Millimetres to metres
Multiply millimetres by 0.001 to get metres.
500 mm = 0.5 m
How to convert millimetres to metres
The metre is the SI base unit of length, defined since 1983 by fixing the speed of light at exactly 299 792 458 m/s. The millimetre is one thousandth of a metre (10⁻³ m).
Worked example — 500 mm: 500 × 0.001 = 0.5 m.
Millimetres to metres table
| Millimetres | Metres |
|---|---|
| 1 mm | 0.001 m |
| 10 mm | 0.01 m |
| 100 mm | 0.1 m |
| 250 mm | 0.25 m |
| 500 mm | 0.5 m |
| 1,000 mm | 1 m |
| 2,000 mm | 2 m |
| 5,000 mm | 5 m |
| 10,000 mm | 10 m |
Reverse and related
About millimetres and metres
Millimetre (mm)
1 mm = 0.001 mDefinition. One thousandth of a metre (10⁻³ m)
History and origin
The millimetre is one thousandth of a metre, defined with the rest of the decimal metric system in the 1790s. Its small size suits precise work.
Current use
Millimetres are used for rainfall, engineering tolerances, and the sizes of screws, hardware and printed parts.
Source: BIPM, The International System of Units (SI), 9th ed. (2019)
Metre (m)
1 m = 1,000 mmDefinition. The SI base unit of length, defined since 1983 by fixing the speed of light at exactly 299 792 458 m/s
History and origin
The metre was defined in 1793 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole, later realised as a platinum bar. Since 1983 it has been defined by fixing the speed of light at exactly 299 792 458 metres per second, tying it to a constant of nature rather than an object.
Current use
The metre is the base unit of length across the metric world, used for everything from building plans to sports fields; the United States is the main country that still measures everyday length in feet and inches.
Source: BIPM, The International System of Units (SI), 9th ed. (2019)
Where people use this
Millimetres: rainfall, engineering tolerances, screws and hardware. Metres: room and building dimensions, sports fields, fabric and rope. 1000 mm is exactly 1 m.
Every value is carried to full double precision; the display is rounded.
Both units are defined in BIPM, The International System of Units (SI), 9th ed. (2019).
Questions people ask
How many mm make a metre?
It takes 1000 millimetres to make one metre.
How many metres is 500 mm?
500 mm is 0.5 metres.
What is 2500 mm in metres?
2500 mm is 2.5 metres.