The Excel CONVERT Function
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Excel-Convert-Function
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Basic Description
The Excel CONVERT function converts a number from one unit type (eg. Yards) to another unit type (eg. Meters).
The function is new to Excel 2007, so is not available in earlier versions of MS Excel.
The format of the function is :
CONVERT( Number, From_unit, To_unit )
Where the arguments are as follows :
| Number |
- |
The number to be converted |
| From_unit |
- |
A text string, denoting the current unit for the original number |
| From_unit |
- |
A text string, denoting the unit that you want to convert the original number to |
The From_unit and To_unit arguments to the Excel Convert function must make sense -
ie. they may not be from different measurement types (eg. temperature & distance).
If you attempt to convert between two different measurement types, Excel will return the #N/A error.
The tables below show all the different measurement types that the Excel Convert Function can
work with, and show the text abbreviations that must be supplied to the function to denote each unit type.
Note that the text abbreviations for the unit types are case sensitive.
| Distance Units |
| Meter |
"m" |
| Statute Mile |
"mi" |
| Nautical Mile |
"Nmi" |
| Inch |
"in" |
| Foot |
"ft" |
| Yard |
"yd" |
| Angstrom |
"ang" |
| Pica |
"Pica" |
|
| Liquid Units |
| Teaspoon |
"tsp" |
| Tablespoon |
"tbs" |
| Fluid Ounce |
"oz" |
| Cup |
"cup" |
| U.S. Pint |
"pt" (or "us_pt") |
| U.K. Pint |
"uk_pt" |
| Quart |
"qt" |
| Gallon |
"gal" |
| Liter |
"l" (or "lt") |
|
| Temperature Units |
| Degree Celsius |
"C" (or "cel") |
| Degree Fahrenheit |
"F" (or "fah") |
| Kelvin |
"K" (or "kel") |
|
| Power Units |
| Horsepower |
"HP" (or "h") |
| Watt |
"W" (or "w") |
|
| Magnetism Units |
| Tesla |
"T" |
| Gauss |
"ga" |
|
| Time Units |
| Year |
"yr" |
| Day |
"day" |
| Hour |
"hr" |
| Minute |
"mn" |
| Second |
"sec" |
|
| Weight & Mass Units |
| Gram |
"g" |
| Slug |
"sg" |
| Pound Mass |
"lbm" |
| U (Atomic Mass Unit) |
"u" |
| Ounce Mass |
"ozm" |
|
| Force Units |
| Newton |
"N" |
| Dyne |
"dyn" (or "dy") |
| Pound Force |
"lbf" |
|
| Pressure Units |
| Pascal |
"Pa" (or "p") |
| Atmosphere |
"atm" (or "at") |
| mm of Mercury |
"mmHg" |
|
| Energy Units |
| Joule |
"J" |
| Erg |
"e" |
| Thermodynamic Calorie |
"c" |
| IT Calorie |
"cal" |
| Electron Volt |
"eV" (or "ev") |
| Horsepower-Hour |
"HPh" |
| Watt-Hour |
"Wh" |
| Foot-Pound |
"flb" |
| BTU |
"BTU" (or "btu") |
|
|
In addition, the following text can be prepended any metric To_unit or From_unit
(eg. the "c" prepended to the meter unit, "m" becomes "cm" to denote centimeters) :
| Multiplier |
Multiplier Value |
Abbreviation |
| exa |
1.00E+18 |
"E" |
| peta |
1.00E+15 |
"P" |
| tera |
1.00E+12 |
"T" |
| giga |
1.00E+09 |
"G" |
| mega |
1.00E+06 |
"M" |
| kilo |
1.00E+03 |
"k" |
| hecto |
1.00E+02 |
"h" |
| dekao |
1.00E+01 |
"e" |
| deci |
1.00E-01 |
"d" |
| centi |
1.00E-02 |
"c" |
| milli |
1.00E-03 |
"m" |
| micro |
1.00E-06 |
"u" |
| nano |
1.00E-09 |
"n" |
| pico |
1.00E-12 |
"p" |
| femto |
1.00E-15 |
"f" |
| atto |
1.00E-18 |
"a" |
|
Examples
The following spreadsheets show some examples of use of the Excel Convert Function.
The spreadsheet on the left shows the format of the function and the spreadsheet on the right shows the results :
