How to Use CONVERT Function in Excel (10 Examples)

The CONVERT function is an Excel Engineering function, and it will convert units from one measurement system to another.

In this article, you will get to know the introduction and usage of the CONVERT function in Excel.

CONVERT Function

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CONVERT Function: Syntax & Arguments

⦿ Function Objective

The CONVERT function converts a number from one measurement system to another.

⦿ Syntax

CONVERT(number, from_unit, to_unit)

CONVERT Function

⦿ Arguments

Argument Required/Optional Explanation
number Required The value which you want to convert from one unit to another
from_unit Required The unit from which you want to convert
to_unit Required The unit to which you want to convert

⦿ Return Value

After Entering the function, it will give you the value in the unit which you wanted.

⦿ Version

The CONVERT function is introduced in Excel 2003 version and available for all versions after that.

Measurement Systems

In the following, we have provided some lists of the symbols used in Excel for the conversion of units.

Weight and mass

Weight and mass Unit
Gram “g”
Slug “sg”
Pound mass (avoirdupois) “lbm”
U (atomic mass unit) “u”
Ounce mass (avoirdupois) “ozm”
Grain “grain”
U.S. (short) hundredweight “cwt” or “shweight”
Imperial hundredweight “uk_cwt” or “lcwt” (“hweight”)
Stone “stone”
Ton “ton”
Imperial ton “uk_ton” or “LTON” (“brton”)

 

Distance

Distance Unit
Meter “m”
Statute mile “mi”
Nautical mile “Nmi”
Inch “in”
Foot “ft”
Yard “yd”
Angstrom “ang”
Ell “ell”
Light-year “ly”
Parsec “parsec” or “pc”
Pica (1/72 inch) “Picapt” or “Pica”
Pica (1/6 inch) “pica”
U.S survey mile (statute mile) “survey_mi”

 

Time

Time Unit
Year “yr”
Day “day” or “d”
Hour “hr”
Minute “mn” or “min”
Second “sec” or “s”

 

Pressure

Pressure Unit
Pascal “Pa” (or “p”)
Atmosphere “atm” (or “at”)
mm of Mercury “mmHg”
PSI “psi”
Torr “Torr”

 

Force

Force Unit
Newton “N”
Dyne “dyn” (or “dy”)
Pound force “lbf”
Pond “pond”

 

Energy

Energy Unit
Joule “J”
Erg “e”
Thermodynamic calorie “c”
IT calorie “cal”
Electron volt “eV” (or “ev”)
Horsepower-hour “HPh” (or “hh”)
Watt-hour “Wh” (or “wh”)
Foot-pound “flb”
BTU “BTU” (or “btu”)

 

Power

Power Unit
Horsepower “HP” (or “h”)
Pferdestärke “PS”
Watt “W” (or “w”)

 

Magnetism

Magnetism Unit
Tesla “T”
Gauss “ga”

 

Temperature

Temperature Unit
Degree Celsius “C” (or “cel”)
Degree Fahrenheit “F” (or “fah”)
Kelvin “K” (or “kel”)
Degrees Rankine “Rank”
Degrees Réaumur “Reau”

 

Liquid Measure

Liquid Measure Unit
Teaspoon “tsp”
Modern teaspoon “tspm”
Tablespoon “tbs”
Fluid ounce “oz”
Cup “cup”
U.S. pint “pt” (or “us_pt”)
U.K. pint “uk_pt”
Quart “qt”
Imperial quart (U.K.) “uk_qt”
Gallon “gal”
Imperial gallon (U.K.) “uk_gal”
Liter “l” or “L” (“lt”)


Volume

Volume Unit
Cubic angstrom “ang3” or “ang^3”
U.S. oil barrel “barrel”
U.S. bushel “bushel”
Cubic feet “ft3” or “ft^3”
Cubic inch “in3” or “in^3”
Cubic light-year “ly3” or “ly^3”
Cubic meter “m3” or “m^3”
Cubic Mile “mi3” or “mi^3”
Cubic yard “yd3” or “yd^3”
Cubic nautical mile “Nmi3” or “Nmi^3”
Cubic Pica “Picapt3”, “Picapt^3”, “Pica3” or “Pica^3”
Gross Registered Ton “GRT” (“regton”)
Measurement ton (freight ton) “MTON”

 

Area

Area Unit
International acre “uk_acre”
U.S. survey/statute acre “us_acre”
Square angstrom “ang2″ or “ang^2”
Are “ar”
Square feet “ft2” or “ft^2”
Hectare “ha”
Square inches “in2” or “in^2”
Square light-year “ly2” or “ly^2”
Square meters “m2” or “m^2”
Morgen “Morgen”
Square miles “mi2” or “mi^2”
Square nautical miles “Nmi2” or “Nmi^2”
Square Pica “Picapt2”, “Pica2”, “Pica^2” or “Picapt^2”
Square yards “yd2” or “yd^2”

 

Information

Information Unit
Bit “bit”
Byte “byte”

 

Metric Prefixes

The prefixes shown in the table below can be used with metric units by prepending the abbreviation to the unit.

