There is nothing to calculate here: one micron is exactly one micrometer. The two are the same unit under two names, so any figure in microns can be rewritten in micrometers unchanged.
The older name for a micrometre, still standard in filtration, machining and paint-thickness specifications. One millionth of a metre, the scale of cells, pollen and semiconductor features.
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
microns- Your figure in microns
1- The factor between the two names — exactly one
micrometers- The same figure, relabelled
How it works, step by step
- Enter your value in microns.
- Nothing is multiplied: the units are identical in size.
- Read the same number off as micrometers.
- Use whichever name the document you are working from uses.
Worked examples
A published figure in microns
A data sheet quoting 46 micron is quoting 46 µm. 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 micron the same as 1 µm?
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. The older name for a micrometre, still standard in filtration, machining and paint-thickness specifications. One millionth of a metre, the scale of cells, pollen and semiconductor features.
Which one should I use?
Match the document you are working from. Standards bodies increasingly prefer µm, but micron 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 micron?
The older name for a micrometre, still standard in filtration, machining and paint-thickness specifications.
What is a micrometer?
One millionth of a metre, the scale of cells, pollen and semiconductor features.
micron and µm at a glance
| Figure | micron | µm |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 0.5 micron | 0.5 µm |
| 1 | 1 micron | 1 µm |
| 2 | 2 micron | 2 µm |
| 3 | 3 micron | 3 µm |
| 5 | 5 micron | 5 µm |
| 10 | 10 micron | 10 µm |
| 20 | 20 micron | 20 µm |
| 25 | 25 micron | 25 µm |
| 50 | 50 micron | 50 µm |
| 75 | 75 micron | 75 µm |
| 100 | 100 micron | 100 µm |
| 250 | 250 micron | 250 µm |
| 500 | 500 micron | 500 µm |
| 1000 | 1000 micron | 1000 µm |
| 5000 | 5000 micron | 5000 µm |
The columns are identical by definition — that is the point of the page.