nmi. Because the relationship is proportional, doubling the input doubles the answer to 0.356587 nmi.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many nautical miles are in one pica?
Exactly 2.28581713463e-06. 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 picas to nautical miles?
nautical miles = picas × 2.28581713463e-06. Reversed, picas = nautical miles ÷ 2.28581713463e-06, which is the same as multiplying by 437,480.314961.
Which is the bigger unit, the pica or the nautical mile?
The nautical mile. One pica is only 2.28582e-06 of a nautical mile, so it takes 437,480 picas to make one nautical mile.
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 pica?
Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout.
What is a nautical mile?
Exactly 1,852 metres — one minute of latitude, the basis of marine and air navigation.
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 pica to nmi in my head?
Plenty of people do this in their head: divide by 440,000 instead of using the exact factor 0.000002. At 100 that shortcut gives 0.00022727273 nautical miles, off by 0.000001 nautical miles or about 0.57%. Fine for a rough estimate, not fine for anything you are cutting to size or dosing.
Picas to nautical miles reference tables
| Picas | Nautical Miles |
|---|---|
| 0.5 pica | 1.14291e-06 nmi |
| 1 pica | 2.28582e-06 nmi |
| 2 pica | 4.57163e-06 nmi |
| 3 pica | 6.85745e-06 nmi |
| 5 pica | 1.14291e-05 nmi |
| 10 pica | 2.28582e-05 nmi |
| 20 pica | 4.57163e-05 nmi |
| 25 pica | 5.71454e-05 nmi |
| 50 pica | 0.000114291 nmi |
| 75 pica | 0.000171436 nmi |
| 100 pica | 0.000228582 nmi |
| 250 pica | 0.000571454 nmi |
| 500 pica | 0.00114291 nmi |
| 1000 pica | 0.00228582 nmi |
| 5000 pica | 0.0114291 nmi |
Exact factor: 1 pica = 2.28581713463e-06 nautical miles.
| Quantity | pica | nmi |
|---|---|---|
| A credit card’s long edge | 20.22 pica | 4.622e-05 nmi |
| A door height | 480 pica | 0.001097 nmi |
| An Olympic pool | 1.181e+04 pica | 0.027 nmi |
| The Eiffel Tower | 7.795e+04 pica | 0.1782 nmi |
| A marathon | 9.967e+06 pica | 22.78 nmi |
| Earth’s diameter | 3.01e+09 pica | 6880 nmi |
Published reference values, converted with the same factor this page uses.