Prefix Multiplier Abbreviation
yotta 1E+24 “Y”
zetta 1E+21 “Z”
exa 1E+18 “E”
peta 1E+15 “P”
tera 1E+12 “T”
giga 1000000000 “G”
mega 1000000 “M”
kilo 1000 “k”
hecto 100 “h”
dekao 10 “da” or “e”
deci 0.1 “d”
centi 0.01 “c”
milli 0.001 “m”
micro 0.000001 “u”
nano 0.000000001 “n”
pico 1E-12 “p”
femto 1E-15 “f”
atto 1E-18 “a”
zepto 1E-21 “z”
yocto 1E-24 “y”

 

Binary Prefixes

The binary unit prefixes below can be used with “bits” and “bytes”.

Binary Prefix Value Abbreviation Decimal
yobi 2^80 “Yi” yotta
zebi 2^70 “Zi” zetta
exbi 2^60 “Ei” exa
pebi 2^50 “Pi” peta
tebi 2^40 “Ti” tera
gibi 2^30 “Gi” giga
mebi 2^20 “Mi” mega
kibi 2^10 “ki” kilo

10 Examples of Using The CONVERT Function in Excel

Here, we have used the following two tables for demonstrating some application of the CONVERT function in Excel.

For creating the article, we have used Microsoft Excel 365 version, you can use any other versions according to your convenience.

CONVERT Function

CONVERT Function


1. Converting Temperature from Degree Celsius to Degree Fahrenheit

Here, we will convert the temperature from Degree Celsius to Degree Fahrenheit by using the CONVERT function.

CONVERT Function

➤Select the output cell D5
➤Type the following formula

=CONVERT(C5,"C","F")

Here, C5 is the temperature in Degree Celsius, “C” is for Degree Celsius and “F” is for Degree Fahrenheit.
CONVERT will convert the temperature from Degree Celsius to Degree Fahrenheit.

Temperature

➤Press ENTER
➤Drag down the Fill Handle Tool

Temperature

Result:
In this way, you will convert the temperature from Degree Celsius to Degree Fahrenheit.

Temperature

Similarly, you can get the result by inserting direct input instead of reference like below.

=CONVERT(132.4,"C","F")

CONVERT Function


2. Converting Pressure from PSI to Pascal

You can convert pressure from the PSI unit to the Pascal unit by using the CONVERT function.

CONVERT Function

➤Select the output cell D5
➤Type the following formula

=CONVERT(C5,"psi","Pa")

Here, C5 is the pressure in PSI, “psi” is for PSI and “Pa” is for Pascal.
CONVERT will convert the pressure from PSI to Pascal.

Pressure

➤Press ENTER
➤Drag down the Fill Handle Tool

Pressure

Result:
After that, you will convert the pressure from PSI to Pascal.

Pressure


3. Converting Volume from Liter to Cubic Meter Using CONVERT Function

In this section, we will convert the volume of the substances from Liter to Cubic Meter.

CONVERT Function

➤Select the output cell D5
➤Type the following formula

=CONVERT(C5,"l","m^3")

Here, C5 is the volume in Liter, “l” is for Liter and “m^3” is for Cubic Meter.
CONVERT will convert the volume from Liter to Cubic Meter.

Volume

➤Press ENTER
➤Drag down the Fill Handle Tool

Volume

Result:
Then, you will get the volume converted from Liter to Cubic Meter.

Volume


4. Converting Weight from Pound Mass to Gram

You can convert the Weight of the participants from Pound Mass to Gram by using the CONVERT function.

CONVERT Function

➤Select the output cell D5
➤Type the following formula

=CONVERT(C5,"lbm","g")

Here, C5 is the weight in Pound Mass, “lbm” is for Pound Mass and “g” is for Gram.
CONVERT will convert the weight from Pound Mass to Gram.

weight

➤Press ENTER
➤Drag down the Fill Handle Tool

weight

Result:
In this way, you will convert the weight from Pound Mass to Gram.

weight


5. Converting Distance from Meter to Yard

Here, we will convert the distance covered by the participants from Meter to Yard by using the CONVERT function.

CONVERT Function

➤Select the output cell D5
➤Type the following formula

=CONVERT(C5,"m","yd")

Here, C5 is the length of the distance in Meter, “m” is for Meter, and “yd” is for Yard.
CONVERT will convert the weight from Meter to Yard.

Distance

➤Press ENTER
➤Drag down the Fill Handle Tool

Distance

Result:
Afterward, you will get the distance converted from Meter to Yard.

Distance


6. Converting Area from Square Meter to Square Yard Using CONVERT Function

You can convert the area from the Square Meter unit to the Square Yard unit by using the CONVERT function.

