Free Tool
Unit Converter
Type one value and see every equivalent at once — length, weight, volume and area. The units a buyer actually needs when a US spec sheet meets a Chinese factory drawing.
Equivalents
Click any result to copy it. Values are rounded for display; the underlying conversion is exact.
Quick reference
- 1 inch
- 2.54 cm
- 1 foot
- 30.48 cm
- 1 lb
- 0.4536 kg
- 1 kg
- 2.2046 lb
- 1 CBM
- 35.315 ft³
- 1 ft³
- 0.02832 CBM
- 1 US gallon
- 3.7854 L
- 1 metric ton
- 2,204.6 lb
Working with a Chinese factory?
Send dimensions in millimetres and weights in kilograms, and state tolerances explicitly. Most quality disputes we see start with a spec sheet that mixed units or rounded an inch measurement to the nearest centimetre.
Unit questions in sourcing
Why do Chinese factories quote in centimetres?
China uses the metric system for all production and export documentation. Carton marks, packing lists and bills of lading are almost always in cm and kg, so converting your imperial spec before you send it prevents the most common tolerance mistakes.
Is 1 CBM the same as 1 cubic metre?
Yes. CBM is simply freight shorthand for cubic metre. One CBM equals 1,000 litres, 35.315 cubic feet, or 1,000,000 cubic centimetres.
Which ton is used in shipping?
Ocean freight uses the metric ton (1,000 kg), often called a revenue ton when paired with CBM. The US short ton is 907.18 kg and the UK long ton is 1,016.05 kg — both are included in the weight tab so you can check a quote that uses them.