There is nothing to calculate here: one micrometer is exactly one micron. The two are the same unit under two names, so any figure in micrometers can be rewritten in microns unchanged.
One millionth of a metre, the scale of cells, pollen and semiconductor features. The older name for a micrometre, still standard in filtration, machining and paint-thickness specifications.
The reason both names survive is that they come from different standards bodies and different trades, and each is entrenched in its own literature. If you are reading a data sheet, use whichever unit it uses; if you are writing one, use the unit your audience expects. The number itself never changes.
The formula
micrometers- Your figure in micrometers
1- The factor between the two names — exactly one
microns- The same figure, relabelled
How it works, step by step
- Enter your value in micrometers.
- Nothing is multiplied: the units are identical in size.
- Read the same number off as microns.
- Use whichever name the document you are working from uses.
Worked examples
A published figure in micrometers
A data sheet quoting 46 µm is quoting 46 micron. No arithmetic is involved, and any tool that returns something other than 46 has confused this with a different quantity.
When the numbers should not match
If a conversion between these two names changes the number, the source has almost certainly mixed up length with a neighbouring quantity. That is worth checking before trusting the figure, because the neighbouring conversion usually needs a material property this one does not.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 µm the same as 1 micron?
Yes, exactly. They are two names for the same size of unit, not an approximation that happens to be close.
Why are there two names for the same unit?
Different standards traditions. One millionth of a metre, the scale of cells, pollen and semiconductor features. The older name for a micrometre, still standard in filtration, machining and paint-thickness specifications.
Which one should I use?
Match the document you are working from. Standards bodies increasingly prefer micron, but µm remains what most trade literature prints, and switching mid-document is how errors get introduced.
Does the conversion depend on temperature or material?
No. Both units measure length, and the equality between them is a matter of definition rather than measurement.
What is a micrometer?
One millionth of a metre, the scale of cells, pollen and semiconductor features.
What is a micron?
The older name for a micrometre, still standard in filtration, machining and paint-thickness specifications.
µm and micron at a glance
| Figure | µm | micron |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 0.5 µm | 0.5 micron |
| 1 | 1 µm | 1 micron |
| 2 | 2 µm | 2 micron |
| 3 | 3 µm | 3 micron |
| 5 | 5 µm | 5 micron |
| 10 | 10 µm | 10 micron |
| 20 | 20 µm | 20 micron |
| 25 | 25 µm | 25 micron |
| 50 | 50 µm | 50 micron |
| 75 | 75 µm | 75 micron |
| 100 | 100 µm | 100 micron |
| 250 | 250 µm | 250 micron |
| 500 | 500 µm | 500 micron |
| 1000 | 1000 µm | 1000 micron |
| 5000 | 5000 µm | 5000 micron |
The columns are identical by definition — that is the point of the page.