CONVERT Function

➤Select the output cell D5
➤Type the following formula

=CONVERT(C5,"m^2","yd^2")

Here, C5 is the area in Square Meter, “m^2” is for Square Meter and “yd^2” is for Square Yard.
CONVERT will convert the area from Square Meter to Square Yard.

Area

➤Press ENTER
➤Drag down the Fill Handle Tool

Area

Result:
In this way, you will get the area converted from Square Meter to Square Yard.

Area

You can get the above result by using the following formula also.

=CONVERT(CONVERT(10000,"m","yd"),"m","yd")

Here, 10000 is the area in the Square Meter unit, CONVERT(10000,”m”,”yd”) will convert Meter to Yard and it is the length conversion. After that again using CONVERT to the value, which is obtained from the previous conversion, will turn the length conversion into the area conversion.

CONVERT Function


7. Converting Time from Minute to Second

Here, we will convert the time required by the participants in the competition from Minute to Second by using the CONVERT function.

CONVERT Function

➤Select the output cell D5
➤Type the following formula

=CONVERT(C5,"mn","sec")

Here, C5 is the time in Minute, “mn” is for Minute, and “sec” is for Second.
CONVERT will convert the time from Minute to Second.

Time

➤Press ENTER
➤Drag down the Fill Handle Tool

Time

Result:
After that, you will convert the time from Minute to Second.

Time


8. Converting Speed from Meter Per Second to Mile Per Hour

You can change the unit of the speed of the participants from Meter Per Second to Mile Per Hour.

CONVERT Function

➤Select the output cell D5
➤Type the following formula

=CONVERT(C5,"m/s","mph")

Here, C5 is the speed in Meter Per Second, “m/s” is for Meter Per Second and “mph” is for Mile Per Hour.
CONVERT will convert the speed from Meter Per Second to Mile Per Hour.

Speed

➤Press ENTER
➤Drag down the Fill Handle Tool

Speed

Result:
In this way, you will change the speed from Meter Per Second to Mile Per Hour.

Speed


9. Using CONVERT Function in a Formula

Here, we have distance in the Meter unit but the time in the Minute unit which is not in the S.I. system of units. So, for calculating speed from these two values we have to convert Minute to Second (S.I. unit) by using the CONVERT function.

CONVERT Function

➤Select the output cell E5
➤Type the following formula

=C5/CONVERT(D5,"mn","sec")

Here, C5 is the Distance in Meter and D5 is the Time in Minute, “mn” is for Minute, and “sec” is for Second.
CONVERT will convert the time from Minute to Second.
Finally, we will divide the Distance by Time to get the speed.

formula

➤Press ENTER
➤Drag down the Fill Handle Tool

formula

Result:
Afterward, you will get the Speed in Meter Per Second for the participants.

formula


10. Using CONVERT Function in a VBA Code

You can use the CONVERT function in the VBA code also.

CONVERT Function

➤Go to Developer Tab>>Visual Basic Option

VBA code

Then, the Visual Basic Editor will open up.
➤Go to Insert Tab>> Module Option

VBA code

After that, a Module will be created.

VBA code

➤Write the following code

Sub cnvrt()

    Range("D5") = Application.WorksheetFunction.Convert((Range("C5")), "m", "yd")
    Range("D6") = Application.WorksheetFunction.Convert((Range("C6")), "m", "yd")
    Range("D7") = Application.WorksheetFunction.Convert((Range("C7")), "m", "yd")
    Range("D8") = Application.WorksheetFunction.Convert((Range("C8")), "m", "yd")
    Range("D9") = Application.WorksheetFunction.Convert((Range("C9")), "m", "yd")
    Range("D10") = Application.WorksheetFunction.Convert((Range("C10")), "m", "yd")

End Sub

CONVERT will convert the distance of the cells C5 to C10 of Column C from Meter to Yard and we will get the outputs in corresponding cells of Column D.

VBA code

➤Press F5

Result:
Then, you will get the distance converted from Meter to Yard.

CONVERT Function


Things to Notice

🔺This function is a case-sensitive function.

🔺For a non-recognizable unit string CONVERT function will return the #N/A error.

🔺If the two units used as arguments are not compatible with each other then you will get the #N/A error.

🔺For an invalid number CONVERT function will return the #VALUE! error.


Practice Section

For doing practice by yourself we have provided a Practice section like below in a sheet named Practice. Please do it by yourself.

practice


Conclusion

In this article, we tried to cover the introduction and usage of the CONVERT function in Excel. Hope you will find it useful. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to share them in the comment section.

Tanjima Hossain

Tanjima Hossain

Hello everyone, This is Tanjima Hossain. I have completed my graduation from BUET. Then I have started working as a technical writer in SOFTEKO. I have grown interest in technical content writing, research topics, numerical analysis related field and so I am here. Besides this I love to interact with different people and I love to spend my spare time by reading, gardening ,cooking etc.

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